Report: BOREDOMS / 77BOADRUM @ NYC Brooklyn Bridge Park [07.07.07.07:07]

Wow, this is the first live report I've ever written for this blog. Before we begin, for an explanation of the significance of this BOREDOMS concert's timing (07.07.07.07:07), see the concert information site. Happy 七夕!

By the way, no actual pictures from this evening because I was a retard who brought a camera but forgot the memory card at home.

To tell the truth, I almost didn't go to this event. At 4pm today, my friend and I were trying to decide between the live and the Museum of Sex while standing at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge (Manhattan side). We flipped a coin and the Boredoms won, so off we went onto the Brooklyn Bridge.

Once we reached the Brooklyn side, we saw that a small crowd of people already gathered at the observation platform on the bridge looking down at the park. I sidled up to them and glanced down: cool, the 77 drum sets were all set up and... oh shit, the line went around 2 blocks! This is what happens when you have a free outdoor event. Everyone and his mother comes. Even though I RSVPed, there's no freaking way I'm going to stand in that looooooooong line to get into the park in the blistering New York summer heat. I know next to nothing about the BOREDOMS, so I owe them no allegiance. I considered the situation and came up with the following possible plans of action:

A. Turn back and go to the Museum of Sex.
B. Watch the concert right there on the bridge, but the sound's going to be garbled because of the zipping traffic on the bridge.
C. Go to the adjacent park that's only 1 alcove away along the East River's Brooklyn waterfront. We won't see crap, but we'll hear very well.

Guess which one we ended up picking? So, we got off the bridge, cut right through the line, and entered the adjacent park. We could see the crowd gathered for the live right across the water. To make sure we got within good hearing range, we carefully picked our way over the river-side rocks and took a seat there. For those of you who've never been to Brooklyn Bridge Park before, the picture below gives you a good idea of our vantage point. It was taken very close to where I sat today. That extension of land you see right before the bridge was where the concert took place.

So, we settled down on the rocks and waited for 7:07pm to arrive. As the starting time edged closer, more people joined us on the rocks. It turned out that the park reached full capacity and the people still in line were turned away. We actually saw 3 guys break through the park gate and make a wild dash for the live area while 5 cops chased madly after them. We all cheered for them, but the cops wouldn't give up. 1 guy got tackled right before he was able to flip over the barrier. A shame, truly.

Anyway, the live started promptly as the hands of my watch hit 7:07. A roaring tide of drumming swept across the waterfront to the cheering and applause of the audience. The intensity picked up and Eye's shouting echoed over the waves. This was my first time listening to the BOREDOMS's performance. I was honestly surprised by how... elusive their music is.

I have difficulty properly describing the music. The melodies of the songs, if you can even call them that, were formless, hard to put one's finger on. The sound was driven mainly by the tribal beat, the relentless pounding of the 77 drummers. As I stared at the light from the setting sun sparkling over the rippling waters of the river, I kind of entered a strange sort of trance. "Light, ripple, orange, pretty, yay~!" I swear I wasn't high on anything. Somehow the music put me in an odd mental state. It was psychedelic, trance-inducing, and slightly creepy at the same time.

Most of the audience sitting on the rocks with me had their eyes closed and nodded to the beat as the music shifted and morphed around us. Sometimes, it sounded like a plane taking off, other times, it sounded like ocean waves crashing against jaggy cliffs. As the sun dipped further below the horizon, the Manhattan skyline took on a glow against the reddish sky. The Brooklyn Bridge lit up and beamed its spherical light fixtures at the shore. The cool night breeze picked up a dash of river water and wrapped around us soothingly. Surreal? Yes, it was.

I almost forgot about the pain in my hindquarters from sitting on the sharp, hard shore rocks, but alas, I had to leave before the live ended because my friend had to return to New Jersey in time. As we walked back to Manhattan on the Brooklyn Bridge, we once again passed by the observation platform. A sizable crowd now lined the area. One girl in a pink shirt actually climbed onto the railing and if she hadn't held on to the bridge cable, would have flung herself into the air. The effect of the music up on the bridge was actually very interesting. One can hear everything just fine, but the whooshing of the speeding cars transformed the sound and gave it another dimension. It was a unique integration of noise and music.

From up in the air, I could see that the park was packed. The 77 musicians performed in the very center while the audience crowded around them, forming a circle. The audiences, all of them, inside the park itself, on the shore rocks, and on the bridge, formed a fascinating gathering today.

We eventually turned away and continued our walk back, toward the glittering Manhattan skyline as the sound of the BOREDOMS gradually faded behind us.