<< June 6, 2008 >>
radiohead: dublin 1

Dublin

the plan for today was to run along the liffey (there was about a mile of pedestrianized former-docks right near the hotel), then head back to the chipper and bakery from yesterday, then head over to the castle and wait in line for hours.

the chipper didn't open until 12, i had to stop back at the hotel to pick up (unnecessary) earplugs, and then i went exactly the wrong way out of the dart stop and promptly got considerably lost. fortunately the band was soundchecking, and i was able to follow the music to the entrance. but the result of all this was that i didn't get in line until about two or two-thirty (i think?) and was not, in fact, first (although the line was not long). however, the ground was wet, and it was sprinkling on and off. everyone around was either speaking italian or too musically pretentious even for me. that is to say, they like arcade fire. so i just read my kindle.

eventually they moved us to yet another pen, as the band did a second sound check. we stood there, packed like sardines, for an hour or two? eventually they let us in, and of course i get in the ticket checking queue where she needs the volume raised on her little palm pilot ticket scanner thing. but i ran (until the frightening security guards emphatically yelled not to) and was maybe 5 or 6 people deep, a little to the johnny of thom.

all that will be said of the opening band is that they somehow combined the worst of bjork with the worst of arcade fire. needless to say, they were a hit.

right before radiohead were due to come out, we got another brief rain shower, and then behind us formed a full rainbow, with almost a complete second arc. ok, i was excited.

unfortunately the show, for me, was only ok. i have a few theories for this:

1. i was tired
2. i'm seeing them five more times this summer, plus twice next week, so this show isn't "it" (this happens with jsb tours, too)
3. it just wasn't loud enough (often a problem with being so close to the front + center)
4. the setlist was a little blah (although it was cool to see a thom-only premiere!)
5. some songs were ruined by these two idiots who came pushing and shoving through the crowd but were not permitted past us. unfortunately, this meant that they stuck around where we were. i do not know what sort of drugs the one guy was on, but they were quite effective. eventually they got the hint that they should leave.
6. near the end of the first set, some large (when compared to gangly radiohead fans) irish guy in a black pink floyd t-shirt pushed through the crowd and started yelling at everyone to stop recording, and to put their cameras away. he then tried to take this one guy's camera, but it was strapped to his arm. he seemed a little too... "in your face" even for this group of security guys (most had at least one large scar on their face), and it became clear to everyone that he was in fact, not with security. he had a brief conversation with the security guys, and that seemed to satisfy them, but everyone pulled their cameras back out. he stuck around for a few more songs (although it was pretty obvious that he was not exactly a fan), but when the security guys seemed to come around looking for him, he slinked back into the crowd. i suppose he was trying to steal people's cameras or something?
7. joe and nat and ettore weren't around.

but oh well. reckoner was great, and of course being in dublin they played how to disappear, which is so great live, but they didn't play jigsaw (which they didn't play at either of the boston shows last time around), or planet telex...

there was a little bit of the rough stuff during my iron lung and paranoid android near the end. it occurrs to me that perhaps i am getting too old for this, and should just stay at home and listen to them on records.

oh and then i paid 2.50 euro for a cup of water. easy come, easy go.

but seriously, an ok radiohead show is better than anything else in the world.