Arriving
a few minutes after the announced starting
time of 6 PM, it was disconcerting to
hear the sounds of opening act the Beta
Band already in progress while waiting
in a very slow moving line for Head Zone
ticketholders. Half an hour later, we
finally emerged into the open field where
we made our way to the the Head Zone,
a segregated area in front of the stage.
The Head Zone was a bad thing for most
of the audience who could get no closer
than a hundred feet from the stage, but
was great for us since we had ordered
our tickets over the internet and had
only expected them to be for general admission.
Having seen The Beta Band play a stellar
show at Richard's On Richards a year earlier,
it was clear that the vast outdoor arena
of UBC's Thunderbird Stadium wasn't as
well suited for their music. They put
on a good show anyway and seemed to make
a positive impression on the audience,
ending with an inspired Dry The Rain.
After their set finished there was an
hour long wait with loud, shrill music
from the 1940s before Radiohead hit the
stage.
With its distinctively edgy bass intro,
The National Anthem made for a great opener,
the distinctive horns of the studio version
replaced to great effect with an incomprehensible
rant by Thom Yorke. Next was the Kid A
version of Morning Bell, a suitable mood
builder that helped set the tone for the
angst-filled but thought provoking show
to follow. Over the next few songs (Lucky,
Airbag and In Limbo) the level of emotion
and resonance in Thom's vocals increased,
and his intense projection of despair
had a vicelike grip on the audience. In
Limbo brought things to a head with trippy
guitars and lyrics like "I've lost my
way" and "You're living in a fantasy world".
Packt Like Sardines roused the crowd out
of its collective hypnosis with a huge
bass sound and dancier beats than on the
Kid A album. This version sounded like
a smash remix of a hit from an alternate
reality, perhaps one where the Chemical
Brothers are superstars instead of Britney
and N'Sync. You And Whose Army had an
especially epic ending, and Dollars And
Cents made a big impact, its bizarre and
alien progression coming back to haunt
me long after the show ended. The vocals
were much clearer than on record, leading
the hypnotic twists and rhythms of the
music in an emotional diatriabe against
the pain, fear and disassociation so common
in everyday life. The feeling was as though
all of the injustices humanity has perpetrated
against itself and the planet were reflected
in the deep, dark tones while a plaintive
voice cried out for resolution. Knives
Out was gorgeous and ethereal, and what
sounded like a new song turned out to
be an energized rarity, Permanent Daylight.
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Just was a welcome surprise and got
the crowd of 15,000 people moving. Raw
and passionate, it showed the Radiohead
of yore at its prime. A superbly performed
Pyramid Song made another strong emotional
impact, followed by the tour de force
of Paranoid Android. One of several
energy peaks of the show, the guitars
ripped out intensely for its thunderous
ending. Phenomenal lighting added much
to the songs at this point, the stage
designed with a row of alien-looking
pillars in surreal blues, greens and
purples.
Idioteque was next, the riveting techno
beats leading into frenetic vocals and
shamanistic dancing as Thom led the
audience into a frenzy. Dark clouds
began to move toward the stadium at
this point, seemingly in response to
the invocation. The main set came to
a powerful close with the psychological
and dramatic Everything In Its Right
Place.
Loud applause quickly brought the band
back for the first of two encores. I
Might Be Wrong came off with more dynamism
and vitality than its album counterpart,
filling the stadium with its expansive
guitar sound. Street Spirit soared with
an incredible melancholia, building
and building in such genuine sadness
and longing that a wonderfully fine
and dreamlike mist was coaxed out of
the clouds for the last part of the
song. It felt as though the sky was
weeping over the transcendent beauty
of Radiohead's most sublime song. The
light rainfall stopped as the next song
began, an eerie, unsettling Climbing
Up The Walls that screeched to a traumatic
climax. How To Disappear Completely
ended the first encore, another psychological
and affecting song not unlike late Pink
Floyd.
The final encore began with a pair of
unfamiliar songs that were refreshing
to hear, and when Nude came to a somewhat
tangled and sudden end I wondered if
they had been improvising a new song.
Talk Show Host was another novel treat,
and Karma Police brought the evening
to a triumphant sing-along finale. The
sound mix for the entire show had been
stunning, with every detail crystal
clear. Due to the sheer power of the
music and performance, it took its place
as the best concert I've ever been to.
Meaningful and futuristic, the show
succeeded on all levels with an intense
dynamic between band and audience, and
a confident, invigorated group of musicians
that clearly believes in their music.
-- Ted Koppman
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June
24th Set List:
The National Anthem, Morning Bell, Lucky, Airbag,
In Limbo, Packt Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box,
Exit Music, You And Whose Army?, No Surprises, Dollars
& Cents, Knives Out, Permanent Daylight , Just, Pyramid
Song, Paranoid Android, Idioteque, Everything In Its
Right Place
I Might Be Wrong, Street Spirit, Climbng Up The Walls,
How To Disappear Completely
Nude, Talk Show Host, Karma Police
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| Click
the image on the right to check out Radiohead's
new
"Hail To The Thief" Special
Limited Edition CD at Amazon! |
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