In the U.K., the logic of staging a concert in a tent in late September is dubious to say the least. But when Radiohead is performing inside, you can forgive almost anything. 10,000 eager fans certainly did on Sept. 24, after flocking to London's East End in anticipation of hearing material from the band's forthcoming Kid A, already being tapped by those in the know as the most exciting and experimental album of the year.

It was never going to be a "greatest hits" show, and sure enough, the first three tracks were all taken from the new album, and at least four others, including the now familiar "Knives Out," seem destined for release on a future album.

Indeed, at most gigs, you're lucky if there's one spine tingling moment, but from the first few bars of the ragged "Optimistic," it was apparent the evening would be a relentless assault on the vertebrae. "The Morning Bell" and "The National Anthem" both proved that at least some songs from Kid A work well live, leaving the audience spellbound by the magic of frontman Thom Yorke's chillingly beautiful, resonating vocals and the music's relentless intensity.

The opening chords of "Karma Police" caused near frenzy, and the sheer volume of the whole crowd singing "For a minute there / I lost myself" was profoundly moving. And despite superb renditions of Kid A songs such as "Everything In Its Right Place" and "Idioteque" (with Yorke's maniacal dancing resembling late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis), it was the older songs that really ignited the crowd's enthusiasm.

In such a forum, it's difficult to imagine any band coming close to the sheer uncompromising beauty of Radiohead live. In fact, the only negative aspect of the show was its pure lack of volume. No doubt caused by local authority noise regulations, it became increasingly frustrating on quieter tracks such as "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" and the magnificent and appropriate closer "Exit Music (For A Film)," with the introduction all but drowned out by crowd noise.

-Christopher Barrett

Billboard
26.09.00