Radiohead
Coachella Festival
Indio
May 1, 2004

Within three songs of the headlining slot on day one, Radiohead once again proved it's the best band in the world. Coming off a severe throat infection that threatened to ruin the band's chances of even showing up, Thom Yorke's voice was in top form, howling his way through opening songs "There, There" and "2+2=5." Perhaps it was the electronica-enthused crowd or shift in its fan base, but the most popular songs of that night were the band's more danceable and experimental works like "Idioteque," "The Gloaming" and "The National Anthem." Either that or the crowd was insanely exhausted, but how else does one explain a performance of "Creep" being met with a collective whimper?

Ally Burguieres & Barry Schwartz

The Diamondback Online
04.05.04