fredag 6 Jun 2008, 23:06
Well, it finally happened at long last, the day I'd been waiting for 6 months had finally arrived. Radiohead and Bat for Lashes as the support act.
Got there just after 6:15 tonight, nearly getting knocked over by a bus trying to cross the road trying to get into Malahide Castle.
Anyways after about 45 minutes of waiting, I got into Malahide Castle Gardens eventually and at 7:oopm, 15 minutes earlier then the scheduled time, Bat for Lashes came onto the stage and played their support act for about 45 minutes.
Overall, it was a decent set from them and considering I only heard BFL song ever, they were pretty good. If your going to see Radiohead, you'll not be dissapointed with Bat for Lashes as support, great support act.
Bat for Lashes - 3/5
And then, 45 minutes after Bat for Lashes finished and 15 minutes later then scheduled, the main event of the night itself. The one and only, Radiohead.
I only got, surfice to say litterally, the best seat in the house (Well, best spot rather), 2nd row right to the stage.
I only got one quick glance of Big Phil as I was too far to the right of the stage to see him but other then that, everyone was seen. Thom, Jonny, Ed and Colin.
Thom even looked at me and gave me a wave after giving him a thumbs up!!! Felt like I was about to collapse in all honesty.
After everything was said and done, we were finally underway with the first song of the night.
Main Setlist
All I Need: While a slow moving song from In Rainbows, it did the job of hyping people up for the remainder of the night.
Good performance by Thom during AIN, very elegant and gracefull in that performance.
All I Need - 4/5
There, There: All you had to do when you were there was if you seen the 2 massive African drums been positoned for Jonny and Ed, you would have guessed it was There, There…and you'd be right
It was absoutely energetic, brillant and got you jumping around at your feet at the main guitar rift near the end of the song, just a brillant performance.
There, There - 5/5
Lucky: Song of the night in my opinion, just the song I was waiting for. Hell, I could have listened to Lucky and left (But of course, I didnt =p).
Once you hear Lucky, you'll be just absoutely amazed at just how good it is live, just amazing. When the line of "Its gonna be a…GLOOOOOOOORIOUS DAAAAY. I feel my luck could change" comes round, you'll realise how powerful the song is live, just truly special.
Lucky - 5/5
Bangers & Mash: Rumpy pumpy song this was, it was just ful of energy seeing it, especially with Thom on drums (Despite his drum kit being less of a kit then Phil's).
It was a great song to sing and listen to, just brillant. It was such a shame then that it was the only song from the In Rainbows discbox played tonight.
Bangers & Mash - 4/5
15 Step: Quite a funky little numer to dance to live, Thom was certainly dancing around to it a fair bit. It now shows that, probably since now that Radiohead are away from EMI, Thom may be starting to enjoy touring at long last after detesting it for so long while under EMI.
But back to 15 Step, it was certainly a great song to hear live with its beats. Sadly, the crowd wasn't asked to go yay like the school children did in the song.
15 Step - 3/5
Nude: It was pretty much like the In Rainbows verison, nothing much to discuss about but it was, none the less, it was brillantly played.
Nude - 4/5
Pyramid Song: Pyramid Song was a tiny shock as I didnt really see it coming but it was quite a song to listen to…well it was until some drunken retard came smashing through the front of the crowd and stayed until Arpeggi.
Regardless, it was still a song and a half, brillant.
Pyramid Song - 4/5
Optimistic: Before this tour, it was very rare to hear Optimistic in the tour but now, it seems to be in the set. Just before it, Thom said "This next song is something we've been getting back into for a while now"
And quite frankly, I dont see why it's so rare, it's just great to see Thom's guitar put to good use, it's a good song on Kid A, a better song live.
Optimistic - 4/5
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi: It just about sounds so similar to the verison that was heard in the Scotch Mist webcast on New Years Eve 2007, just so full of energy, just amazing.
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - 5/5
The National Anthem: My 3rd favourite song of the night behind Lucky and You & Whose Army, it was hyper, full of energy and a great song to jump to. Once I heard what was coming out of Jonny's radio, I knew straight away it was The National Anthem.
Just to point out, and its pretty much a 99.9% certainty, you WILL enjoy this song live. I love the Kid A verison, I fell in love with the bootlegs of it but tonight was a whole new, and a great, experience.
The National Anthem - 5/5
Idioteque: If you wanted a dance song from Radiohead during the time they've been about, you got it in 2000 in Kid A in Idioteque.
When they play it live, they dont play it to the style of the Kid A verison, they do it in the style of the BBC verison they recorded during that time.
In any case, it is a fine song live and it'll get you jumping around, just brillant…just dont expect something like this from Radiohead everytime.
Idioteque - 4/5
Reckoner: In all honesty, I dont like Reckoner on In Rainbows, just dont see the appeal in it but when it's played live, it's like different verison…while it actually aint if you catch my drift.
Like Videotape, it went through the drastic change it did and while as a song on In Rainbows, I dont like it. But live, it's likable.
Reckoner - 3/5
House of Cards: Like Reckoner, I dont like House of Cards on In Rainbows. However, unlike Reckoner, I also dont like HOC live. It was OK but nothing too special in all honesty.
Ed and Thom's guitar work on it was well done but other then that, it was a bit bland and quite frankly a dissapointment. On the other hand, it was the only one of the night.
House of Cards - 2/5
Everything in it's Right Place: Simply put, a great song, without a doubt in the top 10 of my favourites from Tonight, it was just amazing but also controversial as throughout the performance (As well as throughout the tour), Thom had a Tibetan flag draped across the piano he was playing from it to signify the political climate between China and Tibet.
Back to EIIRP. It is one of them songs which will make you clap your hands and sing outloud, it's quite fantastic.
Everything in it's Right Place - 4/5
Faust Arp: No Colin, no Ed and no Phil. Just Thom and Jonny playing accoustic guitar each and it was pretty much like the Thumbs Down/Scotch Mist verison played but still none the less a nice little bitesized treat until we moved right on again.
Faust Arp - 3/5
Bodysnatchers: The opening guitar rift kicks in like a kick to the gut, it tells you "I'm here and I'm taking no prisoners".
It's a song I was looking forward to all night and was not let down by it once. If you like Bodysnatchers alot, whatever your a new fan to Radiohead or from the good old days and your going to see them very soon,you'll like Bodysnatchers…alot
Bodysnatchers - 5/5
Videotape: Then it was the final song of the main set, the closer to In Rainbows, Videotape. I must admit before In Rainbows, it was the older verison of Videotape which made me fall in love with it but when I heard it on In Rainbows, I just couldnt love it anymore.
So imagine my surprise that, when it was played the new verison of Videotape, I found out that I quite liked it.
It was very good but has nothing on the old verison but still none the less, good.
Videotape - 4/5
Then, they went off for 5 minutes to take a break before the 1st of two encore's. One a 6 tracker and the the second being a 4 tracker.
After 5 minutes, they came back on and started playing again.
Encore 1
The Gloaming: Its a song I dont listen to alot on Hail to the Thief but when I do, its once in a blue moon thing but still, when I do its just sheer good.
And it's pretty much the same live, same formula and everything but still brillant.
The Gloaming - 3/5
You & Whose Army: Probably, in my opinion, the biggest surprise of the night. I didnt think it was going to get a play at all but it did and it was a surprise.
Without a doubt, the best song of the night behind Lucky, a great song to sing to live, absoutely immense.
You & Whose Army - 5/5
Myxomatosis: One of my favourites from Hail to the Thief and to see it live was…OK, nothing special but still good to see live.
Plus, it was sort of fun to see Thom dancing and singing at the same time.
Myxomatosis - 3/5
My Iron Lung: The 1st song to be played off The Bends all night and what a song to pick it off…of course, I'd prefer Street Spirit but even still, it was one hell of a song.
Its one that will have your head banging =D
My Iron Lung - 4/5
How to Dissappear Completely: A bit of synth from Jonny for a while before Thom's accoustic guitar kicked in and when it did, everyone went wild knowing what the song was.
And when the lyric "I float down the Liffey" was sung, everybody just went hystric.
HTDC is without a doubt in the top 5 best songs I heard tonight, it's truly epic and beautiful as well as haunting, just brillant.
How to Dissappear Completely - 5/5
Then, they went off one more time before playing one more encore.
Encore 2
Super Collider : It felt pretty special to be among the first people in the world to hear this new song which will probably pop up in a new album sometime next year.
Anyways, it was only Thom on a piano and nobody else. On first listen, I have to say it was very very good, one worth looking out for when it does come.
Super Collider - 4/5
Just: When the opening guitar rift kicked in, the crowd just went mad and when Thom started singing, it was quite frankly like the first time all night the crowd had sung.
It was a great song to sing to, especially with Thom's guitar rifts.
Just - 5/5
Paranoid Android: The final song of the night and what a song to go out on. This massive 6 minute masterpiece has everyone singing every bit of it from the top of their lungs.
But then, when it came to what I like to call the quieting down bit of Paranoid, everyone was waving their hands about…and when Rain Down came about…it was something truly special…something you need to see yourself to get some sort of idea of what I am on about.
But it was truly special.
Paranoid Android - 5/5
And that was it…all done at 10:55pm.
Most Favourite Song of the Night: Lucky - It felt really immense seeing Lucky live that I was on the dge of crying…it was something special and something which I will never forget.
Least Favourite Song of the Night: House of Cards - Could never really get into it tbh, sadly.
Top 5 Favourites:
Lucky
You & Whose Army
The National Anthem
There, There
Paranoid Android
Overall: If I never see Radiohead again (Something I wil try and do is go and see them one more time at least), I'll die a happy man knowing that I seen Radiohead and that Radiohead were brillant, from start to finish, totally beats last years Oxegen out of the park - 5/5
Fri 6 Jun – Radiohead, Bat For Lashes