Radiohead: Rain is a State of Mind

When I passed Thunderbird on my way to work Tuesday morning, there was already a line-up outside its gates, which just goes to show that Radiohead has some pretty dedicated fans. I was considerably less eager, and ended up at the stadium just as Liars were wrapping up. Music bloggers were making a big deal about these guys opening, but I couldn't get into much of their music. And then, just as the stage was being set for the main act, the rain started. It quickly progressed from a drizzle to a shower, and didn't stop until much later in the night. The entirety of the sold-out concert was enjoyed by a really wet but excited crowd. It was the first time I was seeing Radiohead perform live and, on a whole, they put on a beautiful show and didn't disappoint.

They opened with "15 Steps," and during the concert played pretty much every song from In Rainbows. I was most impressed by hearing "House of Cards" live, for which this amazing video was recently made. They also interjected some to-be-expected older stuff ("Just", "Karma Police", "2+2=5") and a few tracks that were surprises ("Bangers n' Mash", "Exit Music [For a Film]", "Planet Telex"). It was great getting to dance along to "Bodysnatchers", and hearing a live version of "Talk Show Host", which is one of my Radiohead favorites.

My one slight criticism of the show is that, despite all of its beauty, it was just a little too predictable. The fact that these guys sound just as spot-on live as they do on their records is a testament to their talent, but I wish that they would have put in a little more personality (and by that I mean more than the occasional 'shut the fuck up') into their songs. Spontaneous instrumentals, impromptu lyrics, random acts of music - this is the shit that live shows are supposed to be about, no? There was a little less of that here than what I had hoped for, although that didn't take much away from this being an absolutely unforgettable concert.

For their last song, Radiohead decided to inject some democracy, letting the crowd choose between "Idioteque" and "Paranoid Android". We chose the latter, and thus came a very fitting ending to the night. I left completely soaked and completely happy. This was worth every raindrop.

Thanks to Duran (yep, he's still alive and kicking) for his help with this post, and for the photos, which would have been shot closer had the media pass Gods shone light on him.
Special thanks to Jo for taking me to the show, and to Jenya for her input into this review.
AmpLive (of Zion I) recently put out an excellent and completely free album of In Rainbows remixes appropriately entitled Rainydayz. Check it out.