The Butter Room was well represented at the Radiohead show from Nissan Pavilion last night (5/11/08). So much so that we decided to do two reviews. Cheers.
Review #1 by Brian Chenault
Exactly how do you measure the dedication of a band’s fans? Is it by the number of bootlegs or import versions of albums they own? Is it by the amount of merchandise they purchase? Their willingness to shell out top dollar for anything related to the band, tickets or otherwise? If dedication is measured by fans literally enduring the elements for a concert, then you’d have to give Radiohead fans an A+. It rained nonstop yesterday, from morning through the night, and as I was driving 29 North to the concert I wondered to myself if the concert would even happen, and if so how many ticket holders would even bother to come out? Judging from a scan back from my very fortunate spot in the general admission pit, I’d say that that it barely hurt the turnout at all. I have to admit, had I not been so fortunate, and had been stuck with a lawn ticket, I probably would have stayed home. Not only was it windy and the rain torrential, but the temperature was in the lower 50s, which made for some serious cold or even pneumonia-inducing weather.
After staying in the car and hoping for the rain to subside a little before entering the venue, I finally made my way inside around 8 pm, in time to catch the last few songs by the opener, Liars. I am not familiar with the band so am in no position to give a fair critique, but I thought the sound was pretty muddy and it was hard to make out what was going on on stage. Otherwise, they seemed interesting enough and it sparked enough interest for me to want to check them out further.
After what must have seemed like an eternal break between bands to the people on the lawn, the roadies dispersed and Radiohead took the stage. The lighting set for this tour is absolutely the coolest I have ever seen for any show. It consists of rows of thin white lighting strips 6 deep and 12 wide that effectively turn the stage into a cave surrounded by these things. At the rear of the stage is a row of video displays that throughout the show displayed candid closeup shots of the band members. These shots were also unlike any I have seen at any concert. They were less your typical concert shot views of the band and more like you were spying on the band members, seeing their inner thoughts as the show progressed. I never could figure out where the cameras were set, and sometimes there would be angles that seemed impossible without invisible cameras. My favorite shot of the night was seeing a closeup of Johnny Greenwood at his laptop, peering from underneath his locks back at Thom Yorke. Video screens at most concerts are there to let the audience better see the band. These screens seemed more designed for a glimpse into the psyche of the band. Throwaway footage it was not. It’s telling that the band requested that the venue not use the screens available for people on the lawn to better see the band.
Despite a somewhat muddy mix for the first few songs (the bass on “All I Need” was practically indiscernable), it all came together by the third song of the night, the gorgeous “Lucky” from OK Computer. They gave fair play to their entire catalog, with the exception of Pablo Honey, which I doubt anyone missed, and Hail To The Thief, which only got one visit for the night, with the schizophrenic “Myxomatosis”. The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, and Amnesiac were all represented, with 3 or 4 great choices off of each. When the achingly beautiful “The Pyramid Song” was over, I decided that if I ended up catching pneumonia after the show, it would have been worth it to hear that song alone. Thom Yorke not only seemed in high spirits, joking with the crowd, but his voice was in incredible shape. He hit all of his high falsetto notes with what seemed like no effort at all. There is no question that his voice has strengthened and improved over the years. I never thought I’d say this, but in my mind he’s one of rock’s great singers in the prime of his career and his abilities.
As I left the venue, and waded through the muddy pond that the concession area had become (ankle high in some places), I had to marvel that in a world that seems increasingly complicated and fragmented, music still has the power to not only bring people together, but also to do so under the worst of conditions.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Radiohead from The Butter Room on Vimeo.
Review #2 by Todd Wickersty
Expectation is the seed of disappointment. These 6 words comprise one of my favorite sayings because it’s true 99% of the time. My expectations for Radiohead at Nissan Pavilion last night were extremely high. I knew that they were too high. Couple that with the fact that Nissan Pavilion is the WORST venue in Virginia (more on that later) and last night had the makings for an enormous letdown.
After some food and spirits in the armpit of the Commonwealth, also known as the Virginia Gateway Center, we arrived at the venue in a torrential rainstorm. At least we made it. After sitting in hours of traffic, many people could not get to the venue due to flash floods. I’ve been there before. After traveling hundreds of miles from Virginia to Vermont to see Phish’s final live performance, we were denied access 5 miles from the gate due to a similar weather related incident. It sucks. Unfortunately, those of you who couldn’t make it last night missed a much much better show than I did at Coventry.
We got inside in between the opening act, Liars, and Radiohead. Good timing considering the traffic and rain. It took us 45 minutes to get in, which is really nothing compared to the thousands who traveled west on I-66. However, we only had 4 miles to go! The rain continued to pour from the sky. We needed cash. The ATM line was 15 deep and only one of the two machines was working. Then that one broke down. Luckily, one of the guys in line just happened to work for the venue and was able to fix the problem. Whew. Withdrawl made. A round of $10 Tecates followed (are you kidding me?!?!).
One reason for my sky high expectations was our tickets. We were fortunate to be in the general admission pit and after looking at Brian’s photos, I think he and I were right near each other and didn’t even know it. We settled in during “15 Step” after listening to the first three songs from the ATM and beer lines.
The stage set up was unlike any other I’ve seen before. The band played beneath what looked like lighted icicles. The sound was crystal clear and at the perfect volume. Then I looked back in amazement at the lawn. It was full. Five inches of cold, steady rain couldn’t stop the thousands of concert goers with lawn tickets. Radiohead did not disappoint and delivered a memorable 2 hour plus, 25 song performance that might be the best show I’ve seen this decade. I can’t declare it the best quite yet, not until the afterglow wears off.
My favorite musical moment of the night (although it was all fantastic) was towards the end of the set. After the mellow In Rainbows duo of “Faust Arp” and “Videotape”, Radiohead launched into “Paranoid Android”, which provided a much needed energy boost. Thankfully, the band let the crowd frenzy continue with “Just”. The hypnotic “Reckoner” followed, probably my favorite track from In Rainbows, which was a perfect way to cool down the crowd.
The show concluded at the House of Horrors with “House of Cards”. Nissan Pavilion is by far the worst venue I’ve ever been to. I swore it off 8 years ago because of it’s location, the traffic, and the lack of character. All music venues have character, just like ballparks. While Red Rocks might be the Fenway Park of music venues or MSG the Yankee Stadium, Nissan Pavilion is the Vet or any of the vanilla ballparks built in the 60s and 70s that were perfectly symmetrical in shape and artificial in experience. Still, that’s not a reason alone to boycott the place. However, the traffic is. It took us almost as long to get from the Pavilion lot to our place in nearby Gainesville (total trip distance about 5 miles) as it did friends who parked outside the lot driving to Charlottesville (total trip distance about 100 miles).
Even with the traffic, the weather, and the venue, I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It was the best concert I’ve seen in years from a band that has amazingly been in its prime for quite a while now. From the comments and reviews I’ve read online today, it’s clear that no one in the venue last night was disappointed. Only Radiohead could deliver such a performance that would lift up thousands of fans after dealing with the wrath of Mother Nature, the wrath of impatient D.C. area drivers (I am not sure which wrath is worse), and the sh*thole known as Nissan Pavilion.
BTW, my new favorite 6 word saying is “See Radiohead as soon as possible.”
SET LIST:
I: All I Need, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Lucky, 15 Step, Nude, Pyramid Song, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Myxomatosis, Idioteque, Faust Arp, Videotape, Paranoid Android, Just, Reckoner, Everything In Its Right Place, Bangers and Mash, Bodysnatchers
E1: Like Spinning Plates, Optimistic, Karma Police, Go Slowly, Planet Telex
E2: Fake Plastic Trees, The National Anthem, House of Cards
Karma Police - Radiohead from The Butter Room on Vimeo.
More Photos from Radiohead at Nissan Pavilion on 5/11/08:
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