Radiohead - Nissan Pavilion, 5/11/2008

This past Sunday marks one of the very few concerts I've attended at Nissan Pavilion, and to be honest, I'm not sure whether to deem it a positive or negative experience.

Radiohead, in two words, were mind blowing. Just a textbook example of one of the world's finest rock bands at the peak of their creative apex. Thom Yorke, Johnny Greenwood and co. played upwards of 25 songs, featuring the entirety of their latest studio release, In Rainbows, and a few completely unanticipated rarities from what I think to be their most accessible album, The Bends. Even if the band's sound is not your thing (and I can understand given Yorke's penchant for weaving tales of despair and societal frustration into massive walls of experimental sound) the synchronized light show is enough to make you obsess over their live show like a mosquito to a tiki torch.

No, the band wasn't the problem. It was the a combination of a few other things, namely the 4 inches of water in my shoes, my soaking wet pants, the 2 hr. exit wait time in the parking lot, and the torrential downpour that muffled the sound from the lawn, and made for one very large group of pissed off people fighting to keep their footing in a mudslide. But when I finally arrived home at 3:30 a.m., I decided that the 10 hour debacle was well worth it, because I just witnessed a phenomenal performance from a band that rarely travels across the pond. They might not be back to the Northern Virginia area for another 6-7 years, maybe more. This was rock and roll at its finest - people traversing flooded parking lots, rolling around in the mud, and braving 30 mph winds for the glory of a 2 1/2 hr. Radiohead live show. I was glad to be a part of it.

For a more comprehensive review of the show, I will direct you yesterday's Washington Post review written by Josh "Freedom" Du Lac. The man was lucky enough to have pit seats, so his perspective is just slightly more accurate than mine. Give it a read. I've also included the setlist below. "Planet Telex," "Fake Plastic Trees," (supposedly retired from their performance catalogue?) and "Karma Police...." WOW!

All I Need (In Rainbows)

Jigsaw Falling Into Place (In Rainbows)

Lucky (OK Computer)

Nude (In Rainbows)

Pyramid Song (Amnesiac)

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (In Rainbows)

Myxomatosis (Hail to the Thief)

Idioteque (Kid A)

Faust Arp (In Rainbows)

Videotape (In Rainbows)

Paranoid Android (OK Computer)

Just (The Bends)

Reckoner (In Rainbows)

Everything In Its Right Place (Kid A)

Bangers & Mash (In Rainbows - Bonus Disk)

Bodysnatchers (In Rainbows)

Like Spinning Plates (Amnesiac)

Encore One:

Optimistic (Kid A)

Karma Police (OK Computer)

Go Slowly (In Rainbows - Bonus Disk)

Planet Telex (The Bends)Fake Plastic Trees (The Bends)

Encore Two:

National Anthem (Kid A)

House of Cards (In Rainbows)