Live Review: Erik Husman Reviews Radiohead at the 1st Bank Center, March 13, 2012
March 15, 2012Local troubadour Erik Husman – of Erik Husman and the Golden Rule – was lucky enough this week to be able to stop in and take in Radiohead’s sold out Tuesday night show at 1st Bank Center, and was also gracious enough to write DenverThread a review of what will, no doubt, stand as one of the year’s standout shows. Enjoy!
– DenverThread
Radiohead (seen here in an image from March 3, 2012, in Florida) played a memorable, long set at 1st Bank Center Tuesday night (Photo: Creative Commons License)
Red Rocks Amphitheater, August 26, 2003, was the last time I saw Radiohead live, blissfully unaware that it would be nearly eight and a half years before I would see the visionary band return to Colorado (I realize a biased voice in music journalism is certainly frowned upon, but this band really has got it all together).
Fast forward to Tuesday night at the 1st Bank Center. Waiting in line, the typical banter helped me to realize that I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t seen the band live for a while, and was ready to see what they had to offer. And that was a lot of “The King of Limbs.” The band played every song on TKOL, and added a couple new tunes as well.
“Bloom” kicked off a 23-song marathon evening which featured two other TKOL contemporaries, “Staircase” and “The Amazing Sounds of Orgy,” as well as a load of other crowd favorites. There was no doubt the band was galvanized, and perfectly aware of what was happening on stage. The TKOL songs had a Charles Mingus feel – ripping apart each song with all you’ve got – even if it consists of two or three chords.
So Simple but so much going on.
As the band rifled through their catalog, the fans only became hungrier. The music was seamless, and ended with two encores that Thom said would “rip shit up!”
Ed O’Brien still looks like a giant on stage, Thom wiggles and seizes like he’s sampled a variety of pills, Colin Greenwood still hides backstage, Johnny Greenwood is always doing some sort of mad scientist shit, and now they have two bald guys keeping the beat. Radiohead hasn’t lost it, not at all. They’re still one of the great live shows, and they set a high benchmark for performance and musicianship in any genre.
It would have been nice to hear “Airbag,” “Paranoid Android,” “My Iron Lung” or “The Bends.” “Give Up the Ghost” still puts me to sleep, even when it’s right in front of me.
Great job boys! Looking forward to your return!
– Guest Writer Erik Husman
SET LIST
1) Bloom
2) Little by Little
3) The National Anthem…Hunting Bears?
4) The Gloaming
5) Morning Mister Magpie
6) Staircase
7) Separator
8) Codex
9) Nude
10) Karma Police
11) The Amazing Sounds of Orgy
12) Bodysnatchers
13) Feral
14)Lotus Flower
15) Reckoner
16) Street Spirit (Fade Out)
ENCORE
17) Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
18) There There
19) Lucky
20) Everything In Its Right Place (True Love Waits teaser/intro
ENCORE 2
21) Give Up the Ghost
22) Myxamatosis
23) Idioteque
