Radiohead's
visit to Detroit's Little Caesars Arena last weekend brought with it surprises,
fan favorites, and a vividly engaging light show to a dedicated and adoring
audience. This was the English group's first Michigan performance in 6 years
and their only so far in support of their most recent LP, 2016's A Moon Shaped Pool. Singer Thom Yorke mesmerized the crowd with
his signature blend of falsetto vocal, excellent guitar and piano work, and
spastic dancing, and the rest of the group, all five original members plus
Portishead drummer, Clive Deamer, each handled their positions with experienced
precision throughout the concert.
The
evening began with a 30-minute set from Junun, also known as Shye Ben Tzur,
Johnny Greenwood, and The Rajasthan Express.
This recent side project from Radiohead's lead guitarist, Greenwood,
mostly focuses on traditional Indian rhythms and melodies and lightly expands
on them with the addition of guitar. The lyrical language barrier and vastly
different-than-Radiohead music was challenging for some, and many ticket
holders remained in the LCA's vast commerce and concession areas until well
after the opening act finished up. Songs
from the collective's recent LP received a respectful applause, and some near
the front of the GA floor section got involved in a call and response portion
of the group's final number of the night.
While Junun was certainly impressive technically-speaking, their style
did not engage most in the audience beyond politeness and casual interest.
The
atmosphere of a Radiohead concert is often a blend of curiosity and devoted
reverence. Between their longevity as a
group, their innovative style of rock music, and their well-choreographed light
production, some could even argue they are the Gen-X Pink Floyd or the nearest
equivalent (with respect to The Flaming Lips, The Mars Volta, and many others).
Having said that, it is also notable that Radiohead's career arc has lasted almost
as long as Floyd's but with a third less music and without any personnel
changes, aside from the addition of Deamer on a second drum kit in 2011. While
the show featured no lasers, a combination of focused spotlights and mirror
balls illuminated the stage and arena during key moments and between songs, and
the limited projections of instrument close-ups presented in live video collage
allowed fans to see the skilled execution of each player without staring at
their faces or clothing, similar to the style they've used for the past decade
or so.
The
concert itself contained several movements beginning with three songs in a row
from the group's latest album. It was clear that while the audience knew the
songs and treated them with respect, most had come to hear earlier material, a
rock concert cliché for generations. The soft openers, "Daydreaming"
and "Desert Island Disk", were delivered with all the emotional
investment of their recorded versions, but it took the dark synth tones of
"Ful Stop" to start to bring the crowd into the show, finally making
a broad connection just prior to the louder portion of "2+2=5" when
the audience roared back after Yorke seemingly gave them permission with the
line, "You can scream and you can shout..." while the sentiments
maligning the mid-2000s blended with others bemoaning the modern world
situation. Some tracks, such as the
crowd favorite, "Idioteque", from Kid
A, take on an even more haunting tone now considering it was released
nearly 20 years ago and things seem to have continued to deteriorate, at least
with regard to the environment, rather than improve. That song and a few
others, including "The Gloaming" and "Bloom", were
presented with new arrangements that changed some of the melodies and tempos
but did not take away from the performances or the enjoyment of the tunes
themselves.
All
told, the band featured more material from 2007's, In Rainbows, and 2003's Hail
to the Thief (5 songs from each) than any other album, including their most
recent, which was a surprise and delight to fans. Another notable highlight was
the inclusion of not just one or two but all three of the regularly-performed songs
from 1995's, The Bends, of which the
group often only plays one if any at all. No songs from their debut album or
from 2001's Amnesiac were included,
but the beauty of getting "Street Spirit", "Fake Plastic
Trees", and "The Bends" all in the same show more than made up
for any missing or slighted songs, such as the commonly-performed,
"Paranoid Android" and "Everything in Its Right Place". Each band member was in fine form throughout
the concert, but guitarist, Ed O' Brien, delivered spectacular backing vocals
during "Weird Fishes" and "Karma Police" that reminded the
fans what an integral if unsung part of the collective he can be. At one point in the main set, the band
alternated between songs from various albums, playing them in pairs of two,
before breaking into fan favorites and a few deep cuts during the final third
of the concert. Rarely-performed tracks
like, "How to Disappear Completely" and "Where I End and You
Begin" worked well alongside the other songs in the two encores, and the
audience's additional vocals during the last two songs lifted the vibe of the
show to a higher level as it concluded which was also clearly recognized by the
band.
Regardless
of how much longer Radiohead may choose to continue to tour or to release new
music, and a fair amount of personal issues among its members have brought that
into question in recent years, it is clear their fan base will continue to
support the group and consider any opportunity to see or hear them a true
privilege. Here's to hoping there's more.
Radiohead
Set List: Detroit, MI 7-22-18
Daydreaming
Desert
Island Disk
Ful
Stop
2+2=5
The
Gloaming
All
I Need
Videotape
No
Surprises
Airbag
Separator
Bloom
Idioteque
Myxomatosis
Nude
The
Daily Mail
There
There
Street
Spirit (fade out)
---------(encore
break)------
Decks
Dark
Where
I End and You Begin
Bodysnatchers
Fake
Plastic Trees
How
to Disappear Completely
---------(encore
break)------
The
Bends
Weird
Fishes/Arpeggi
Karma
Police
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