Live Review: Radiohead (5/8/2008 & 5/9/2008) Atlanta & Charlotte
Last week I was on Radiohead overload and I loved it. I think maybe every single person I know in this city was at the Atlanta show. They are so damn popular now. I mean no matter what sort of style or taste in music of people I know, they all at least can appreciate this band. One down side of this is that there is going to be a crowd with some douches in it, as I’ve heard many people complain. But I would challenge anyone to tell me about a sold out show at Lakewood that didn’t have its share of annoying people attending.
That said, I was probably one of the more annoying people at the show. Since I had seen them 4 times before this and I was pretty much stone cold sober for all of those concerts, I decided to get blotto for this one. Since the night is pretty much a blur, and most people reading this blog were probably also there, I’m just gonna note a couple of things:
- I do not like overbearing cops and security at concerts, and there was way too much of that. People were getting arrested two cars down from where we were hanging out before the show. Why is it illegal to drink on private property at a concert but its ok to walk around with alcohol on Georgia Tech campus, which is lawfully not allowed anytime, during a football game? It is just such a stark contrast between the Phish shows I would go to back in 2000 at Lakewood and what that place has become now. I mean there really isn’t much else worthwhile about seeing a show at that sized venue except the bigger-than-life party atmosphere.
- While I’m ranting about how much I don’t like Lakewood, Liars just didn’t sound good in that venue. It was really disappointing to be listening to songs you know and love but not really enjoy them because you are like 7 miles from the stage. It made me not feel so bad being unable to catch a Radiohead show with Grizzly Bear opening.
Anyways, since a torrent of the Atlanta show has yet to surface, here’s some vids:
“Pyramind Song”:
“Lucky”:
“Talk Show Host”:
To do the review of the Charlotte show the next night, I want to welcome Ohmpark’s newest contributor, Josh West. I’m looking forward to many more great contributions to the site from him, and since he is a total Radiohead super-fan, this is a very appropriate debut:
@ around 1:39pm Friday 9 May 2008, I strolled through the door at Ohmpark to find comparable degrees of hungoverness to my own. We recounted the slides of our memory as an obligation – needing to put to rest the previous nights ecstasies in Atlanta in order to fully anticipate lightening striking us twice. With that, we were on the road to Charlotte where Radiohead was waiting once again.
Fast forward to the house lights falling. We found our way with beers in hand to the middle of the lawn as the cheers of the crowd gave way to the slow, soulful “All I Need.” After a few songs to warm the crowd, as well as the band, and then…
all engineering efforts began to come alive. For starters, there are five cameras scattered about the stage positioned on a band member, instrument, or both and their feeds are displayed side by side in the widest of widescreens behind the band. So, if you’re at the back of the lawn, you can still see Jonny go apeshit.The fun (and electrical engineering) doesn’t stop there. The band also decided to drape themselves in 50 or so waterfalls of light that vary between about 20 to 30 feet in length each. When they’re in the middle of a jam, you can see this shit from space.
And for the rest of the evening, as they sprinkled a song or two from albums past amidst our new In Rainbows favorites, the five piece came off as very seasoned and highly coordinated professional showmen – because they are. At times I couldn’t decide on the most interesting thing to watch – whether it be Thom’s maniacal dancing or the other thing on the screen they happened to be making noise with at the time. Thankfully, there was only one thing to listen to.Further, when you have accumulated the catalogue that Radiohead have over the past 15+ years, you can construct a setlist that has it all. They’re like that campy-ass summer blockbuster movie that has something for everyone, except they’re actually good. The opportunity to serenade his girlfriend during “Exit Music (For A Film)” proved to be too much for one young gentleman. Juxtapose that with this really long-haired girl completely wigging out and bumping into everything during “Idioteque” – but hey, don’t we all? I smelled plenty of the sticky during “Sail to the Moon” and the pit went nuts for Thom on the kit throughout “Bangers & Mash.”
…which lead promptly into the highlight of the evening as the main set closed with an absolutely explosive “Bodysnatchers.” I’ve been challenged to find the words and the best I’ve got is this: never before has the onslaught of sight and sound translated into my body moving the way it did. I’m white, getting older, and I’ll be very pressed to recreate such an outcome. Others around me, notably Biggie C, were also appropriately affected.
The band, as well as I, got a much-needed break after that. However, the treats continued as they returned to the stage to perform back-to-back numbers not appearing on major albums with “Go Slowly” followed by “Talk Show Host.”
Most of the crowd proceeded to wet themselves after the first chords of “Planet Telex” and it was actually here that I felt the band silenced all doubters wherever they might be found – getting everyone going on an oldie. The lights were synced perfectly and undeniably pained over for this one. They held this ace for long enough and were really just showing off at this point.The show closed with the perennial favorite, “Paranoid Android” introduced in one of Thom’s few addresses to the audience as, “This one’s a naaass-tee lit-tle bas-tard” followed promptly by “Reckoner.”
In all, everyone had the opportunity to laugh, cry, clap, sing, dance, hug, fist-pound, high-five, bob their head, hold a lighter (if you’re into that), burn one down (cause I’m into that) and look at the people around them periodically with that holy-shit look on their face.If they’re coming to a city near you, bottom line: go to the show. If you have to, drop some bills on the dude about 1000 feet from the venue who looks like your dad. He’ll be referring to the band as “Them Radioheads.” You’ll pay more than face value on the ticket, but this is pragmatically irrelevant. Get in.
You can download the Charlotte show here. Jonny took some pictures on the Radiohead blog, and here are a couple:
- Posted by Davy Minor on May 13, 2008 at 5:51 pm
