Ladies and gentlemen, it's official. After years of wondering how I've ever gotten by without seeing one of my all-time favorite bands in concert, I am pleased to announce that as of Sunday, June 3rd in the year of our Lord and Savior, I have joined the ranks of those of you who have had the immense pleasure of seeing Radiohead perform live, in person, and in glorious technicolor. I'm sure it goes without saying that this concert was a transitory experience chock full of sublime musical talent but there I go again saying things that go without saying after saying that they should have gone without saying. Catch my drift? There's much to love about Radiohead as a band. They have a reputation for being adventurous, creative, beautiful, haunting, heartbreaking, uplifting, and even slightly terrifying at times. They're easily one of the greatest bands of our time and, even if they're not your particular cup of tea, one simply cannot deny the enormous influence they've had on the contemporary music scene.
Now, all that being said, I'll admit that it took me a little while to get into them. My first exposure to them came directly from someone chastising my personal music choices. An older kid was looking through my CD binder (Remember those? Before the days of the IPod?) and he happened upon Coldplay's 'A Rush of Blood to the Head.' He scoffed, as all older kids do when they feel the need to flaunt their pretentious opinions about to cement their self-appointed superiority. "Coldplay?" He sneered. "Psssh, I listen to Radiohead. They're far superior." It was a simple statement, but it was enough to ignite the spark that lead to my picking up a copy of 'OK Computer' to see what all the fuss was about. Truth be told, the album didn't do much for me and I went back to my favorite, weepy musicians who sang about Scientists and Clocks. It wasn't until a few years ago when I picked the album back up and listened to it from beginning to end that I realized the error of my high-school mind's ways. Following my listening party of 'OK Computer' with the utter brilliance of 'Kid A' cemented their unquestionable brilliance as far as I was concerned. According to my Last.FM account, which tracks the songs I listen to and keeps a running tally of them, Radiohead is in my top five most listened to bands, placing fourth after The Beatles, Wilco, and Mr. Dylan. It's not too much of a stretch to say that they're one of my faves.
So, how did they fare live? As expected, they were ever so mind-blowing. There was so much to love and so many bright lights to see and the jittery dancing antics of Thom Yorke and the haunting chords of Jonny Greenwood's compositions and the thumping beats of Phil Selway and etc, etc, etc. Their set contained practically everything on their latest album 'The King of Limbs,' which, while quite funky in CD form, can't quite prepare you for the all-out funk of the live performances. And really, I think that's what surprised me the most. Radiohead is much funkier live than one would ever expect from a band whose most upbeat tunes are still quite dreary affairs that bask in the glory of the deepest, darkest recesses of the human mind and yet, I found myself dancing in my chair for the majority of the show. (I was too terrified to stand up as my seat was so high up that I was convinced I'd gyrate myself over the edge of the balcony and plummet to my doom)
'The King of Limbs' tunes sounded great, especially the absolutely gorgeous 'Give Up the Ghost,' which features Thom Yorke looping his voice to create the song's background vocals. Truly beautiful stuff. Nevertheless, these newer tunes were no replacement for their splendid beyond all reason classics. Songs like 'There, There,' 'Airbag,' '15 Step,' and 'The National Anthem' pack an emotional and mind-exploding wallop when performed on stage, the likes of which any self-professed music-adorer simply must experience at some point in their lives. Other lesser-known gems such as 'Kid A' and 'You and Whose Army' made more-than-welcome appearances and, though I can't quite recall the entire setlist, it was chock-full-o' hits from all over the bands efficacious career. I only wish they had performed 'Idioteque,' so I could finally witness it in all its beat-pounding, apocalyptic glory, but, oh well, you can't win 'em all. At the end of the day, the show was a masterful display of musical talent and has only served to further cement my love for the band and the belief that they are easily one of the greats.
Now if only those Wilco shows in July would get here faster.......
No comments:
Post a Comment