Radiohead concert experience to remember

The night was a haze of smoke and slowly pulsating lights. Hundreds of bodies crowded onto the limited floorspace. Sweat drenched them all. Outside the doors, signs politely asked concertgoers not to mosh--band's request. People of every age, height, and hairstyle waited impatiently for something to happen.

Spiritualized, a UK-based act, opened, taking the stage around 7:30 p.m., bringing with them about a 45-minutes' worth, feedback-driven wall of noise. Their latest record, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, has garned a fair amount of critical acclaim. In this live setting, however, the band was rather dull, not to mention loud.

Some time later, the ambient sounds of a recorded b-side, "Meeting In The Aisle," filtered through the sound system as Radiohead walked onstage and took to their instruments. They began with a fabulous version of "Airbag," the first track off last summer's OK Computer.

The crowd seemed reasonably well-behaved throughout the show; during the performance of recent hit "Karma Police," singer Thom Yorke encouraged everyone to sing along. Not all was well, however, as Yorke felt it necessary to stop in the middle of one song to have a destructive mosher thrown out.

Continuing the show until nearly 10:30, Radiohead proceeded to play most tracks from OK Computer and The Bends, as well as a few b-sides. Forgoing their usual show-closer "The Tourist," they instead chose to end with the hypnotic "Street Spirit."

Notable performances included "Talk Show Host," a sparse rendition of "Let Down" (the record's double-tracked vocals are difficult to recreate live), and, surprisingly enough, an older b-side called "The Trickster," a favorite of fans.

Sophomore Becky Combs described the setting by saying, "It was a religious experience. All the pot smoke around me, cute guy behind me, Thom singing 'Street Spirit' onstage... ooh!" "Like any great show, I didn't want it to end," said Senior Reece Marshburn. "I could have listened to them play for hours. Spiritualized, too."

For big fans of the band and those just coming to see the "band of the year" alike, the show was no doubt a memorable event, if not a semi-"religious" experience.

(from The Olympus, 1998)