This past week I had the rare pleasure of attending a Radiohead concert, a pleasure I decided I must have before I left for college. I had also purchased tickets for the Friday of All Points West in New Jersey, but unfortunately it took place on the day before I left for vacation with my family. So I settled for the Wednesday show in Massachusetts, which meant that I'd have to interrupt a family vacation anyway but who cares?
Before the concert I
pre-gamed by watching
Radiohead's Live At The Astoria DVD. Shot in '94, this DVD shows a young
Radiohead: Phil had hair, Colin, and Thom's hair was still
blond but had come a long way from his
early-90's look. The show finds the band at their
rockin'-est, thrashing (Thom literally kicks the shit out of his guitar), jumping, and jamming on staples from
Pablo Honey, and
debuting new songs ("new song, sorry") that would appear on
The Bends in '95.
The Mansfield venue, although there was a lot of traffic getting their, although my brother and I easily out-maneuvered two particular douchebloggers and cut through the thick mass of concert-goers. The Comcast Center (formally the Tweeter Center) was a good-sized open-air amphitheater with a large lawn in back. My brother and I were stuck on the lawn, farthest from the stage without being out of visual range. My enjoyment of the concert was hindered by the distance and, to a certain extent, the presence of my brother, who does not like Radiohead. However, it would turn out to be quite funny, as we bonded over our mutual scorn of hippy-college kids and indie hipsters, and debated Radiohead vs. Kanye West.
The opening band, Grizzly Bear, was decent at best, but they served their purpose by making me we want to hear
Radiohead more than before. An hour and a half after Grizzly Bear left the stage,
Radiohead came on, opening with my favorite song from
In Rainbows,
Reckoner. The band exhibited great energy throughout the show and had an impressive presentation through the use of video screens and tube lights. The show was dominated by songs from
Kid A and
In Rainbows, and the highlights from the show included
National Anthem, which came on loud and strong as
Jonny fiddled with his radio, interjecting snippets of talk radio, and
Paranoid Android, with blazing visuals and an over-excited Colin jumping on stage during the slow bridge. The only song that I heard that I didn't like was
The Gloaming, however I was able to squeeze some enjoyment out of the performance because I got to see Thom
dance.
Unfortunately, I was unable to stay for the whole show, as my brother was jonesin' for some hamburgers and wanted to beat the traffic. So, we left after How To Disappear Completely and we heard the band play Thom's Cymbal Rush as we walked to the car. I heard from reliable sources that the band finished with Karma Police and Idioteque. The night stunk of cigarettes and pot, my legs fell asleep, and my brother wouldn't stop bugging me, but damn was it a great night. All hail Radiohead.
