British band plows full speed ahead

08/23/03

His band took its name from the title of a Talking Heads tune. So it was only fitting for Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke to cop a few moves from David Byrne during a dazzling concert Thursday night at Blossom Music Center.

In the middle of "Myxomatosis," a fuzz-toned highlight punctuated by the pop-pop-pop of flashbulbs, Yorke slapped himself upside the head as he sang: "I . . . don't . . . know . . . why . . . I . . . feel . . . so . . . tongue . . . tied." It was very "Once in a Lifetime."

At other times, Yorke danced like a live wire, shades of Byrne in "Stop Making Sense." 
(They were having a blast onstage - it was great to see them play)

Radiohead stood on the shoulders of another giant, too. With its prog-rock tendencies (strange song titles, unconventional arrangements, sci-fi noises, etc.) and the-mothership-has-landed light show, the arty British quintet lived up to its billing as the Pink Floyd of its generation.

With Radiohead performing at the peak of its powers and showcasing new material from one of its strongest albums to date, "Hail to the Thief," this was akin to catching Roger Waters & Co. on the "Dark Side of the Moon" tour. If you missed it, let the self-flagellation begin.
( As someone who saw both shows and has the ticket stubs to prove it, let me state that not only is the comparison valid, but Radiohead blew Pink Floyd away in all aspects! )

Some nods to the past notwithstanding, Yorke, multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood, his bass-playing brother Colin, guitarist Ed O'Brien and drummer Phil Selway (all in their 30s) flaunted a strikingly original, forward-thinking sound.

"Sit Down Stand Up," a clamorous opener, found Yorke banging away on an upright piano. He switched to guitar for other songs.

"The rats and children follow me out of town," Yorke sang during "Kid A," a pied piper at the gates of dusk. He had the trembling voice of a man backed into a corner - whimpering at times, lashing out savagely at others.

Jaws duly dropped when Greenwood embellished "Backdrifts" with a couple of backward-sounding guitar solos. His rig also included a laptop computer, several synthesizers and a box with an antenna protruding from it. He and O'Brien both thwacked drums during the nightmarish "There There."

Radiohead didn't play its breakthrough 1993 hit "Creep." But "Paranoid Android," "Exit Music (For a Film)," "The Bends" and other favorites from the band's back pages nicely fleshed out the set list.

When Yorke took a dig at President Bush ("All hail to the thief!") during "2+2=5," concertgoers clearly dug it. They cheered even louder during "No Surprises," one of seven encores, when Yorke sang: "Bring down the government. . . . They don't speak for us."

The two-hour show drew 17,000 fans, no mean feat for a group with zero airplay, at least in these parts. You won't hear Radiohead on commercial radio - oh, the irony.

Ex-Pavement singer-guitarist Stephen Malkmus and his new band, the Jicks, whetted the gathering throng's appetite.

"I got Taco Bell all over my shirt today," Malkmus told the audience. His prog-minded alt-rock was a tad sloppy, too, although "(Do Not Feed The) Oyster" and other offbeat epics had an undeniable charm.