SFist Reviews Radiohead at the Greek Theater
It must be pretty good to be Radiohead. Here they are, having survived three of the biggest disasters in rock band-ness-- fluky overplayed radio hit, dropping maybe possibly the greatest album in music history and the attendant ascension to Most Important Band in the World status that came with it, and the "let's kill off our popularity" reactionary arty album-- and survived. Not only survived, but could still sell out two shows at the Greek Theater in minutes and play to a totally adoring and loving crowd that are quite okay with the band going from spiky guitar epic to Kraftwerk-inspired electronica from song to song. And while they might no longer be the Most Important Band in the World, they are still the Most Interesting Band in the World and maybe possibly one epic song away from reclaiming the M.I.B.W title. Not bad for a band that's first hit was almost fifteen years ago.
Why they are still the only 90's band still standing (Pearl Jam doesn't count as people stopped caring about Pearl Jam around the same time they stopped writing decent songs) and one of the bestest bands in the land could all be seen at Friday night's show at the Greek Theater. Melancholy songs of paranoia, alienation, and angst were sung by a smiling, dance machine of a lead singer. Weird arty noise for weird arty noise-sake brushed up against good old-fashioned rock n' roll grooviness. Atonal offbeat rhythms brought the toe-tap and the head nod. And songs set mainly to electric beats and weird electric elements were mashed up with wispy fragments of melody and riffs that stuck in the subconscious and wafted around your head long after the song was done.
It was Radiohead-- confounding, enigmatic, powerful, spirited, heartfelt, intelligent, arty and, well, what is about the band that brings out the Pitchfork writer in everyone?
Let's just say that the band was tight and on it. The epic soundscapes retained their power and all the bleeps and bloops and crackling sounds weren't lost at all. Hell, several songs just had Thom on guitar while Colin and Johnny just basically stood (or sat) in front of these weird little things you would find in Radio Shack yet the songs still retained their power. And the band could go from guitar driven number to cold mechanical techno song and have it all make sense in the Radiohead scheme of things.
And yes, there were new songs played. Eight songs in total. Again, how many other bands that have been around for over fifteen years would be greeted with cheers when they pull a "and now, a new song from our new album" thing? How were the new songs? The songs still have kind of that circular groove thing that the band sported on "Hail to the Thief," but warmer, nicer, and, dare we say it, sometimes even really catchy. Thom was always capable of writing a really nice melody, but this time around he seems to have worked at, tried even. "Arpeggi" has that epic scale that Radiohead dropped after OK Computer, "15 Step" was almost funky and fun, "4 Minute Warming" almost like a camp fire song. We've read that the songs sound almost completely different than they have and who knows how they'll turn up on then new disc (the "Arpeggi" we heard was much more minimal and experimental sounding than the one we heard at the concert). Maybe they're feeling a little bit more into taking on the world again?
Early on in the show, when things had grown dark and the fog began to roll in, the band began playing "Street Spirit (Fade out)." As the light show turned solid blue, the fog was in such a way that it looked like the music was floating around the clouds, taking the audience with them. Everything was in it's right place-- one of rock's great bands was at the height of their powers.
PS- Or at least was until we saw the set list for Saturday's night show. Jesus Criminy, we missed "Myxomatosis," "Where I End and You Begin," and SFist's ultra-faves "How to Disappear Completely" and "Fake Plastic Trees"(!!!). You're killing us, Radiohead, killing us.