Radiohead Live at the Beacon Theater & Hail to the Thief CD

by Marc Wiener

Sometimes you luck out. You are there as a band hits that highpoint. It's a case of right place right time. I don't mean the luck of obtaining a ticket. (In fact head Hobo Tyler can tell you that there wasn't much luck involved in that). I mean the luck of being there when a band ascends to greatness. I've seen a lot of great bands over the years, but there are only a few instances on the level I'm talking about here. U2 live on the first leg of the Joshua Tree tour was one. Fugazi live in D.C. at a benefit opening for Sonic Youth, just prior to the release of Repeater, was another. Even Bad Brains at the Ritz, on the quickness tour in 89, right before the band fell apart again was up there. And last Thursday night I added another to the short list, Radiohead at the Beacon theater.

It's impossible to talk about this performance without looking at Hail to the Thief, Radiohead's latest CD. First of all, the band played most of the record. Second of all the new material is like a gel holding Radiohead's set together. When Radiohead followed the epic rock beauty of Ok Computer with the releases of Kid A and Amnesiac, it seemed as though they were almost looking to distance themselves from the masses. While that wasn't necessarily the result, the electronic elements, buried vocals and odd song structures were a noted new path. What they ended up creating were amazing soundscapes that pushed the envelope of a new musical direction. What they left of were some of the structures and elements of what many feel are essential to a song. Hail to the Thief takes the sonic experimentation of the last two albums and incorporates it back into more structured songs. It's not Ok Computer part 2. It is a band growing, taking what they've learned and combining it with what they knew all along. Add to this mix some pointed political commentary conjured during the post 9/11 environment as the US marched towards war, and you have the power of Hail to the Thief.

Due to the nature of these new songs, in a live setting they act as a bridge between the Bends and Ok Computer material and the Amnesiac and Kid A tracks. Thus, the live set just gels now. Combine the excellent new material with the fact the band is tight as ever, and Thom actually seems glad to be out there playing, and you are ready for an amazing set.

They took the stage with the new single "There There". A somber opening, but one which was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd, they next played "2+2=5". This song, which may be seen as an emphatic plea against political apathy, was rousing and powerful. From here on the band mixed material from the new record with favorites from Kid A, Amnesiac and Ok Computer. Highlights included the amazing audience response to "No Surprises" (the line "Bring down the government-they don't speak for us" met with much approval), a roaring "Paranoid Android" in which Johnny was simply destructive on guitar, and an incredibly upbeat "Kid A". You could really see Thom Yorke's joy and enthusiasm as he bounced around manically to an energetic "Idioteque".

The first encore of the night ended with a sublime "Fake Plastic Trees", the only song from the Bends to make the set list. The second encore included the crowd pleasing "Karma Police". Thom Yorke returned to the stage for a third encore alone for an acoustic "True LoveWaits", which was really only officially released on their live Ep. And with that the night ended. And the faithful who were lucky enough to be in the Beacon that night had witnessed an event they will never forget.

--released on the Great Hoboes of New York on June 24, 2003