RADIOHEAD
Seeing as I’m a bit of an obsessive nerd, I was preparing for Radiohead’s Dallas show by following all of their previous dates. Looking up setlists to compare and contrast each date. I even made a spotify playlist of all the songs they’d played recently (like i said… obsessive nerd).
Radiohead is oftentimes like a piece of high art, in as much as people say they like it and appreciate it, but don’t always necessarily understand it/are sometimes put off by it. Especially recently when they’ve become much more heavily beat influenced and pretty much bucked the verse chorus bridge chorus songwriting system. I’ll admit that King of Limbs is beautiful but sometimes hard to connect to (although seeing many of its songs performed live may have changed that for me… funny how that happens). You can’t go into their show expecting a slew of greatest hits, because if they’ve proven anything, it’s that they do whatever the hell they want. That being said, you SHOULD go expecting to have your mind blown by their ridiculous talent and showmanship.
They opened the show with Bloom and two songs in I turned to Kelley (my previously mentioned partner in musical crimes) and said “I honestly don’t even care what they play tonight anymore!” Everyone probably goes in with a mental list of songs they HOPE will be played… praying that Thom will have some saintly change of heart and say “you know what, let’s give ’em Exit Music (For a Film).” But there we all were, two songs in and our lists were out the window… We understood that they knew best. That being said they did indulge us in such widely loved songs as Karma Police, There There, Paranoid Android and my personal favorite, Everything in its right place, with a True Love Waits intro (I’ll admit I slugged Kelley in the arm when Thom, seated at his piano, started that refrain… it is my favorite Radiohead song). A highlight of the set for me was Give up the ghost, leaving Thom and Johnny alone on the stage together. Two guitars, one voice, looping over and over itself in a perfect harmony.
The light show/video screens were a great touch without going too far overboard. I think the best theatrical attribute though, would have to be Thom’s dance moves. After the Lotus Flower video and subsequent mash-ups (my favorite being with Kelis’ Milkshake) Thom’s dancing talent was definitely on display for the world to appreciate. Silly and clumsy as it is, there is still so much rhythm to it… as if he’s been possessed by the song itself. Whether I’ve taken that statement too far is neither here nor there (but in all honestly I probably have), what is important is the joy that Thom’s dancing brings to our lives collectively. I know that personally, I greatly appreciate a man who will dance willy nilly (Thom and Sam Rockwell being two of my favorites). Thom’s magnificent moves aside, you couldn’t help getting the impression by some of the other band members that this was all old hat to them, looking slightly bored throughout parts of the night. That being said I wholeheartedly believe that they are some of the most talented musicians in the world. All of them multi-instrumentalists and all of them coming together to make such a unique and awe-inspiring sound. But take a cue from Thom boys, and smile every once in a while.
By the end of the night we had been treated to 2 hours of dancing (or what passes for dancing in such a tightly packed crowd), 2 hours of show that we will be reminiscing and reliving for a long time to come (yes I’ve already made a playlist of last night’s setlist), 2 hours of communion with one of the world’s most creative and genre defying bands.
SIDE NOTES:
Go see Other Lives!! They are so talented and moody (all full harmonies and haunting melodies). I’ve seen them three times now and they are definitely benefiting from their time opening for radiohead.
Why do couples make out at shows?! If you’d wanted a quiet night of makin’ out with your boo, you could have stayed home and saved a lot of money. Let’s refrain from making out in public (especially when you are in such close quarters with strangers).
Getting there early was a good idea, however, I am glad we got there at 2 and not 4 IN THE MORNING?! Really, what’s the point in that! Some overzealous fans even made up a mock list so that they could try to control when they got in the doors. In actuality it seemed like they just wanted to brag about being 1st or 8th in line (#51 ya’ll). Once we got inside we found ourselves closer to the stage than many of the people who were there before us because general admission tickets are a crapshoot! It all depends on fate (which line will be faster, which line ends up closer to the stage, which friend will make a B line for the stage, saving you a spot while you hobble down the stairs in your heels… thanks Kell).
Wearing heels was in fact, a good idea!!! I wore some comfortable heels (shocking i know)! I am a short person, I always have problems seeing the stage at shows. I made the decision to wear heels to radiohead. I will admit that my toes were numb by the final encore but being able to see the band was totally worth it (because I ended up behind the TALLEST RED NECK IN THE WORLD… literally he had a red neck). Note to self though, throw some tom’s in your purse for before and after the show… ya live and ya learn folks.
flannelfriction 