2nd show at the Hollywood Bowl. Always good for celebrity spotting. Amir K. spotted all these people:

Gwyneth Paltrow
Danny DeVito
Tommy Lee
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
(Flea, John Frusciante)
Alicia Silverstone
Alyson Hannigan (American Pie)
Jack Black
Justin timberlake
Cameron Diaz


Review by Brendan:
can't describe in words what this show meant to me. this was now my fourth show and i've been a fan for like...well forever. every time i've seen them, they've been better. after last night's show, i didn't believe they could top themselves...but i had faith in them. they blew my mind once again. i also thought they wouldn't be able to top last night's set list...yet they amaze me again! i hate to sound like a typical fan...but i was hoping to hear "creep" as i've been checking the set lists periodically throughout the tour and saw they played it a few times. i'd never heard it live (well i'd never been to a show where they did it as i started seeing them during the amnesiac tour), but i was itching to hear it as every fan i would assume does. i know we all know their stuff after pablo honey is superior, but, like i said i've been a fan forever...and it was a special instance tonight when they played that. (lurgee last night was also special). "airbag" was played at both shows, and that being my favorite from them, it just made these last two nights more incredible than ever...but tonight as a second encore was just a brilliant way to go out. plus, thom dedicated it to the chili peppers tonight. why he did that i couldn't tell you, but hey..ROCK ON! i did enjoy thom's quick whim of "big ideas" as i believe johnny blew a speaker on the loud breakdown part of "my iron lung" and had to spend a minute dealing with that. so props to thom on going into that to save the downtime. rock on for supergrass as well. i didn't love everything they did, but they have a lot of talent and deserve another listen. they're definitely worth checking out if you missed their set. anyway, i could go on a lot longer about this show, and about the band in general, but i think if you made it through my review this far, you've understood where i'm coming from...and props to you for making it all the way through it. that means you like what i had to say, and therefore i like you. good times for you. we should have a cookie together sometime.

Review by Frozen Winter Shit: High five everybody! This was an awesome show. I have to say that Friday Night at the Hollywood Bowl was ten times better than the performance the night before. Actually, for the fans that weren't first-timers or those lucky enough to grace the front rows, Thursday's show was kind of a disappointment. Not that the band's skills weren't up-to-par, but problems with the sound and mixing put a slight damper on an otherwise flawless show.

On Friday, The Hollywood Bowl totally redeemed themselves! All the technical rough edges were smoothed out and the show rocked gracefully without a hitch. The quality of the sound was perfect, and the band played with confidence. You can tell they're playing well when they're so comfortable on stage that they start ad-libbing successfully and everything meshes well. The songs that were really a surprise were Kid A, Iron Lung, CREEP (They had to satisfy the Hollywood crowd), BIG IDEAS (They had to satisfy the die-hard fans), and Fake Plastic Trees. Other highlights included Phil's drums in The Gloaming, Jonny's xylophone in No Surprises, and just about everything in Wolf at the Door.

Best Dressed: Phil in the white suit

Sincerely, Frozen Winter Shit

Review by Tim: A fine show. I can't really imagine seeing a bad radiohead show, though. I won't bore you with the same details from all the other shows (ie..lighting, Thom's hair, the 500th version of There There...which all were breathtaking). Creep was nice to hear. Different from the Boston version that popped up a while back. More traditional than Boston without the distorted bass this time. Jonny's guitar for some reason couldn't handle the super-distorted-clickety-clackity break-in part as it just sort of died and made minimal noise the first time. Mr. guitar tech fixed it up quickly and that classic sound returned for the second break-in. Big Ideas was solo on the acoustic and was absolutely beautiful...if only he could have finished it. It was more than just a tease, though...he played half the song. Umm...I guess that's all anyone really wants to read as the rest of the show was pretty standard. 2+2=5 was the obvious opener since There There opened last night's show. Rocking as usual. I was hoping for The Gloaming to open again, but really no complaints from me. I can't remember which, but they dedicated a song to the Chili Peppers. Uh...A Wolf at the Door was great. You and Whose Army was HILARIOUS with Thom really working the camera. I guess he was showing Hollywood that he could act too. Crowd was okay, but still good times all around. Absolutely no celebrity sightings by me either day, although, my friend ran into Dave Grohl the first night. Peace.

Review by Seteger: The energy for tonight's concert was so much higher and stronger than the night before, it almost feels like night and day. You wouldn't think two nights could be that different, but the setlist this time and song order, most importantly, kept everyone so pumped up the entire time.

Highlights: Thom playing the first verse and chorus of "nude" (too bad not the whole thing, and too bad not with the whole band, but hey, this was on my wishlist and I was floored). Also, "creep," which is, for most of us who haven't caught rh in concert until more recently, a really great surprise.

The mixing was much, much better tonight, and overall there was much less banter from Thom and much more performing. They played each song more aggressively and confidently tonight, too--they were really pushing the songs, improvising more, layering more, adding little touches. The crowd, who the night before seemed a bit tired and grumpy, matched the band's energy and was singing and dancing to everything (it was eerie and striking to hear thousands of people sing the "someone on your shoulder" response to Thom's second chorus of "there there," and everybody was singing to "creep" and "fake plastic trees," of course).

If you're in any way on the fence about seeing the band live--maybe the tickets sold out and you'll have to pay too much through a broker, or the lines to get the tickets the first day seem too long--you really owe it to yourself to hear what these songs sound like in a charged, live atmosphere. Some of my favorite tracks absolutely JUMP to life on stage, notably "national anthem," "i might be wrong," and "idiotique." "there there" is feeling as classic, as moving, and as rocking a song as any on their setlist. And if the two L.A. shows are any indication, if you can only see radiohead once and if they are playing your town or city twice, see the second and last show.

Just an amazing performance, reaffirming why radiohead are so brilliant.

Review by Ned: fifth time I've seen them and fourth straight time I've seen them when coming through LA, and quite simply marvellous, the best show I've seen them do. A perfect combination of being able to pick from so many different songs and for being excellent performers. I was thinking when some of the older songs were played how they've moved from monochrome to full color over the years, if that makes any sense, and have so brilliantly done so. The combination of the revamped "Gloaming" into "Idioteque" was my personal highlight, "Fake Plastic Trees" satisfied an older me just as well.

Review by WIll: this night went smoother than the previous night from an usher's standpoint. and it was great to hear a lot of songs that were not played the night before "morning bell' 'i might be wrong' 'creep' 'fake plastic trees' 'wolf at the door'. its amazing how they can nail every song perfectly. the highlight of the night was seeing Justin timberlake getting kicked off one of the promenades. Lots of celebrities there. thanks again Phil for signing my ticket stub after the show!

Review by Jesse: It was an awesome night of performance. Granted, the Hollywood bowl crowd was stiff as hell with everybody standing stiffly through the entire show like they are in a general assembly to listen to their school principal lecture to them. It was a crowd not used to punk rock milieu, a crowd only accustomed to clean revenues with clean performance where attending a concert show is just like watching a music video on TV at home, except a lost closer to the band. It was an appreciable crowd w/ lots of cheers and hand clappings but still very uncomfortable and self-conscious and conforming, typical of LA crowd. Performance-wise, the show was just AMAZING with every song sounding as if coming from the deepest souls of human beings. The playing of creep was a surprise, and it was best version of creep I had ever heard with Thom changing the lyrics slightly, playfully. Radiohead confirmed that they are the best live band on earth. If only the crowd had thrown out their daily LA mentality away…

Review by Scatterbrain: The Show for the hollywood bowl on the 26th blew the performance the day before out of the Water. I still am in shock that they played Creep considering that they distance themselves from it cause they have soooo much more than that. No one hit wonder there. Unfortunately Johny had issues with his guitar on creep on the first half but completly redeemed himself on the second half. Wolf at the door was awesome with thom yelling the lyrics into the security guy ear. "Go to sleep" was definetly a highlight, BIG IDEAS on the GUITAR!!!! tooo bad he did not finish it, i guess he was teasing a bit while Johhny was trying to get his guitar to work. National Anthem freaking Rocked. I am not a big fan of the Gloaming but after that show it is one of my favorite songs ever from radiohead... you appreciate sooooo much the genuis of there songs when they play them live. You and whose army? thom would get up from the piano and go towards the crowd and point at them, and made his teasing looks on the piano mounted camera. The whole bowl went crazy. They ended the night, which is a shame cause i wish they still were playing, Everything in its right Place closed the show awesome. On a not so important side note, Not as many movie stars from last year, but on my way out I saw Cameron Diaz with Justin Timberfake!!!. Still puzzeled why HE was there. I am still trying to recover from last night cause it was just amazing!!!!.

Review By Mike O.: By experiencing the show the night before, I already had stuff in mind that could happen with their set. Like, possible change ups, and all of that. “Thursday, they didn’t play ‘Creep,’ maybe the would Friday? Of course they would, it’s the Hollywood show, maybe, just maybe,” I thought as we rode up again on the zoo shuttle bus from the Camel lot where we parked. Hah, I couldn’t believe I was right about last night, but it was amazing when it did come true. The fact that “Creep” is rarely played just makes it so much more special to hear, and hearing it being belted out (especially Thom’s cry at the end, when he screams, “Ruuuuuuuuuuuuun”) just made me appreciate everything about this group (even more). Goosebumps filled my whole body as they flushed quickly through my nerves. I didn’t think I’d ever hear something to beautiful.

And indeed, their set was changed up in bits here and there. It was exciting to hear songs that weren’t performed the night prior, like “You and Whose Army?” “My Iron Lung,” “Wolf at the Door (beautiful performance),” “No Surprises,” “Kid A,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” and even that little bit of “Nude (Big Ideas).” Those additions helped make the night so much more special and unbelievably good. During “You and Whose Army,” Thom again messed around with the piano cam for the audience to giggle and scream at (I had heard he did the same at Shoreline?), making us all feel close with the band.

The audience on Friday also seemed more into it than Thursday, as I heard more crowd sing-a-longs with Thom on certain songs. That was really a nice touch that helped shake the Bowl, during the show. Gosh, everything about the show last night was incredible. And even the finale with ending the show completely with “Everything In Its Right Place,” like the night before, just closed the evening out in style. Each member walked off stage leaving only Jonny’s recording looping and “F – O – R – E – V – E – R” in lights scrolling in the background, finally turning white as the music ended. It was beautiful, and I believe out of the two, it was better than Thursday’s show

Review by Peter: Show was amazing. I was lucky enough to sit in the front row garden box which was also amazing. 2+2=5 was a great opener, everyone was going crazy. The first highlight was definitely creep, on second verse all the lights go on and I looked back to see everyone going nuts and singing along it was great. Paranoid Android is always good, Go to Sleep was great, There There was great too. I was really hoping that they would've played either Lucky or Subterranean Homesick Alien but they did do Airbag and No Suprises which made up for it. National Anthem was amazing, maybe one of their best live numbers, and Idioteque which is really cool especially at the interlude when the drums start coming in and the song returns to the chorus. The reason Thom dedicated Airbag to the Chili Peppers was because Flea and John Frusciante were both there, I think backstage. The person that said they saw no celebrities was probably blind, on my way back with my cousin to the afterparty I found myself walking next to Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz. Getting to the after party was easier than I thought, my cousin and I got separated but we both got in, him going straight to the elevator, and myself finding a random door that led to the kitchen and out to the balcony. When I walked out of the kitchen to the party Haley Joel Osmond was sitting on a couch giving me a blank stare, so I quickly search the party for my cousin and I see Larry Sanders, pretty random. I find my cousin and he tells me how he talked with each member of the band except Thom, but then we see him and try to talk to him about the show and stuff. Even though Thom is a little British bastard I still have immense respect for him, the man is a genius. Anyway that is the end of Radiohead, probably the best show I have ever seen.

Review by Drew: Tonights show was quite different than the previous night. Some will say better, but I just think it was different. Night one was mainly HTTT songs, having played 12 of the 14 tracks. Night 2 had its share of the new material, but had some of the older gems in it. Thom didn't seem as free-spirited tonight, as he danced very little, or at least compared to the previous night where it seemed he never stopped, and he never said more to the crowd, then "thank you." highlights of the night were certainly Kid A, Morning Bell, My Iron Lung, Creep, Big Ideas, Go to Sleep, You and Whose Army, and Fake Plastic Trees. The whole band seemed very focused on playing their very best, as each track was perfect. Things I took note of, were:

*Colin's bass lines in "I Might be Wrong", *Thom changing the line in Creep from "I want a perfect soul", to "so I can look good next to you", *the way the crowd didn't recognize and therefore appreciate "Big Ideas", which was truly disspointing, *how well Johnny and Ed played off each other in Paranoid Android, *Johnny's solo bits in Go to Sleep, *Phil's percusions in the Gloaming were unreal, *the crowd's large cheer for the lines "bring down the government, they don't speak for us" in No Surprises, *how brilliantly funny Thom was with his piano-cam during the opening bits of "You and Whose Army", * how Wolf at the Door lacked its eerie feel, and the way Thom sang it, almost with anger, seemed as if he were telling someone off, * and how I thought I heard the opening notes of Motion Picture Soundtrack right before they busted into Everything in its Right Place All in all, the best Radiohead show I've been to yet. It will be hard to top this. Well done! Thank you.

FOREVERFOREVERFOREVERFOREVERFOREVERFOREVERFOREVERFOREVERFOREVERFOREVERFOREVER

Review by Derek: I thought that the performance was great. I have not felt that inspired to see a show since the time that Jane's Addiction played at the Universal Amphitheater during the "Ritual de la Habitual" tour.

The vibe even going into the show was great. I did the whole shuttel bus thing from the LA Zoo to avoid getting locked into the stacked parking mess. I went up to the pic-nic area to finish some beverages that I has in a little ice chest and there were a lot of other people doing the same thing. Even some guys from Orange county with a chilled bottle of absynthe. Everybody chilled out and waiting with anticipation for the opening act to finish as the signal to wrap up our stuff and get to our seats.

When I got to my seat there was a group there with some guy sitting in my seat. I told him that he could stay as long as I had my own space. The group was thankful and gave some hits from their joint during the show. You could just tell that the crowd, at least where I was sitting, was completely into it. I felt that the band gave the crowd a great show from the heart and not just going through the motions.

The inclusion of "Creep" was really unexpected and cool. The muscianship alone of those 5 guys makes the money that anyone shelled out well spent. Thom hamming it up with the camera for the encore in the middle of I think it was "You and whose army" was funny but interesting. Thom especially emphasized the line "...you forget so easily." It seemed directed at the big wig record people here in town. It was a crack up to see the lunatic taking over the ward that is my hometown of LA!

"Up the Beach" & "Out In LA"

Review by Jim: Third show of the tour- one on the right (boston), middle (SLC), and now left (LA) of the land. Gradually figuring that they pretty much play the same show. But it'll still make you think differently than you did before... see my SLC review for how I feel about the band and the effect on your soul.

a few notes- during Big Ideas a car alarm was going off in the parking lot and it went along wonderfully. Something about the dichotomy of the pulsing LA car alram and the lone pure acoustic guitar. pretty technically sound show- johnnie had afew problems but nothing major...missed the first "CH-CH..(but I'm a...)" during creep...which is the real ass kicker...but he got the second ones. and the dedication to the chilis. lets see what san diego brings...

and back to reality....

Review by Stan: This was one of the strongest set lists to date on the tour, and the sound was much better than the first night at the Bowl. I agree that Thom's improvised Nude/Big Ideas was a wonderful fill while Johnny took care of his technical problems. This tour seems to be plauged with minor technical glitches. All in all, though, one of their better shows.

Review by Blaine: Flew in from Washington DC just for Friday's show at the Hollywood Bowl and it exceeded all expectations. Great venue, sound and light show. This was my first time seeing Radiohead live and I must say I was impressed that such a complex, cerebral and experimental set was at times even better live than on recorded studio sessions. They were absolutely spot on when they needed to be and spontaneous and improvisational where appropriate. Very impressive to see such a confidently and joyously delivered performance, especially in this genre of music, not to mention music that has a darker, anguished edge to it in many places. Friday's set which included several choice cuts from Kid A seemed to really expand and improve those tunes, especially. Somehow, I wouldn't have guessed that stuff was best done live. The OK Computer stuff was great, if a little less enthusiasticly presented; and the songs from Hail to the Thief were polished and excellently performed, I loved it and nothing disappointed; I heard everything I hoped for and more. To get chestnuts like "Creep" no doubt thrilled the long time fan, but having only listened carefully the last couple of years to this band, those just gave me a new appreciation of songs I had mostly heard on the radio. Again, better live, even with the guitar glitch. There were a couple of things in the setlist Thursday I would have liked to hear, I suppose, but what we got was really great and seemed the better set. The well mixed crowd was on it's feet all through Radiohead (though largely absent from Supergrass) and though they seemed mostly kinda reserved, many did dance and sing and howl with the band as we got a show better than one could hope for and the audience seemed to know it. The preshow crowd seemed very very very mellow and I wasn't sure what to expect from them, having seen many shows of all types in somewhat wilder venues in Texas and the DC area. I didn't care much for Supergrass, personally, though nothing against them, but I was thrilled with the gift Radiohead gave us this night, and had no restraint in letting it show. Thom was in great voice, but seemed a little tired a time or two (sitting down onstage for a waterbreak?). He still had the energy to fling himself into the material and get that moonskip or whatever that is he does going. Teasing the pianocam and improvising moves like hiding behind that gigantic security guard down front at one point, as others have noted. Great stage presence and humor, he seemed up for the more challenging vocals as well as the raw punk blast. The rest of the band were first rate too, simply perfect guitar (especially the solos!), keyboard/synth and percussion and truly awesome basswork. Also, hard to pull off that wonderful blend of acoustic and electric guitar seamlessly and coherently live, but they did as if it was effortless. I can't say enough about how fine the sound was, balanced and near perfect with only minor glitches all night. Whether due to the band's team or the Bowl's sound crew, it certainly worked. This band is so interesting in the way they manage to convey technically accomplished musicianship, but are willing to take huge musical chances and risk while showing such spirit, elan and courage in their live shows. There seems no doubt they love what they are doing, but they also don't seem overly impressed with it...just deeply into it. Thrilling to watch and hear. Those video strips either side of the stage that alternated straight and acidblasted video were a good solution, rather than the huge screens that dominate some shows. Lighting effects seemed well managed and truly added to the music rather than distracting from it, or gimmicking it up.
My only beef was with the beer line, nothing to do with the show... almost missed the RH opening song (2+2=5!!) due to the insanely slow bartenders in this joint! Must say most folks seemed way more patient or at least resigned to it, than I. Serves me right for not ditching the last Supergrass tune or two to take care of fluid maintenance. Thanks, Ron for getting me here and thanks Radiohead for a fantastic show!

Blaine

Review by Justin: Hello,

Just wanted to add a few thoughts about the great performance by Radiohead at the 2nd Hollywood Bowl show on Sept 26. I first saw Radiohead at the Southpark festival in Oxford while I was backpacking through Europe with my wife. That was one of the more magical experiences I have had in my life, and I vowed to make sure to see them as often as I could afford. We went through hell to get tickets for this show and after what seems like years, we set out for LA from New Mexico. I was so glad to be seeing Radiohead in the Hollywood Bowl. I am fascinated by the history of Los Angeles and it was great to be seeing them in the most historical venue in the city. It was such a wonderful setting. Supergrass were very good. I was hoping to hear a couple more from Life On Other Planets but they did a great set. We thought it was funny that the opening band was one of the bands we saw in Oxford. During the break we headed out to get a couple beers and we literally ran into Jack Black. We thought we might see celebs at the show but to run into Jack Black was just too cool. The guy is a great entertainer and it was a pleasure to get to shake his hand. When we got back to our seats we were laughing about meeting Jack Black with my sister and her husband when we had another celebrity sighting. I don't know her name, but right behind us was the red headed girl from Buffy. You know, the girl in the American Pie movies. Anyways, back to the music. The vibe was great and when the lights went out I got that feeling that we were going to see a great show. And we did. The show was amazing. I personally felt the highlights were Where I End and You Begin (the ending chant "I will eat you alive" is brilliant live), A Punchup at a Wedding (my favorite on HTTT), The Gloaming (sounds even better live), No Surprises, You and Whose Army (I did not know Thom could be so funny), and Airbag dedicated to the Chili Peppers. The show was simply astounding. Southpark was much more intimate but this show was so solid and sounded flawless. I wish I could have seen both Hollywood Bowl shows and seen Like Spinning Plates live. I love the version on IMBW. It was great seeing a short version of Big Ideas, and I did get to see Creep performed live for the 2nd time. It was good in Hollywood but I have to say that when they ended the South Park show with Creep after having not played it in years, well, there could never be a feeling like that again. Radiohead are simply the greatest band in music, and I am looking foward to the next album and tour just to see where they are going to take their music.

Peace

Justin

Review by Cynthia: If I were a person who fainted, I would have fainted several times this evening. Yes, much better show than on Thursday, although Radiohead doesn't put on a "bad" show. They played a lot less of Hail to the Thief, and put in several old gems. Much to the crowd's delight, they casually broke into Creep, Morning Bell was great and Fake Plastic Trees was just sublime. The pink and green lighting was awesome. Thom's voice is such a lovely instrument; it was in excellent form. All of the Bic lighters in the audience made Fake Plastic Trees even more special! There There works better later in the set than as the opener, and I was so glad they played Wolf at the Door. Super. The band didn't verbally interact with the audience much, but Thom's mugging to the video camera during You And Whose Army? more than made up for it. The crowd I was with completely got the scathing commentary on Tony Blair and W's U.N. address earlier in the week. It was quite delightful. As was the fact that the Hollywood Bowl sells Guinness! Overall the audience's energy on Friday was much more lively. Maybe that's because our seats were so far back we were almost to Wilshire Boulevard. Lots of dancing in section U1 – thanks for that! And lots of dancing by Thom, especially at the end of The Gloaming. My ears are not technically adept enough to pick up any gaffs in the songs or problems with equipment. I'm just happy that Radiohead comes out to play for us – and that they appear happy to be doing it now. Getting to see them 2 nights in a row was a real treat. Radiohead Forever.

Review by DH: Well what can I say, this was my second time seeing Radiohead this tour, and it was again, amazing. Since I knew I would be in LA at this time I had to make sure that I saw Radiohead again. It was definately worth it. I have never been to the Hollywood Bowl before and thought it was a really cool venue to see them. The stage surrounded by mountains up in the hills was really nice background.
This show was different from the other I saw, which was good since I got to here a few different songs this time around. I was really glad to hear A wolf at the door since that was not played the last time I saw them. Thom's voice was amazing and put on an incredible performance. Once again they are one of the most talented bands you will ever see. Seeing them live in a must and you will definately have more respect for them then you already do now. You and whose army? is always a hit with the crowd and they all loved it- That camera on the piano never get old! I was glad to hear a mixed set list this time around with more old songs and not as many new songs. It was just a good mix for me seeing them twice this tour I felt I really heard a great mix of songs from all albums this tour. I basically heard all of Hail to the Thief live and it was all incredible- I was suprised to walk out and see so many celebrities there- like Gwenyth Paltrow, Meg Ryan, Gary Shandling, Winona Ryder, Rosanna Arquette, Taylor Hawkins drummer of of Foo Fighters and others. They must have been backstage and all came out at once- Radiohead live is always an incredible time-and like they had on the lights Forever- their shows will be remembered forever!


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