Radiohead

So, last night was the Radiohead concert that I've been so excited about for the past few months. The concert was in the Blossom Music Center at Cuyahoga Falls, OH.

The arena itself was breathtaking. I had never been there before, but my husband had. He told me about it, but I didn't quite picture the lawn as large as it was. By the time the concert started, the lawn was packed with people as far as I could see.

Anyway, we arrived extremely early because we were worried about traffic. Thankfully, there was none. So, we stood in line outside the gate and entertained ourselves by taking pictures.



We didn't get the best tickets ever, but we were at the center of the pavillion. I was a little disappointed because I have never seen Radiohead live and I wanted to be able to enjoy the show. From our seats, in the sunlight, I couldn't see anything. So... we moved to some empty seats for Grizzly Bear's performance and hoped that nobody would show up to claim them. We remained there for the entire opening act. Unfortunately, the seats were claimed by their rightful owner seconds before Radiohead took the stage and we were banished to our own.

Thankfully, night fell. When it was dark, the stage was much easier to see and I actually ended up feeling like we had a decent view of the stage (albeit a bit small).

Radiohead opened with "Fifteen Step," which is one of the songs I was hoping they would open with. I love that song on the album and I wanted to hear it live. I didn't think it was anything extra special, just as good as it is on the CD, which is very very good. The light show, though, was amazing! The stage was strung with strips of cloth and a large, horizontal screen. The lights danced across the strips and the band was broadcast on the screen making it easier to see the intricate details (like Jonny playing the keyboard with his guitar WHILE PLAYING THE GUITAR!!! during "Street Spirit")!!! I know! I was in Heaven. I snapped a few pictures. They aren't the greatest, but they get the message across.



The show really picked up for me during "Exit Music (for a film)." The lights were dim and candle-like. The song built and built until it exploded. And then every song afterward was amazing. My favorite of the night was "Idioteque." It was hard not to dance (though I held off a bit because there were some crazy dancers around us already).



At one point, some big guy crammed his way into our row right next to us and was dancing all around. He wouldn't move and just kept hitting me over and over again. Thankfully, we maneuvered ourselves in such a way that we kept him (and the guy smoking weed next to him) out of our way.

The main set was followed by two encores. You can find the whole setlist here.

Anyone who was looking to hear In Rainbows live was not disappointed. They played every song on the album.

-----

There is something about Radiohead that is unmatched by any band I've ever heard. When I listen to them, I ache all over. I ache to perform, I ache to write, I ache to do something. It's more than just listening to some lyrics. There is no plot necessary. It's a state of being that is expressed.

*sigh* I sound like a crazy fan.

I just enjoy their music a lot. And, last night's show was no exception. I wish we could go to the one in NJ on the 12th.

The three and a half hours there and back and the one and half hour wait in the parking lot to leave the pavillion was worth it. I would go again in a heartbeat.

-------

Here's a clip from last night's show. I did not film it. I found it on youtube, and it's pretty decent quality. And, this is one of those songs that was good on CD but CRAZY GOOD live. Enjoy!

The Gloaming

If you search, there are other songs up on youtube.