Last Night: Radiohead at the White River Amphitheatre
Posted Aug. 21 at 10:52 am by Jesse Froehling
Photo by Marcella D. Volpintesta
An informal poll among coffee-slurping co-workers this morning indicates that Radiohead is not as universally loved as I once thought. “I liked them when they made songs,” one co-worker told me. Matter of fact, the closest resemblance to enthusiasm I’ve seen is Onstot’s reminiscence of her days in Oxford.
Me? I’m inspired to superlative by last night’s show. To say it was mind blowing would be an understatement. It was more like a suicide bomber drove into my cerebellum. Granted, I could be on concert high. I’ve been known to turn into an obsessive compulsive lunatic after a particularly enjoyable show and I’m sure I’m on the sane side of a week-long Radiohead bender.
Nevertheless, here’s what I learned about the band last night: When you listen to their studio albums, it’s easy to miss out on Jonny Greenwood’s subtle genius. But watch him at a show. When Thom York plays Videotape - a slow brooding ballad - Greenwood’s tapping his toe double time as he loops something that would be more at home at a rave. I’d never noticed it before but after seeing it live, I couldn’t miss it. Same goes for the rest of the show. I knew Radiohead was musically complex, but I had to see it to really understand it.
The only bummer, besides the rain of course, was the White River Amphitheater. Tickets cost $75. (Fuck you, Ticketmaster) Leaving the parking lot takes almost as long as the show, and tall cans of Bud Light cost $8. The venue itself is fine once you get in, but it would be a lot cooler if I’d never been to the Gorge. Instead, we were on the wrong side of the cascades on a rainy Seattle night. Thom York seemed to agree: “My favorite thing about Seattle was what happened when the WTO was here,” he told the crowd. “I dedicate this next song to anyone who was here when that was going on.” The song: You and Whose Army. Nice.
Topics: The Morning After
Comments
Neat Blog. White River Sucks. Radiohead is amazing.
Posted Aug. 21 at 11:03 am by Neilfucking white river. took 2 hours to get out of the parking lot. show was amazing.
Posted Aug. 21 at 12:17 pm by taintI know that my love of Radiohead has veered into the irrational. But damn if that wasn't a great show.
Posted Aug. 21 at 1:26 pm by pocketsIt was the best show I have ever seen in my entire life. No exaggeration. Even the hell of White River, the monsoon rain, and a car breakdown on the way home could not dim that brilliance.
Fucking Radiohead. Fantastic.
Posted Aug. 21 at 2:30 pm by kerri harropyou know...now i'm kinda sad that i didn't go. even though i've seen radiohead a couple of times, they always put on an amazing set. mainly, i was concerned about not getting home until 3 am (parking at white river sucks SO hard).
ah, well. sts9/blackalicious is going to be righteous. and as of today, indoors.
Posted Aug. 21 at 3:13 pm by saraknow what? i liked the rain so much. before the show, in the prefunk cloudy mess while liars played and everyone assembled, i was praying for it. and know what? standing on that grassy wet hill in the pouring rain was the most endearing and powerful experience ive had in a long time.
i KNOW for a fact (because of the rain) that we heard the end of Sit Down, Stand Up. probably all of it. but no one has it on their set lists? sad...
the awesomeness could have spawned inherently from the two hits of a-c-i-d i dropped before liars started playing. but i doubt it.
Posted Sep. 10 at 12:59 pm by eric