Can You Gig It?: Radiohead @ Victoria Park, London, 24.6.08
As I walked to the tube station last night I overheard a Radiohead fan bemoaning a couple of tracks that weren’t played on the first of their two nights at London’s Victoria Park. “That’s it, I’m going to be spending the rest of night thinking about what they didn’t play,” he continued.
You’re not that only one, buddy. While Radiohead occupy a unique place as one of the only bands who have become even bigger after becoming more musically obtuse, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that an outdoor enormo-gig would bring out whatever crowd-pleasing tendencies they may retain from the Glasto-slaying days of the late 90s.
The reality was a set heavy on tracks from Kid A onwards, leaving fans in no doubt that, hey, if you’re a real Radiohead fan that’s what you’re supposed to be listening to these days.
To the crowd’s credit it was difficult to discern any disappointment – you might not think of Radiohead as a band to inspire dancing, but there was a lot of it going on. What sound like obscure bleeps and skronks in your bedroom became beat-y interludes capable of inspiring – oh yes – the boogie; “Idioteque” went down particularly well. Having said that, being asked to dance, prom-style, by a girl as “The Tourist” mournfully opened was a pretty unexpected experience (if you’re reading this, sorry if I was brusque – it was just too weird).
Having read this review at Choronzonix Music of the Dublin gig, I can’t help but agree that the setlist meant this was a show that felt ready to ignite at several points, without really catching on fire. A blistering “Just” promised much but was followed by more subdued numbers. Shall I do the teenybopper thing and moan about what wasn’t played? OK: “Paranoid Android”, “2+2=5″, “Lucky”, “No Surprises”, “My Iron Lung”, “Fake Plastic Trees”… and, despite reports that they played it on the US leg of their tour, no “Creep”.
Which is not to say there were no high points – “Everything In Its Right Place” sounded amazing, as did the closing “You And Whose Army”. And “Pyramid Song” never fails to give me chills, wherever/whenever I hear it. Nevertheless, there was a lack of material to get people singing along, which may sound like a trite expectation of a Radiohead show, but, you know, they do have those numbers in their arsenal. And for
It was a great night, but I must say I came across at the end of the night thinking ‘nice lights’, as I couldn’t bleeding well see anything!
Nice review – and you cold-hearted man, denying that girl a dance!
I was always amazed that Radiohead continued to play Creep for so long when they’d already said they didn’t like it, so I think everyone got their money’s worth out of that track (though not you, unfortunately, since you never saw them back then – sorry!)
Maybe because I’d already assumed they wouldn’t play loads of Bends and OK Computer tracks I wasn’t disappointed at all… although I was sad not to hear Paranoid Android. And Lucky would have been nice too. But I didn’t really need to hear the crowd shout-singing Fake Plastic Trees.
You’re spot on about the screens. They looked great, added a very arty atmosphere, but made pretty much no difference to my view.
The reason you missed the Tibet chant was because you were having a wee/queuing for poisonous cider. Just so you know!
Four times and I’ve still never heard Creep live. Saw a show in Florida last month and I have to say I was a teensy bit disappointed in the set list too. No How to Disappear, Fake Plastic Trees or even Jigsaw. They did their second encore with House of Cards and The Bends :/
Still, any Radiohead show is a fantastic show in my book. I don’t think anything will top Glastonbury or Bonnaroo, though.
I thought it was a great gig. Yes, they played lots of tracks from In Rainbows and only a few from each of their previous albums, but seeing as you could have downloaded it for free and listened to it for the past year, more fool you if you went to see them without doing so.
I was really happy with the gig though a little disappointed with the reviews that it was getting, aimed mostly toward Thom’s attempt to start a ‘Free Tibet’ chant.
Though, no one seems to know what really happened, bar me and a few others who were stood next to two long haired lads who started the chant themselves in between songs and Thom looked at them with glazed eyes and merely mumbled along with their chant through his microphone.
The chant was never ‘lost’ among the audience it was simply never there.