Radiohead
Coachella Festival
Indio
May 1, 2004

Will they show? That was the question on concertgoers' lips regarding Saturday's main stage headliners Radiohead. Just four days earlier, the band had been forced to cancel the last date of its Australian tour after lead singer Thom Yorke was diagnosed with a severe throat infection and was warned by doctors that he could permanently damage his voice if he didn't give his throat a rest.

Up until the very moment that Yorke stepped on stage, fans weren't sure whether Radiohead's eccentric ringleader would be well enough to perform.

It was obvious that Yorke wasn't feeling quite like himself. His voice lacked its normal range and he didn't dance around the stage like a bratty school kid like he usually does. But Radiohead fans got to see a different, much lower-key and equally compelling side of the British art-rockers. Not only that, fans also got to hear a song or two not often included in the band's recent live sets, such as "Karma Police," from 1997's OK Computer, an album that the band has tried hard to distance itself from.

Suffice it to say that, even with their much-publicized handicap, the Oxford experimental quintet performed at a level that lesser bands can only aspire to.

Bill Picture

San Francisco Examiner
03.05.04