Radiohead: Random Hail To The Thief Talk MMCDLXXVIII

[joyfulgirl]

Seeing them tomorrow night!

Could you please work up a little enthusiasm about this? Thank you.

 

[corianderstem]

*sigh* Radiohead tonight.

Whatever. I'll bring a book.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Radiohead gets second billing to cori's new chair.

 

[corianderstem]

If you've seen my apartment, you know why a new piece of furniture is a noteworthy event.

I'm supposed to write a review of the show for this Seattle music site a friend talked me into joining. I've never done any sort of reviews, but the guy who runs it keeps stressing that it's a total low-key, no pressure thing, I can write as often or as infrequently as I'd like. I sent him some writing just to show that I could write, but was really ambivalent about actually doing anything.

Then I told him "well, you know, I don't go to a lot of shows, but oddly enough I'm going to four in the next two months: Radiohead, Coldplay, Black Keys and Snow Patrol."

Then he asked if I could cover each of those shows. ... yay? Ugh. I'm kind of dreading it.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Oh believe me, I get it! I have never lived alone in a house this big before and my friends are so over me sending them links to furniture/rugs/lamps to get their opinion before I make another purchase for something that might not, you know, actually fit through the door. My TV room is empty except for the damn TV. I sit on a pillow on the floor or a hard chair for Sunday TV night.

I hope you love the show. At least it's in Seattle and not The Other Place.

 

[corianderstem]

Ha! Yeah, my couch almost didn't make it into my apartment when I moved in 7 years ago. If I ever move, or if I ever get a new couch, I'm going to have to bust it up to get it back out.

I'll be excited about the show by tonight. I've got so much going on this week, so what normally would be excitement for a show is showing itself as a bit of anxiety. Lame.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Then he asked if I could cover each of those shows. ... yay? Ugh. I'm kind of dreading it.

Backstage passes! Interviews!

 

[corianderstem]

Oh god, no. I'd ask something like "So .... do you like .... stuff?" Then I'd vomit all over Thom's lazy eye.

When my friend was telling me about the site, he said I could get into whatever show I wanted as part of this, which sounds pretty damned cool. Too bad I already actually have tickets for these four. Ha.

 

[theedgeu2]

Cori I'll write for you! I love writing about show experiences I've had. Especially after seeing my first U2 concert with my dad in '09. I had a real experience then. Too bad I'm not seeing any bands this year (well so far I'm not really seeing that happening).

I'd love to get out and see more bands but I don't have a job and if I did have a job I'd spend all my money on other things.

 

[corianderstem]

Well, I'm good at writing about experiences of going to concerts. I always have tons to say. But framing it as a "review" is tough.

The good news is, this is apparently a really flexible thing, and I could write 500 words about one song they played and call it a day. I can frame it however I want, and I guess I'll just have to keep reminding myself of that.

When he asked for a sample of my writing, I sat down and had four pages about my trip to see U2 in Moncton in about a half hour. Writing about U2 is easy. Everything else is hard.

 

[mobvok]

It turns out two of my coworkers are going as well! If you're a white upper middle class college graduate in Seattle, turns out this Radiohead concert is the event of the year.

 

[corianderstem]

Ha!

Are you going?

 

[FitzChivalry]

Well, I'm good at writing about experiences of going to concerts. I always have tons to say. But framing it as a "review" is tough.

The good news is, this is apparently a really flexible thing, and I could write 500 words about one song they played and call it a day. I can frame it however I want, and I guess I'll just have to keep reminding myself of that.

When he asked for a sample of my writing, I sat down and had four pages about my trip to see U2 in Moncton in about a half hour. Writing about U2 is easy. Everything else is hard.

Take a legal pad to jot down notes for your review. Yeah . . . notes for your review, that's it. Not for copying down the setlist. No . . . for your review.

 

[mobvok]

Ha!

Are you going?

Yup yup

less than 2 hours to go

 

[joyfulgirl]

Radiohead should be taking the stage around now. Hope you guys get an awesome show.

 

[mobvok]

Awwwwwww yeah

 

[mobvok]

Setlist below

Spoiler

Bloom
Airbag
15 Step
Little by Little
Myxomatosis
The Gloaming
Morning Mr. Magpie
Pyramid Song
The Daily Mail
These Are My Twisted Words
Nude
Identikit
Lotus Flower
There There
Feral
Idioteque
Encore:
How to Disappear Completely
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
You and Whose Army?
Lucky
Encore 2:
Give Up the Ghost
Reckoner
Everything In Its Right Place

This was a great show, marred only by Key Arena's weak acoustics. On the high and low ends the sound was coming through clear- the clear drums for opening act Other Lives, the amazing bass for Airbag that makes me want to crank up OK Computer again- but in the middle of their sound a number of songs (King of Limbs, in particular) suffered by sounding a bit indistinct.

It would have been a more complete show if they'd also played The National Anthem, but it sounded, no pun intended, like a wise choice to avoid it tonight as I think it mostly would have ended up being a wall of sound. By contrast, Idioteque was fundamentally straightforward enough I think everyone in the arena could feel it, and was definitely a bouncing highlight of the show. The IMBW live performance is one of my favorites with its crowd reaction, and seeing it in person only helped. Another song that was a bit surprising was The Gloaming- the album version always feels a bit off on Hail, but watching from the seats, the eerie green spotlights through the fog onto the entranced GA crowd made the vibe start to click.

Fun side games included "watching people dance awkwardly".....only to realize Thom was doing the same thing on stage. Maybe being in front of Phil is the secret to making it look cool. Sartorially, Thom gave me a bit of a Rattle and Hum-era Bono vibe with the ponytail and black vest.

 

[corianderstem]

Thanks for posting the setlist! There were a handful of songs I recognized but couldn't name. I remember really liking the opener - now I know that it was Bloom. Also, hearing Mr Magpie reminds me that I need to listen to KoL again, because there were a handful of songs on it I did really like. I also liked Identikit - that's one of the new songs, right?

I was really impressed, I have to say. The only spot they started to lose me was the first encore, where I only knew Weird Fishes, and was getting tired, and just fading. But then hearing Reckoner and Everything In Its Right Place ended the show on a really high note.

I got all excited when he announced Reckoner, and figured "well, I heard everything I wanted to hear tonight" (15 Step, Idioteque, Reckoner, There There) "I wonder what they'll play next"?

I surprised myself with a giant scream when those brilliant piano notes started the last song - I'd forgotten about that one! And while I never in a million years would have pictured that song as a clap along, rabble-rousing concert highlight, I loved that it was.

There were two girls visiting from Melbourne next to me, and they were really into it, so it was fun being near them.

Were you on the floor, mobvok? It looked packed down there. I was in the lower level on the right, pretty decent seat. The sound seemed okay for me, but I had ear plugs in for about half the show.

Oh! I was amazed and pleased to not see a sea of cell phone/camera screens, save for a few songs when a bunch went up. Nice to see people actually watching instead of watching through their cameras for a change.

I absolutely loved the moving video panels - I did wish I'd brought my camera just to take a couple snaps of the stage (the camera on my phone is really poor).

I'm really glad I went. I liked the opening band quite a bit, too.

 

[BoMac]

Glad you had a good time, Corialicia.

Two months to go for the Montreal show.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Yay.

I was very close to the stage in Phoenix but at a hard angle and I had trouble with the sound, too, but figured it was just where I was sitting. I remember thinking if I didn't already know every one of these songs intimately I don't think I'd be able to hear the lyrics. I got over it quickly, though. That was the only time I'd seen them indoors before and it did seem to mess with the sound.

Everything in Its Right Place is so good live. I was surprised, too!

The audience in Phoenix was amazingly quiet (not in the "I'm bored" way but in the "I can't take my eyes off the stage" way) and attentive, too. I felt like I was surrounded by really hard-core fans who didn't want to miss a thing. That was super cool.

And now for the important question: did you get a t-shirt?

 

[corianderstem]

Yeah, everyone around me was really attentive as well. The Melbourne gals made a couple of beer runs, but they were so into it whenever they were at their seats, they were forgiven.

Oh - the lady behind me had a Cookie Monster hand puppet she kept waving around. WTF?

I didn't realize until too late that I hadn't sought out a merch stand.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Oh - the lady behind me had a Cookie Monster hand puppet she kept waving around. WTF?

I didn't realize until too late that I hadn't sought out a merch stand.

Beats me. I'm not aware of any Radiohead/Cookie Monster significance. Must be a Seattle freak thing.

 

[BoMac]

Oh - the lady behind me had a Cookie Monster hand puppet she kept waving around. WTF?

Mobvok's date, obviously.

 

[nielsgov]

You don't know How To Disappear or You and Whose Army, cori? That demands a relistening of Kid A and Amnesiac, and you have to hand in your fancard if you had one.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the show. I wouldn't mind this set when I see them.

 

[corianderstem]

How to Disappear ... was one that I recognized but couldn't recall the title.

I have a Radiohead Casual Fan card and do not own Amnesiac. (But I did recognize Pyramid Song! )

 

[mobvok]

A passing post-show interview in the Stranger:

He confirmed that Johnny Greenwood had injured his thumb and that it was causing him some problems, prompting the band to skip certain songs.

Also reminded to add that it was a giant cloud of pot smoke, not a fog machine, that the green light during The Gloaming was illuminating. It all felt very synchronized, though, so uh....well done, crowd.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Glad you guys enjoyed the show!

 

[Jive Turkey]

.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Thom Yorke is a funny bunny.

 

[cobl04]

NOVEMBER Y U SO FAR AWAY

Spoiler

Bloom
15 Step
Magpie
Kid A
Staircase
Gloaming
National Anthem
Amazing Sounds of Orgy
Climbing up the Walls
Karma Police
Identikit
Lotus Flower
There There
Feral
Little By Little
Reckoner

Separator
I Might Be Wrong
Myxomatosis
Everything in its Right Place

Daily Mail
Planet Telex
Idioteque