The UA is a pretty cool place to see a band if you have nice seats. I was smack in the middle of the place that holds about 6500 people, so I was happy with my seats. To be honest, I've never seen a bad show at the UA, the sound system there is very nice.
Spiritualized opened for them and the first thing I noticed is that they DID NOT bring their light show with them. If you have seen Spiritualized before, then you know damn well that the light show is a crucial part of their stage presence (because they have none). They played a nice set which consisted of "Cop Shoot Cop", "Shine A Light", "I Think I'm in Love", and to my surprise they played "Sway" and "Lay Back in the Sun". I was nearly floored when they played the opening riff to "Sway". You can tell that they were having sound troubles throughout the entire set because Jason Spaceman actually moved! Overall I think Spiritualized sound much better on record and without the amazing light show there's really nothing to watch on stage.
Radiohead came on a little after 9:30. I've seen Radiohead a few times now and they played a typical set which consisted of EVERYTHING. Since I picked OK Computer as the best album of last year, I was pleased to see them play just about everything from the album and just about everything from their 1996 album The Bends. They always amaze me with their performance because they pull no stops when they perform. They pull out the xylophone for "No Surprises" and they even bring out a little radio and tune that to different stations during "Climbing Up the Walls". They played a new song "for the benefit of the bootleggers" which I made it a point to remember the name of, but now I forgot. :) They ended their set with "Tourist" which was dedicated to Spiritualized. An excellent concert and everyone who has tickets to this tour will not be disappointed.
-Ajay Sharma
Excellent Online
04.98