All in all, this was a great concert that left me amazed in some instances
and dissapointed in others. The setlist was far too predictable and the
crowd seemed a little bit too apathetic for a Radiohead show. The Santa
Barbara Bowl was a good venue, the sound was superb. Beta Band was fine. I
thought I was going to die when Radiohead actually came on stage and Thom
sarcastically told us to "please take your seats" and then he leaned on an
amp until he and the boys were ready. All the guys seemed happy and
enthusiastic and that made the show very worthwhile. The songs from OK
Computer didn't excite me as much as the Kid A/Amnesiac stuff for some
reason. My expectations were met, but I guess I wasn't expecting enough from
the greatest band in the world. But overall, the guys put on an awesome show
with some amazing climactic points:
-National Anthem: This was one of my favorites, Thoms vocals were almost
fightening and all the guys were rocking out. Colins bass line was insane.
-My Iron Lung: The crowd loved this old gem, Johnny was going crazy on his
guitar and it felt like the Bowl was going to explode.
-No Surprises: Thom dedicated this to the "Electricity crisis" in California.
-Dollars and Cents: The bass and guitar on this were powerful and the
audience was probably more into this song than any other.
-Follow me Around: I was so excited to hear this song when Thom started this
on his acoustic, but Johnny's guitar was out of tune or something and Thom
stopped the song after the first verse. It would have been a nice surpise if
they followed through, but we did wind up getting Pearl in the encore and
that was cool.
-I Might be Wrong: Thom was dancing like a madman and went up and teased the
fans in the pit, faking like he might stage-dive. This song is so rhythmic
and vibrant live.
-Idioteque: Everyone in the audience was dancing to the beats on Johnny's
sample machine and Thom did his crazy dance in front of the pit and the place
went nuts.
-The Bends: Thom dedicated it to Tony Blair.
-Motion Picture: Thom on keys, Johnny on sampler for the harp sound and
Colin on bass. Sounded so beautiful that the audience knew this had to be
the last song.
I'm jealous of the 6/30 show at the Bowl because they played "Climbing up the
Walls," "Bulletproof," "Airbag" and "True Love Waits." I missed all of these
and they are all favorites of mine.... I feel my luck could change.