Radiohead: Random Hail To The Thief Talk MMCDLXXVIII

[cobl04]

Yeah from all reports Bruce is something else. Will definitely go if he tours here, though I'm sad I'll never get to see The Big Man.

Don't ever mention Roger Waters again though. Still kills me inside I was in Thailand for all FOUR of his Melb shows.

 

[U2Fanatic4ever]

Ful Stop

Radiohead - new song - full stop! - YouTube

 

[joyfulgirl]

And since when should fans who have stood by the band for years and love these albums since release be treated as if they're commoners with awful taste? Like their tastes aren't worth taking the time of day to implement?

Because it isn't about what the fans want to hear. It's about what the band wants to play. It's their show, this is what they're doing, come see it if you want, is what I think they're doing. Thom said as much at Bonnaroo when he introduced one of the new songs (something like "Hope you like it, sorry if you don't, but this is what we're doing.") Maybe some people think that's dismissive of the fans. I really don't. You'd never hear a visual artist saying they're making art that they think people want to see; they're making art to express themselves. I guess an argument could be made that people pay a pretty penny to see a concert and therefore the band should give the fans more songs they know they want, whereas you can walk into a gallery and see an art installation for free, but I guess I just see it differently.

All that said, I can still totally understand being disappointed by the setlist especially for people who haven't had the opportunity to see them before or to see multiple shows. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it more (although maybe I'm reading your review as more negative than you mean it). I really loved the shows I saw. I just accepted the setlists for what they were and just got on board with it I guess.

And so sorry bono_212 that you weren't feeling well. My NJ shows were tainted as well - no sleep, travel drama, ER family crisis, and getting from NYC to the venue wasn't as easy as it seemed - so I was extremely tired both nights.

Also, I haven't heard a live version of Orgy so maybe it just isn't that interesting live. I like the recording a lot, though, and thought that as long as they're busting out the b-sides, that's one I'd like to hear.

 

[bono_212]

I would argue that on the record, the artist is free to express themselves, but the concerts themselves, with the amount the fans are paying, that's more for the fan than the band in some respects. You get shows like The Wall (for example) and that's more of a performance than a concert, and I don't expect Waters to bust out with some DSOTM, you know? Anyways...

There was a fella behind me who I think was kind of in the same boat I was, liked Radiohead, but wasn't super familiar with their material because there were several occasions where I'd hear him ask his buddy what song was currently on. Anyways, when Orgy came on he's like, "What's this?" and his friend said it was a b-side and the guy goes, "I guess!" So, he actively disliked it far more than I did . It made me chuckle at any rate. I just was kind of meh towards it, myself.

 

[bono_212]

Also, I'm listening to In Rainbows right now, and I'm not really sure what my problem with this album was. Probably simply the fact that it was the first thing by Radiohead I'd ever heard and I simply didn't want to like it the first time I heard it. What really confuses me, though, is why I so actively hated "Weird Fishes" for so long. No idea what that was all about. Anyways, up to "All I Need" and it's still not my favorite album by them, but I like it far more than I thought I did.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I would argue that on the record, the artist is free to express themselves, but the concerts themselves, with the amount the fans are paying, that's more for the fan than the band in some respects..

I can see both sides for sure. Radiohead's ticket price is less than fucking Florence & the Fucking Machine and her two fucking records (seriously, her ticket price blows my mind) so I sure felt like I got my money's worth and way more. Of course you guys paid more.

 

[bono_212]

I can see both sides for sure. Radiohead's ticket price is less than fucking Florence & the Fucking Machine and her two fucking records (seriously, her ticket price blows my mind) so I sure felt like I got my money's worth and way more. Of course you guys paid more.

Yeah, I paid face plus venue fees and shit, so really, $75 is how much the ticket was. For the spot, it was a great price compared to comparable bands, so I'm not really complaining about the price. Nor am I really complaining about the setlist for that matter. I'm just not in agreement with the idea that a band isn't performing for their audience aspect of what we're discussing. That's all.

I may finally listen to Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief today. We'll see. Baby-steps.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

Also, I'm listening to In Rainbows right now, and I'm not really sure what my problem with this album was. Probably simply the fact that it was the first thing by Radiohead I'd ever heard and I simply didn't want to like it the first time I heard it. What really confuses me, though, is why I so actively hated "Weird Fishes" for so long. No idea what that was all about. Anyways, up to "All I Need" and it's still not my favorite album by them, but I like it far more than I thought I did.

If you don't like Reckoner or House Of Cards I may never be able to speak to you again

 

[joyfulgirl]

I'm just not in agreement with the idea that a band isn't performing for their audience aspect of what we're discussing. That's all.

I definitely think bands are performing for their audience, but Radiohead are performing for their audience what they want to play. (Not to beat it to death...)

 

[bono_212]

If you don't like Reckoner or House Of Cards I may never be able to speak to you again

I HATED Reckoner for the longest time. I don't know when exactly that opinion changed. I think maybe forced repetition since it's been on every DI list ever conceived pretty much. but, yeah, I love it now. "House of Cards" too.

I definitely think bands are performing for their audience, but Radiohead are performing for their audience what they want to play. (Not to beat it to death...)

. I gotcha. I think my initial knee-jerk response to this topic was the assertion that playing da hitz was pandering to the audience and that kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[u2popmofo]

Sort of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation for a band. They do a tour where they play nothing but the hits, and fans who've seen them multiple times are disappointed because they've heard all those songs performed. They do a show where they play a large amount of rarities, and fans who haven't seen them many times are disappointed because they're not playing songs they've never seen live.

The show I saw was pretty much a dream setlist for me (rarities and new songs), but the friend I went with drastically preferred the last time he saw them (Hail to the Thief tour). I can certainly understand why, and don't think less of him or anyone else for feeling that way. At least for me, they're a fantastic live band no matter what they're doing. Even if they're not playing my favorite songs, it's still going to be awesome.

 

[iron yuppie]

And since when should fans who have stood by the band for years and love these albums since release be treated as if they're commoners with awful taste? Like their tastes aren't worth taking the time of day to implement?

I think you have to be extremely careful about extrapolating your personal tastes to an entire demographic of fans, especially with a band as eclectic as Radiohead. This is not meant as a judgment on you, but it seems as though any and all setlist complaining on this site stems from the idea that the artist in question has an obligation to cater to one's own personal preferences (this is especially true of U2). I would consider myself a huge fan of Radiohead as well, but I am sure that my ideal setlist would look a hell of lot different from yours, which would look different from that of Cobbler, which would be different from Joyful, etc.

 

[joyfulgirl]

. I gotcha. I think my initial knee-jerk response to this topic was the assertion that playing da hitz was pandering to the audience and that kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

No, I really didn't mean it that way!

At least for me, they're a fantastic live band. Even if they're not playing my favorite songs, it's still going to be good.

Exactly how I feel. I guess that is all I want from any concert. A band can't please everyone so they have to just do what feels right to them. One fan is desperate for Karma Police while another is sick to death of it. What else can they do but play what they're into at the moment and throw out enough popular songs that everyone should get at least something they hoped to hear.

 

[bono_212]

No, I really didn't mean it that way!

Oh no, not you, lol, someone else said that.


What it comes down to for me is, total they're playing 2, maybe 3 songs from their first three albums a night. I'm not asking for a tailor-made setlist, I was just kind of surprised to see three albums getting so glazed over, especially when one of those albums is OK Computer.

 

[iron yuppie]

I understand how much people love OK Computer. I am one of those people. But the fact that the band has little to no nostalgia for it, that they are willing to disown the past, has given us albums like Kid A and In Rainbows. I personally would much rather have those in their catalogue than have them play three-quarters of OK Computer 15 years after its release.

 

[LemonMelon]

I personally would much rather have those in their catalogue than have them play three-quarters of OK Computer 15 years after its release.

That's not what I meant at all. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, etc.

Considering they have eight albums now, two or three songs a night from each is sufficient from any one record. 4 unreleased is overkill if you aren't even attempting this and stacking the back end with new material that the crowd isn't responding all that well to (Lotus Flower went over very well, but Codex and Give Up The Ghost resulted in a lot of chatter, as great as they were). It's not about nostalgia or pandering, it's about making a set that flows. One tempo, one pace for a massive chunk of the set is a poor way to get a crowd engaged, regardless of the albums you draw from.

There There and Bodysnatchers, though they were not from the albums most would refer to as "classics," worked brilliantly all the same because they gave us an excuse to move. Radiohead has a great number of tracks with this kind of power, and many of them are from the earlier records. They can kill two birds with one stone by taking some of the heavier tracks from those. If they want to be assholes and pretend they're on an entirely different plane of existence than they once were (personally, if the product is King of Limbs vs. OK Computer, I wish they would regress), they could at least get 2+2=5 or I Might Be Wrong in there most nights, along with Paranoid Android, Bodysnatchers, There There, The National Anthem, and hell, maybe Planet Telex. Then do what you need to do the rest of the way. And look, you've represented nearly every album with 18 tracks left over!

I do think you are all reading my review a great deal more negatively than necessary because, taken in a vacuum, I think it was an objectively great show. But I've seen this band structure a far more engaging set (though probably not as curious as that one), and the results rank among the best shows I've ever seen. Bliss. I think there is a reason for the criticism that the tour has received (most infamously at Glastonbury) and it's not because those complaining are only familiar with Creep and Karma Police. I thought the first few legs of 360 dragged too, until U2 introduced the Achtung Baby tracks to shoot some life into the set. And they didn't shoot life into the set because the songs were "hits," but because they sound great live.

 

[LemonMelon]

I hate that we've filled out a couple of pages with discussion about this when, to be honest, I probably wouldn't have said a word had they subbed a few of the unreleased tracks out for an OK Computer and Amnesiac track. Maybe I'm just stuck in the past; Atease is jerking off to the set we got.

 

[corianderstem]

I think my initial knee-jerk response to this topic was the assertion that playing da hitz was pandering to the audience and that kind of rubbed me the wrong way.

Oh shit, was it me that first brought it up when I mentioned the Seattle review that was peeved about not hearing the big songs?

Many apologies if I caused the knee-jerk reaction. I certainly don't think that anyone's Radiohead taste is stoooopid if they want to hear those songs.

 

[bollox]

Atease is jerking off to the set we got.

Well, a new song debuted, so of course.

The new/old argument is a dead horse at this point. Playing a hits heavy set pretty much means conceding irrelevance; I have no problem with Radiohead playing most/all of their latest album. I just wish said album was not so crappy/boring.

When I saw PJ Harvey last year, she played only a handful of oldies and all of Let England Shake. Which was awesome, because it's a fantastic album. It was much more thrilling to hear the new stuff than hearing her trot out Down by the Water or Big Exit for the umpteenth time.

Granted I've seen both those artists multiple times on multiple tours. I understand it would kinda suck if this were your first and only time seeing them.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Show kicked ass. I don't think I could ever get tired of watching these guys play music live. I just wanted them to keep going and going. So great.

Street Spirit was probably the ultimate highlight of the show for me. I got a bit teary eyed during IMMERSE YOUR SOUL IN LOVE. One of my very favorite Radiohead songs, and I was so happy that they gave it to us at the end of the set. I thought for sure that Weird Fishes was going to be the closer, because Thommy said something like "Alright, this is it!" before the start of the song. But then that unmistakable Street Spirit guitar line kicked in, and I just started screaming.

The band is in really fine form (not a surprise) and Thom sounds very, very good. He also had jokes! Thom Yorke's got jokes! He's so god damned adorable, this guy. When they wheeled out the piano for EIIRP, he got all playfully inquisitive and was saying "What's this? What's this for?" and when he was doing the band introductions he correctly introduced Clive Deamer and Jonny and then turned to Ed and said "What's your name? Who are you?" And then he told the crowd that Phil's name was Charlie, and turned to Colin and said "What's your name again?" Hilarious. He finished it off by saying "Who am I? I don't even know who I am anymore."

There There ruled. Karma Police -> Reckoner -> Lotus Flower -> Myxomatosis was a really nice section of the set. Awesome to hear Karma Police...it got the best audience reaction of the night. And Myxomatosis is awesome live, maybe the most aggressive song of the night, and Thom really got into the performance.

Fuck the guy that was screaming "PLAY CREEP!" super loudly during Codex. Fuck him right in the nose.

Heart this band.

 

[LemonMelon]

GAF, what did you think of the One I Love snippet? Pretty badass, right? Some asshole behind us screamed MICHAEL FUCKKINNGGG STIPPPEEE during it, which I think is the name of the guy who wrote it.

Ashley was really out of it during Street Spirit. Our dialogue:

Me: HOLY FUCK :tries to grab her arm:
Ashley: W-what?
Me: Street Spirit, Ashley! Street Spirit!
Ashley: ....
Me: :sings along:
Ashley: :gets up on her own: Wait, what is this?
Me: Street Spirit!
Ashley: Holy shit!
Me: I know! Holy fuck.

 

[u2popmofo]

Myxomatosis was the one song I was bummed to not get this last time. I'll never get tired of that song live.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

GAF, what did you think of the One I Love snippet? Pretty badass, right? Some asshole behind us screamed MICHAEL FUCKKINNGGG STIPPPEEE during it, which I think is the name of the guy who wrote it.

Ashley was really out of it during Street Spirit. Our dialogue:

Me: HOLY FUCK :tries to grab her arm:
Ashley: W-what?
Me: Street Spirit, Ashley! Street Spirit!
Ashley: ....
Me: :sings along:
Ashley: :gets up on her own: Wait, what is this?
Me: Street Spirit!
Ashley: Holy shit.
Me: I know! Holy fuck.

Oh yeah, really nice to hear the R.E.M. The crowd gave a pretty big roar once they picked up on what Thom was singing, and that actually kinda drowned out the first couple seconds of the opening piano riff on EIIRP, which is one of the coolest moments in Radiohead's catalogue. Still awesome, though. Stunning song.

Haha, yeah. Great moment. I love basically everything this band's ever done, but I'm still the guy whose dream Radiohead set list would be The Bends and OKC played all the way through. They've always been my two favorite albums by the band, and always will be. That's just me, though. Still to this day, give me any song off of either album and I will flip my shit.

I totally get that they're kinda "over" playing that stuff, and it's all good. The show was phenomenal. Beggars can't be choosers and all that.

Someday I'll just kidnap the band and force them to play every song on The Bends for me, in my living room. I will feed them pizza and Mountain Dew and willingly release them once they've finished the concert.

 

[LemonMelon]

I'd happily pay $75 to see Radiohead play Hail To The Thief and King of Limbs from front to back, but I would pay a lot more for The Bends/OK Computer. Unless of course I went the kidnapping route, in which case I wouldn't have to pay a dime.

No offense to U2, but Identikit and Ful Stop >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Glastonbury and North Star. I have mixed feelings about unreleased material, but Radiohead generally made it work. I'm not a huge Staircase fan, and it didn't knock my socks off, but the other two did. I think they have a great record in the works.

 

[u2popmofo]

Staircase isn't unreleased.

 

[LemonMelon]

Right, I forgot, it's the Daily Mail's "b-side."

Did they drop that one completely? I liked it pretty well.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Ful Stop had an ear-catching, intense drone throughout it. Strong sound. And then Thom starting doing that crazy yelping thing about 2/3rds of the way through it. Good hook.

I liked Ful Stop more than Identikit.

 

[joyfulgirl]

That's not what I meant at all. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills, etc.

lol, sorry

It's not about nostalgia or pandering, it's about making a set that flows.

Fair enough.

I do think you are all reading my review a great deal more negatively than necessary

I thought so. Sorry.


GAF > glad you enjoyed it! You're generally a concert happy-camper, aren't you?


I love The Daily Mail at the shows I saw. I was surprised by how good it was live and how it seemed most of the audience knew the song and were really into it.

Ful Stop sounded pretty cool - a lot better than its beach clips.

 

[u2popmofo]

Identikit was crazily awesome on the Coachella webcast, I absolutely loved it. I was disappointed by it at the DC show though. Not familiar enough with the song to know what I was disappointed by, but it didn't have anywhere near the impact I was expecting after Coachella. Maybe my expectations were too high.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I think that Coachella webcast was the overall best performance I saw on this tour.