Radiohead at Victoria Park!! - 24/06/08 - supported by Bat For Lashes
So I took the afternoon off work so I could go home, change and stroll over to the venue, as the venue was about 15 minutes walk away from the flat. Made a nice change not having to worry about getting back afterwards! I got there just after 2.30, Jonathan had gotten there around 2 so already had a place in the queue. Doors were at 4pm, which was utterly stupid as there was only one support act which was on at 6.45.
Someone mentioned that Victoria Park holds 50,000 people. That's quite an impressive figure, I had never been in the park before so didn't realise just how big it was. That means it was the largest standing crowd we've ever been in - other venues have had a larger capacity but the majority have been seating, whereas this was entirely standing.
When we got through the ticket gates and up to the front of the stage, the only space left on the barrier was on the very ends which meant we'd be able to see the front of the stage but nothing behind that, so we went over to the sound tent and got a space on the barrier beside it where we could see the stage very centrally. It seemed like a really good position... when there was no one around!
The support was Bat For Lashes, she was quite good but it wasn't music that I'd probably go out of my way to listen to. It was at this point that I discovered I couldn't see any of the stage at all because of all the people in the way, and the big screens beside the stage weren't on either.
Radiohead came on stage at 8.30pm and I was mostly reliant on Jonathan to tell me what was happening because I could only see some of the big screens some of the time (they weren't even on the whole time which I thought was really fucking dumb) and, oh yeah, some of the flashy lights at the very top of the stage.
I really enjoyed the oldies that they played, like Airbag, Just, There There, Pyramid Song, and it made my day when they played The Tourist, even if I did end up missing half of it because some people in front of me had to get pulled over the barrier. I was really hoping they'd play more older tunes from OK Computer and The Bends (Jonathan heard them soundcheck Exit Music and yet they didn't play it... bleh) but it's to be expected now they have 7-8 albums worth of material to choose from.
I just couldn't get into all of the newer songs that much, because I didn't know them well enough to enjoy them without seeing what was going on. And that's largely my fault for not having listened properly to any of the albums after OK Computer to be honest. Of course I knew some of the songs, and Nude I enjoyed especially since I've heard it a few times and Guy has played it on Finest hour, but the rest I either hadn't heard at all or had heard only once or twice a long time ago.
It reminded me exactly why I wait as early as I do for gigs, because I go to see a band to *see* the band. If that means people think I'm a nutter because I often end up waiting several hours or more, well, ok I guess. And I got quite angry because I knew I would have enjoyed those songs so much more had I been able to see. Having a view of someone's back for the entire gig meant I just couldn't get into the atmosphere. It didn't help that we got a face full of smoke every time either of the couple next to us decided to have a cigarette. I would have moved if I thought there was anywhere else that would obviously have given me a better view, but the place was utterly packed.
So I don't feel like I've truly experienced Radiohead, and therefore I can't particularly comment on their performance. I'm sure they were very good though.
This is the setlist according to an online review:
- 15 Step
- Bodysnatchers
- All I Need
- The National Anthem
- Pyramid Song
- Nude
- Arpeggi
- The Gloaming
- Dollars and Cents
- Faust Arp
- There There
- Just
- Climbing Up The Walls
- Reckoner
- Everything In Its Right Place
- How To Dissappear Completely
- Jigsaw Falling Into Place
---
- Videotape
- Airbag
- Bangers ‘n Mash
- Planet Telex
- The Tourist
---
- Cymbal Rush
- You And Whose Army?
- Idioteque
Someone mentioned that Victoria Park holds 50,000 people. That's quite an impressive figure, I had never been in the park before so didn't realise just how big it was. That means it was the largest standing crowd we've ever been in - other venues have had a larger capacity but the majority have been seating, whereas this was entirely standing.
When we got through the ticket gates and up to the front of the stage, the only space left on the barrier was on the very ends which meant we'd be able to see the front of the stage but nothing behind that, so we went over to the sound tent and got a space on the barrier beside it where we could see the stage very centrally. It seemed like a really good position... when there was no one around!
The support was Bat For Lashes, she was quite good but it wasn't music that I'd probably go out of my way to listen to. It was at this point that I discovered I couldn't see any of the stage at all because of all the people in the way, and the big screens beside the stage weren't on either.
Radiohead came on stage at 8.30pm and I was mostly reliant on Jonathan to tell me what was happening because I could only see some of the big screens some of the time (they weren't even on the whole time which I thought was really fucking dumb) and, oh yeah, some of the flashy lights at the very top of the stage.
I really enjoyed the oldies that they played, like Airbag, Just, There There, Pyramid Song, and it made my day when they played The Tourist, even if I did end up missing half of it because some people in front of me had to get pulled over the barrier. I was really hoping they'd play more older tunes from OK Computer and The Bends (Jonathan heard them soundcheck Exit Music and yet they didn't play it... bleh) but it's to be expected now they have 7-8 albums worth of material to choose from.
I just couldn't get into all of the newer songs that much, because I didn't know them well enough to enjoy them without seeing what was going on. And that's largely my fault for not having listened properly to any of the albums after OK Computer to be honest. Of course I knew some of the songs, and Nude I enjoyed especially since I've heard it a few times and Guy has played it on Finest hour, but the rest I either hadn't heard at all or had heard only once or twice a long time ago.
It reminded me exactly why I wait as early as I do for gigs, because I go to see a band to *see* the band. If that means people think I'm a nutter because I often end up waiting several hours or more, well, ok I guess. And I got quite angry because I knew I would have enjoyed those songs so much more had I been able to see. Having a view of someone's back for the entire gig meant I just couldn't get into the atmosphere. It didn't help that we got a face full of smoke every time either of the couple next to us decided to have a cigarette. I would have moved if I thought there was anywhere else that would obviously have given me a better view, but the place was utterly packed.
So I don't feel like I've truly experienced Radiohead, and therefore I can't particularly comment on their performance. I'm sure they were very good though.
This is the setlist according to an online review:
- 15 Step
- Bodysnatchers
- All I Need
- The National Anthem
- Pyramid Song
- Nude
- Arpeggi
- The Gloaming
- Dollars and Cents
- Faust Arp
- There There
- Just
- Climbing Up The Walls
- Reckoner
- Everything In Its Right Place
- How To Dissappear Completely
- Jigsaw Falling Into Place
---
- Videotape
- Airbag
- Bangers ‘n Mash
- Planet Telex
- The Tourist
---
- Cymbal Rush
- You And Whose Army?
- Idioteque