Beautiful And Enigmatic

Radiohead
Lakewood Amphitheatre
Atlanta
May 8, 2008

I remember being given a copy of Radiohead's OK Computer for my birthday, by a friend of mine. We were standing around on the platform waiting to catch our train to an early morning lecture during first year uni. I look back on this routine event nearly ten years later (already?!), and can see that it marked the beginning of what has become an enduring adulation of this uncategorisable band.

Atlanta's Lakewood Amphitheatre is located well out in the sticks, at the dodgy end of the North-South train line. Nevertheless, it does have pretty decent sound, and a unique atmosphere - especially on a balmy spring evening - last Thursday was humid and overcast all day, with the heavens threatening to open. Thankfully, the rain held off until after the show had ended, but decided to drench those of us who were waiting for the bus to take us back to the train station. Honestly though, I don't think anyone cared.

The main set began with "All I Need", with Thom Yorke never sounding better. This is one of my favourites from In Rainbows, with its creepy words and piano-heavy climax. The primal "There There", with Jonny Greenwood playing on an additional set of drums out front, sounded as huge as it did when they opened their Melbourne show with it back in 2004. It's always interesting to see one band play in different places, since you never quite know how they're going to alter what they play depending on where they are. Overall, the main set leaned heavily on the newer material, with its near-perfect blend of electronica and old-school guitar crunching rock.


"Idioteque", punctuated by Thom's unique dancing - gyrating and flinging himself around like a rag doll, and "You And Whose Army" - this time with Thom on piano, mugging for the camera up on stage next to him, had the crowd in stitches. On the other hand, you could also feel every ounce of sorrow and anguish in songs like "Pyramid Song" and the gem, "How To Disappear Completely".


Four years ago - the one and only other time that I've seen Radiohead - I would have said that that particular show was the best I'd ever seen. Despite having seats that were way up at the back of Rod Laver Arena, causing us to assume that the five specks on stage were who we'd paid to see, this really didn't detract from the power of the show. My experience this time was the same. We actually had pretty good seats to begin with, but sadly everyone - even in the seated section - decided to stand up. We also had an overzealous, very high-pitched girl sitting behind us, who wanted to let everyone around her know that she knew all the words. To just about every single song. Thus, craning one's neck strategically between shoulders in front of you just to get a view, and trying to block out the screams from behind you, could have put a damper on the evening. It might have made a difference if it was any other band. But carried by the collective genius of these guys - who are each fascinating to watch, like Wilco - and the emotive nature of their music, nothing can really come close to spoiling the experience.


As we were waiting for the bus - and getting thoroughly soaked, we started chatting to this young guy next to us. He'd travelled from Alabama (a few hours drive away) especially for the show, and it was the first time he'd seen the band. We were talking about our impressions of the night, and he rightly summed things up by saying that they were "beautiful and enigmatic". At first I wasn't sure what he meant by enigmatic, but if he was describing the way that you just can't quite find the adequate words for it, then he hit the nail on the head.

All I Need
There There
Lucky
15 Step
Where I End And You Begin
Nude
Pyramid Song
Optimistic
Weird Fishes
The National Anthem
Idioteque
You And Whose Army
Reckoner
Everything In Its Right Place
??
Bodysnatchers
Videotape
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The Gloaming
Talk Show Host
Just
Faust Arp
How To Disappear Completely
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Paranoid Android
House Of Cards