|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| RADIOHEAD LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN NYC, NY Friday, October 10, 2003 review by Kevin Purcell Often times when a band over emphasizes music in concert, the performance in turn tastes dry and utterly flavorless. This outcome, of course, is to be avoided at all costs. With this in mind, I feared the experimentally composed songs of Radiohead would keep fans in their seats with blank, entranced looks in their eyes. Fortunately, such was not the case. Unlike many who, rather than address the band alone, are compelled to drive comparisons between Radiohead and the more radio-friendly Coldplay, I will stray from the former band, because, to be perfectly blunt, Radiohead is fully deserving of this print space. Powered by double-time drum & bass drumming, electronic blurts of psychedelia topped by Thom Yorke's ever reverberating pipes, Radiohead commanded the attention of the crowd and left little wonder why the Brits had lured in New York fans for two sold-out gigs at the Garden. Yorke's incomparable vocal styling, complemented by his tremendous range, established an aura that spoke loudly to all, despite the often unintelligible lyrics. During "You And Whose Army," Yorke let his bizarre connection with the audience shine through as he playfully switched from making faces at a camera to wildly bouncing for the fans in front of the stage. The unique performance style of Yorke didn't end with his singing or his constantly adjusting distancing from the microphone (a rather simplistic approach for subtle volume shifts). The multi-talented artist's on-stage entertainment bled into his abstract dance moves, which, though resembling an acid-tripper experiencing a terrible trip capped with convulsions, perfectly fit in line with the music being performed. Backing Yorke was a tight rhythm section that definitely pulled its weight, yet failed to expel the level of on stage energy of the aforementioned member. Though a letdown by most measures, the show was not hampered by the minor shortcoming. Radiohead began the set with "The Gloaming," which would turn out to be the first of ten songs off "Hail To The Thief" to be played that night. Impressive as it might seem, the new material was notably better in concert than on the album. While the set was packed rather tightly with new tracks, songs like "No Surprises," "Paranoid Android," "Talk Show Host" and "In Limbo" brought smiles to the faces of the already standing fans. To the delight of those in attendance, Radiohead pulled out the semi-rarity "Creep" which stunned the crowd at the intro and made knees tremble with the super crunchy pre-chorus chord strikes. All and all, from the impressive musicianship to the setlist construction to the fan who got tackled after running on stage during "Airbag," the concert greatly exceeded expectations. While I can't vouch for whether Radiohead is better than Coldplay (as I know so many of you are hoping), I can say Radiohead is most definitely one of the stronger live acts out there today and arguably the best live alternative act. If you get a chance to check out the band in concert, do not ignorantly forgo the opportunity based on a basis-less fan association with another artist. |