Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Radiohead: Thunderbird Stadium 2008

We waited around for hours, got soaked in the rain and were almost trampled a couple of times; but I would say it was all worth it.
In all honesty, this concert WAS GREAT. Not like I was expecting it to be bad or anything, but when we got there and The Liars played first I was a little discouraged. I forgot how much they suck. I can barely find any good things to say about them. All I can do is compare them to At the Drive-in under one circumstance: they're like a really really really shitty version of At the Drive-in. But yea, even when I was thinking about who I would prefer as an opening band for Radiohead, I came to the conclusion that Radiohead should just be playing alone. They don't need any supporting bands. The fans pretty much proved this as well. All the "early birds" were kept in a cage before the gates were opened to Thunderbird Stadium and when they were finally let through, they ran for their lives towards the stage. It was hilarious but a little scary because some people weren't watching where they were going. Obviously, people were too excited to see Radiohead and The Liars shouldn't have even been considered as an opening act.
It didn't rain during The Liars set but it rained the whole time during Radiohead's. But I thought the rain was nice. I didn't mind getting soaked while enjoying the spectacular performance. The rain also went well with a lot of the songs that were performed.
The synchronized lights were amazing. They hung from the stage and radiated many different colours in different patterns. I also really enjoyed the video screens. Thom Yorke can make some awesomely hideous faces and the screens let the audience observe these faces to their full potential. I felt high looking at the lights and listening to the music (proof that you don't need drugs, you just need Radiohead).
Though, I wasn't really digging Jigsaw Falling into Place and Bodysnatchers which kind of sucked because they are two of my favourite songs from In Rainbows. I felt like the band could've made them more epic. Maybe it was where I was standing because apparently other people thought otherwise. Exit Music (For a Film) was performed beautifully. This song and Paranoid Android were probably my two favourite song performances of the night. They played Paranoid Android at the end of the concert and they let the audience choose between this song or Idioteque. Paranoid Android won and it was practically perfect with the rain falling down and people putting their hands in the air to catch/accept the rain.

"rain down, rain down
come on, rain down on me
from a great height
from a great height"


Radiohead - 15 Step
Radiohead - Exit Music (For a Film)
Radiohead - Paranoid Android

Radiohead - Reckoner (LoveTongueAttack Bmore Remix)
They should've played this song in between the two sets instead of slow German techno.

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