June 14th, 2006 4:18am
Whatever Turns You On, Whatever Gets You Off
Radiohead @ Theatre at Madison Square Garden 6/13/2006
You and Whose Army? / The National Anthem / 2 + 2 = 5 / 15 Step / Morning Bell / Arpeggi / Videotape / Kid A / Fake Plastic Trees / Climbing Up The Walls / Nude / Bangers N Mash / Idioteque / There There / Street Spirit (Fade Out) / Bodysnatchers / Lucky // I Might Be Wrong / Down is the New Up / The Bends / Everything In Its Right Place /// House of Cards / How To Disappear Completely
Radiohead “Kid A” (Live in Mansfield, MA 2003)
Radiohead “The Bends” (Live at Earl’s Court, London 2003)
This was my twelfth Radiohead show in ten years, and though I came to the conclusion at the end of their last run at Madison Square Garden in 2003 that every show they did was of relatively equal quality aside from differences in setlist, I do get the feeling that last night’s show was an above average performance. Maybe it’s because it’s been nearly three years, and I’d spent a lot of that time not listening to them. Maybe it’s because I was just super psyched to be there, since I hadn’t been expecting to see the show and lucked into a ticket on Monday. Maybe they just keep getting better and better, which is entirely logical and also a bit terrifying. Lord knows they completely nailed “Kid A” and “The Bends” last night better than on any other performance of either that I’ve seen or heard, and jeezy creezy, I’ve seen them play the latter song in person at least eight times now. The show didn’t include every song I’d been hoping for – I was pulling for “Myxomatosis,” “The Gloaming,” “Just,” and “Planet Telex,” which I haven’t seen them perform since 1997 – but it’s hard to complain about a show that included more than half of Kid A (including the title track, which is my single favorite Radiohead song), plus “Fake Plastic Trees” and “The Bends,” which I might not have included if the setlist were up to me, but felt exactly right at the time. Perhaps on some level the band knew that I (and everyone else in the room) needed to hear “I want to live, breathe, I want to be part of the human race!” and not “everyone is broken, everything is broken” last night.
Some notes on the new songs. I had already heard all of them via crappy lo-fi mp3s of recent shows.
“15 Step” – This song and a couple other new tracks seem to be lifting very subtle elements from old school R&B, which I find very interesting in the context of what they do, and also sort of inevitable given their tastes and skill level. I’d be very surprised if this didn’t make the cut of the eventual seventh album – it’s more or less fully formed, very catchy, and not quite like anything else they’ve done.
“Arpeggi” – Not one of my favorite new tunes, but it’s nice enough. It is just really strange to me that they have a song now that reminds me of a more ethereal Sunny Day Real Estate.
“Videotape” – Certainly the weakest of the new songs performed, and the lowest point of the set. It’s not a bad song, but I hope that it is either revamped or tossed off as a b-side because it’s just a little too dirgey and shapeless for my taste.
“Nude” – Not really a new song at all, of course. This is the song occasionally known by the superior title “(Don’t Get Any) Big Ideas.” It was nice to finally see the band perform the song, and though I quite like the new arrangement, I have to say that I really miss the gorgeous organ part from the version in the Meeting People Is Easy documentary. Hey Radiohead, if you’re going to bring back this one, how about “Big Boots” and “Follow Me Around” while you’re at it?
“Bangers N Mash” – Oh man oh man oh man, I love this song. If you’ve heard a live mp3, you’re just not getting it all, it’s just so much more dynamic and forceful in person and with excellent sound quality. I’d really like for them to write a few more fast, sinister art-punk songs like this.
“Bodysnatchers” – Another very good song, sort of a cousin to “Optimistic” from Kid A, but I get the sense that it would be better if they didn’t seem like they were holding back. My advice to Radiohead: Just keep going with it, bring it up to ten minutes or more. Make it your “Sister Ray.”
“Down Is The New Up” – Oddball Radiohead funk. Terrible title, but what can you do? Very interesting arrangement – Thom beatboxing and playing piano, Jonny Greenwood switching between guitar and a full drum kit, Ed O’Brien singing in his lowest register while Thom sings a high lead. Definitely one of the best of the new tracks, and would probably make for a pretty good album opener.
“House of Cards” – Gorgeous, delicate, romantic. The sexiest song that they’ve ever written, and they don’t try to dodge it, either. The first two lines are “I don’t want to be your friend / I just want to be your lover,” which has got to be one of the most direct couplets Yorke has ever penned. It’s a little banal but absolutely perfect, and a step up from the write-your-own-Radiohead-song mad lib lyrics on most of the other new tunes. Seriously though, this is just an astounding song, and though I already liked it a lot, I don’t think I was ready for just how beautiful it was going to be in live performance.
Also: If you haven’t noticed the banner at the top of the site, you should know that I will be DJing at The Creature party at Sapphire on the Lower East Side tomorrow night. Please come!