ATN's medical staff recommend drinking lots of cranberry juice when training for a Radiohead concert.

Radiohead
The Fillmore
San Francisco, CA
March 27, 1996

There is only one band that is worth the risk getting a bladder infection. That band is Radiohead.

OK, let me clarify:

It's 9 P.M. at the Fillmore and I am down in the front, fighting to hold my own among the 2,000 or so people all pushing in various directions. I realize that the four or five rum and cokes I had an hour earlier were now trying to find their way out of my body, and my stomach was aching and I had to go to the toilet. So, I was faced with this dilemma: Go to the bathroom and risk losing my place or just stand there and take it like the woman I am.

I am woman, hear me roar.

Well, it was worth the wait, pain, agony, whatever.

Radiohead screeched onto the stage, opening with "The Bends," the title track from their current album. Eyes glaring, Thom Yorke yanked the strings of his guitar abusingly, and wailed "Where do we go from here, the words are coming out all weird, where are you now, when I need you?" as the crowd stretched their hands toward him. "Thom, we love you!" screamed a group of teenage girls that stood in front of me. "We're here for you!"

Radiohead proved tonight that they are among the few bands that evoke those kind of emotions from almost everyone who goes to see them. Lyrics like "If I could be, who you wanted, all the time" from "Fake Plastic Trees" or "Faith, you're driving me away...you don't mean it but it hurts like hell" from "My Iron Lung" are words that many of us can relate to, because we've had those feelings at one point in our lives. And it's not only words, because Yorke sings them like he means it, like he1s feeling it at this moment. Eyes squeezed shut and face crinkled, he leans into the audience and sings to us, not at us, as if he is trying to have a meaningful conversation with 2,000 people.

"Who likes Hootie and the Blowfish?" asked Yorke, catching everyone off guard. "Boo! Boo! Fuck Hootie!" the crowd shouted back. "Well, we're going to play a Hootie song," said Yorke. Just as I was about to run for cover for fear of a riot, Yorke laughed and strummed the beginning of "High N Dry," Radiohead's current single, much to the crowd's relief. The band followed with "Just," and Yorke transformed into a spastic, raging being. Lips twisted and arms flailing, he spit out the angry chorus "You do it to yourself, you do, and that's why it really hurts!" as the fans sang along to every word.

The 'Heads indulged us with not one, but three new songs. "Electioneering," a rough-edged number about politics is a bit harder then anything the band has come out with on the past two albums, and "Lift" is equally fast-paced, hinting that Radiohead's next album will be a departure from the guitar-pop" genre the band is often thrown into. The word "pop" is far too limiting, and fails to recognize the band's sheer rock power. With three guitar players (rhythm guitarist Ed O'Brien, lead Jonny Greenwood, and Yorke) the sound is thick but in no way messy. Greenwood, a former violin player, creates breath-taking, almost human-sounding wails with his instrument.

The third new song was a debut; "We've never played this at any show, and it has never been recorded," Yorke revealed. Though they didn't mention the title, it may be called "Promise," since the word is repeated numerous times in the song. The tune is sweet and slow; a very ebb-and-flowish love song of sorts. Yorke's near-perfect high notes combined with the melodious strums of his acoustic guitar sent chills across the room. The only thing you could hear, aside from the music, was the heavy breathing of the crowd as they all stood paralyzed with amazement. If featured on their next album, this could very well be the song that propels Radiohead to arena-sized stardom.

So, I hope they don't release it. After seeing Radiohead tonight, I don't want them to become ridiculously huge. They are a band that you have to see up close, because you don1t want to miss one look, riff, grunt or shout. Their incredible talent and energy must be felt, not seen on a video screen hanging high above some 15,000 seat venue. They are very much a fan's band, very personal and extremely giving in their performances. How do I know this? Earlier in the day, during an interview, I asked Yorke if he could please play an old song called "Killer Cars," a song that I have never heard them play live. Guess what? First encore (they did two), Thom walks out on stage alone, acoustic guitar in hand. "This is a special request," he said, and played a beautiful version of my favorite Radiohead song.

Made my night, and helped me forget about my bladder.

P.S. Opening act David Gray was also very impressive. He has a bluesy, guitar-driven sound. His trio raced through seven songs. Although the audience didn't really have an idea of who Gray is, there were whispers of plans to buy David Gray CDs all around.

Rating: Orgasmic

-Clare Kleinedler

Addicted To Noise
28.03.96