You know how to cut to the core of me, Thom Yorke
wooooo radiohead woooooo!
just saw them last night in san diego with my friend may, whom i thank greatly for being superfan #1, and thereby procuring tickets for us.
going to see radiohead with radiohead superfans is an interesting experience. here's what happens: you get to the venue at least three hours before doors (some people camp out the previous night) and stand as close as possible to the place where you're going to get in. as the minutes and hours pass, people start getting antsy and some unsubtle cutting and squeezing happens as the superfans try to one up each other for the closest possible spot to the front. the objective of all this is to be among the first people to sprint toward the stage when the doors actually do open and get the spot you like best. the heady scent of permanent marker permeates the air after one thoughtful superfan draws a huge "Happy Birthday Colin" sign. as it starts to get down to the line, everyone becomes a horse chomping at the bit. "i'm gonna have a panic attack and die," someone says, and "why don't they just get it over with?" and, in the detailed negotations for a spot, "i'd rather have pole Ed instead of second row Jonny."
the doors open and trampling seems imminent, but we just get pushed through in a big surge and everyone runs their little butts off toward the stage as the venue workers crack up at the spectacle. even though i walked, i got right up at the front in there with may, who stood next to the other superfans saving spots by spreading eagle against the stage. but when i realized that between the opening act and delays it would be 4 hours until radiohead went on, i relinquished my valued position in the radiohead fan hierarchy and consumed several lovely smirnoff ices by my lonesome in the lazy person area with the benches and tables.
it actually turned out to be a good thing that i didn't stay crushed in the throng because i facilitated the superfans' superfanness by passing them water as they stood there suffering and dehydrating themselves for their band. which led to a few thoughts. first, an invention: a radiohead fan special seat/drinking water camel pack/colostomy/pee bag. i know it sounds gross, but just think of what it would accomplish. and we could brand it with fun radiohead teddy bears and make it this trendy thing that the most dedicated superfans would want because it would affirm their love to the world. the other thing i thought is that radiohead fans are this tight knit group because they suffer for their band, much like the bond of frat boys who go through hazing, or war buddies. at a certain point, when they brought one (in the words of may) "totally unprepared" superfan out of the front in a wheelchair with an oxygen mask, i did think of myself a little as a civil war nurse helping the war wounded.
i decided after the opening act, deerhoof -- they were good -- to try and squeeze my way toward the front, but i only made it to about six-people-from-the-stage level and gave up, which was a pussy move because my real deterrent from not pushing farther was the scornful looks i got rather than the uncomfortableness of being squished. so i just stood there among unknowns and radiohead finally came on. and of course, they were frickin awesome. has radiohead ever put on a bad show? i ask you this. because i have now seen them four times and they have been incredible each and every time. every time.
here's the set list which i found online today:
1. There There 2. 2+2=5 3. 15 Step 4. Morning Bell 5. Kid A 6. Arpeggi 7. Videotape 8. National Anthem 9. Nude 10. Down Is The New Up 11. Paranoid Android 12. All I Need 13. The Gloaming 14. You And Whose Army? 15. Idioteque 16. Bangers 'n' Mash 17. How To Disappear Completely 18. House of Cards 19. Street Spirit (fade out) 20. Just 21. Everything In Its Right Place 22. 4 Minute Warning 23. Lucky
when 2+2=5 came on, oh my god. incredible to be among other people who were as excited as me to hear it and jump up and down like crazed banshees. unfortunately after it, the 2nd song, the colostomy/pee bag would've done me good b/c after my third smirnoff ice (idiot) i just couldn't hold it anymore and for a second time had to relinquish a good spot in the crowd. on coming back to the show, i realized the value of squeezing your ass in early, because it SUCKS to go to a radiohead show and be surrounded by people who aren't crazily excited to see them and who don't know the songs, and you'd be surprised by how many of them there are. but i guess my love of smirnoff ice betrays the fact that i am simply not a superfan. i'm a mere big fan.
nonetheless the show, as i said, was awesome. they played a lot of new songs that i didn't know but liked. very beat-heavy, i noticed, and then may mentioned later that thom is thinking of doing a dance album, so that made sense. thom's new album, the eraser, by the way, is great. the guy is so good he makes my head explode. the fact that he can put on these shows night after night and year after year and give so much of himself is...i donno. he's as close to a god as i've ever seen in front of my face, i'll tell you that.
and speaking of god, that leads me to the post below.
just saw them last night in san diego with my friend may, whom i thank greatly for being superfan #1, and thereby procuring tickets for us.
going to see radiohead with radiohead superfans is an interesting experience. here's what happens: you get to the venue at least three hours before doors (some people camp out the previous night) and stand as close as possible to the place where you're going to get in. as the minutes and hours pass, people start getting antsy and some unsubtle cutting and squeezing happens as the superfans try to one up each other for the closest possible spot to the front. the objective of all this is to be among the first people to sprint toward the stage when the doors actually do open and get the spot you like best. the heady scent of permanent marker permeates the air after one thoughtful superfan draws a huge "Happy Birthday Colin" sign. as it starts to get down to the line, everyone becomes a horse chomping at the bit. "i'm gonna have a panic attack and die," someone says, and "why don't they just get it over with?" and, in the detailed negotations for a spot, "i'd rather have pole Ed instead of second row Jonny."
the doors open and trampling seems imminent, but we just get pushed through in a big surge and everyone runs their little butts off toward the stage as the venue workers crack up at the spectacle. even though i walked, i got right up at the front in there with may, who stood next to the other superfans saving spots by spreading eagle against the stage. but when i realized that between the opening act and delays it would be 4 hours until radiohead went on, i relinquished my valued position in the radiohead fan hierarchy and consumed several lovely smirnoff ices by my lonesome in the lazy person area with the benches and tables.
it actually turned out to be a good thing that i didn't stay crushed in the throng because i facilitated the superfans' superfanness by passing them water as they stood there suffering and dehydrating themselves for their band. which led to a few thoughts. first, an invention: a radiohead fan special seat/drinking water camel pack/colostomy/pee bag. i know it sounds gross, but just think of what it would accomplish. and we could brand it with fun radiohead teddy bears and make it this trendy thing that the most dedicated superfans would want because it would affirm their love to the world. the other thing i thought is that radiohead fans are this tight knit group because they suffer for their band, much like the bond of frat boys who go through hazing, or war buddies. at a certain point, when they brought one (in the words of may) "totally unprepared" superfan out of the front in a wheelchair with an oxygen mask, i did think of myself a little as a civil war nurse helping the war wounded.
i decided after the opening act, deerhoof -- they were good -- to try and squeeze my way toward the front, but i only made it to about six-people-from-the-stage level and gave up, which was a pussy move because my real deterrent from not pushing farther was the scornful looks i got rather than the uncomfortableness of being squished. so i just stood there among unknowns and radiohead finally came on. and of course, they were frickin awesome. has radiohead ever put on a bad show? i ask you this. because i have now seen them four times and they have been incredible each and every time. every time.
here's the set list which i found online today:
1. There There 2. 2+2=5 3. 15 Step 4. Morning Bell 5. Kid A 6. Arpeggi 7. Videotape 8. National Anthem 9. Nude 10. Down Is The New Up 11. Paranoid Android 12. All I Need 13. The Gloaming 14. You And Whose Army? 15. Idioteque 16. Bangers 'n' Mash 17. How To Disappear Completely 18. House of Cards 19. Street Spirit (fade out) 20. Just 21. Everything In Its Right Place 22. 4 Minute Warning 23. Lucky
when 2+2=5 came on, oh my god. incredible to be among other people who were as excited as me to hear it and jump up and down like crazed banshees. unfortunately after it, the 2nd song, the colostomy/pee bag would've done me good b/c after my third smirnoff ice (idiot) i just couldn't hold it anymore and for a second time had to relinquish a good spot in the crowd. on coming back to the show, i realized the value of squeezing your ass in early, because it SUCKS to go to a radiohead show and be surrounded by people who aren't crazily excited to see them and who don't know the songs, and you'd be surprised by how many of them there are. but i guess my love of smirnoff ice betrays the fact that i am simply not a superfan. i'm a mere big fan.
nonetheless the show, as i said, was awesome. they played a lot of new songs that i didn't know but liked. very beat-heavy, i noticed, and then may mentioned later that thom is thinking of doing a dance album, so that made sense. thom's new album, the eraser, by the way, is great. the guy is so good he makes my head explode. the fact that he can put on these shows night after night and year after year and give so much of himself is...i donno. he's as close to a god as i've ever seen in front of my face, i'll tell you that.
and speaking of god, that leads me to the post below.
posted by alex at 2:22 PM
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