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It was gratifying in light of Radiohead's almost perverse refusal to employ its considerable strengths as a rock & roll band on "Kid A" to see the band blasting out the thunderous power chords and reaching for the glorious Big Moments with such ferocity.

TWO GUYS, A BAND
AND A PIZZA PLACE

Radiohead’s Show At The Greek Brings Out The Geek In Two Of Our Finest

While the band of the moment was kicking off its tour on the East Coast (see story), a prospective band for the ages held court at the Greek Theatre in L.A. Two of our lowly scribes—one a believer, the other a neophyte—scammed tickets to Radiohead's Friday night (10/20) show. Below, they offer their observations on the event.

As a curious, somewhat apprehensive first-timer, I wondered beforehand whether Radiohead's rigorous artiness would result in a self-satisfied, navel-gazing presentation—I didn't want to be stuck in a snooze fest for two hours. But it didn't go down that way at all.

What struck me immediately was the band's air of authority—that mating of power and precision I've witnessed with great bands from The Stones to U2 over the years, as well as just a few weeks ago with the remarkably undiminished Neil Young. And it was gratifying in light of Radiohead's almost perverse refusal to employ its considerable strengths as a rock & roll band on "Kid A" to see the band blasting out the thunderous power chords and reaching for the glorious Big Moments with such ferocity. Throughout the set, the interplay of dynamics, rhythm, texture and atmosphere was captivating.

The rhythm section was masterful, and at Stage Right, Jonny Greenwood made all manner of gorgeous noise on guitar, keyboards and some retro-futuristic antennaed gizmo that allowed him to function like a DJ without turntables. Greenwood, his face obscured all night by a constantly shifting shock of dark hair, was the big surprise—he's Radiohead's Keef to Thom Yorke's Mick. And the diminutive Yorke, twitching convulsively like DEVO, crooning like an alien Sinatra, made an utterly singular front man.

After the set, I ran into a veteran exec and asked him what he thought of his first Radiohead live experience. "I thought they were good before tonight," he replied. "Now I realize that they're great." I'll second that emotion.

—Bud Scoppa

While Bud was a bit apprehensive about a two-hour Radiohead set, as the staff Radiohead cheerleader, I was eager. Obviously, they didn't disappoint. There was a confidence that allowed them to pull off the moodier numbers from "Kid A" while interspersing the more "traditional" rock numbers from "The Bends" and "OK Computer." (No, they don't play "Creep" anymore.)

What will be overlooked about Radiohead is the band's connection with its fans. Yorke made the occasional foray to the crowd at the front and even exchanged a couple of high-fives, certainly not the disdain for their audience that the seemingly standoffish marketing and promotion plan for the new record would suggest. I mean, there's a reason that the band cried when they got they call that "Kid A" was #1 in America.

The performance was brilliant, as Bud noted. There's still something great about a rock band playing songs that they really believe in. The self-assurance stems from the fact that this is a band at the top of its creative powers. That's something that people respond to, meaning that Radiohead's fans will stick around a lot longer than Limp Bizkit's.

Tickets were $36 plus Ticketmaster service charge, and the show sold out in minutes. But because the Greek is up against a wooded park, loads of people just went to the area behind the venue and listened for free. Listened. Yorke even gave a shout-out to the "tree people". And a huge roar came from beyond the seats in back.

That's the emotion that I'll second. —David Simutis

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