DAY 3--ALL ABOUT RADIOHEAD

So Radiohead played the last date of their North American tour tonight at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, and I was there with two friends.

The band hit the road to try out a batch of new songs they had written for their new album (due out next year--maybe?) Because of this, I was let to believe the show would be a stripped-down and fairly straight forward affair, as opposed to the heavily produced concerts they usually perform. Not so, and in a very good way. But more on that later.

The new songs were stunning. I don't have access to the set list (the cheat sheat I would have used at greenplastic.com hasn't been updated yet) and I don't know the names of the new songs but they were all uniformly excellent. They covered a range of styles. One had almost a salsa beat, while another was a quick (90 second?) burst of sound that was almost surf rock. They ended the show will a new ballad that was achingly beautiful.

Thom Yorke is releasing a solo album shortly. From what little I've heard of it, it sounds like it contains a lot of electronic noodling ala "Kid A" (don't get me wrong, I'll buy it and likely enjoy it, too). Perhaps that freed Yorke up to write this new batch of Radiohead songs in a style that's more wide open and rock influenced. I can't wait to hear the new album. If the songs performed tonight are any indication, it will be one of their best.

The old music held up well. "Paranoid Andriod" is probably the best song I have ever heard performed live. "True Love Waits" was given an eerie electronic remix on stage. "Fake Plastic Trees," brought the house down (which isn't easy, as the Greek is an outdoor venue). The quiet early passages of "Exit Music" had most of the crowd transfixed. There were a few yahoos in the audience who took the silence as an opportunity to shout lame things at the band, prompting Thom to politely say "shut up" between lines.

I went to the show desperately wanting to hear "Paranoid Android" and "No Surprises." They didn't play the second tune, but the show didn't seem incomplete to me. As a matter of fact, the best stuff tonight was the new stuff. At the end of the show, Thom said that the band had played a lot of new music, then added, "thanks for listening to them." All I could think was, "thanks for writing them."