Due to a confusing sign, I ended up missing the turn for the first lot and had to park in the very back lot. I left during the first encore thinking I could get a marginal head start. Yeah right. I sat in a standstill for two hours. Then, when things started moving, I tried to turn my car back on and my battery had died. A bunch of cops came through telling people to leave. I told them my situation and they offered no help. I sat another two hours until someone claiming to be Nissan's tow guy came and gave my car a jump. I didn't get out of there until roughly 3:10. By the way, the tow guy said he had jumped about fifty cars.
Radiohead Roll Call
Originally posted by Erinaceous Sonickus:lol
theres more on my myspace page which i'm sure ggw will gladly post the link to.
*ggw fires up his MS access database with boardie info*
from washpost's postrock blog, interview with liars frontman:
http://fuseblog.typepad.com/fuseblog/2008/04/radioheads-gree.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_7360000/7360670.stm
How has the first week with Radiohead been?i totally agree with ggw on this one, just completely hypocritical on radiohead's part … noone's forcing them to be "environmentally sound", but don't tout your tour as such while playing exurban sheds
My word is euphoric. It covers everything from the band themselves to their crew to their show to the crowds - everything is just perfect, right down to how environmentally sound their whole production is.
http://fuseblog.typepad.com/fuseblog/2008/04/radioheads-gree.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_7360000/7360670.stm
I'd have rather been in Myanmar than at the Nissan Pavilion last night!
Radiohead, Rising Above The Storm
By J. Freedom du Lac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; C01
The music of Radiohead does not exactly conjure images of sunshine. The band, one of the most beloved in contemporary rock, specializes in gorgeously anguished tales of dread and alienation – sullen songs for sullen souls.
It was fitting, then, that Radiohead's stunning concert Sunday night at Nissan Pavilion was performed in the midst of a torrential downpour. Flooding on nearby roads led to major traffic delays and prevented some ticket holders from reaching the sold-out venue, adding to the legend of local Radiohead rainouts. In 2001, the band canceled two shows at Bull Run Park in Centreville because of flooding, and in 1998, Radiohead was on the bill of the massive Tibetan Freedom Concert when lightning struck RFK Stadium, forcing promoters to suspend the show. (Radiohead performed the following day.)
"We know how tough today has been for you guys, and, uh, sorry," singer Thom Yorke said midway through Sunday's set. He then introduced an old warhorse, 1997's "Paranoid Android," calling it "a nasty song; it's not nice."
Yorke sang dismissively – in a high, quavering voice – of insufferable people, and then the caustic song exploded, with screaming, spiraling guitar riffs shooting off in every direction. And then it shifted once more, transforming into a rousing singalong, with Yorke leading a chorus of thousands in declaring, "Rain down, rain down/Come on rain down on me."
The crowd cheered rapturously, and for the briefest of moments, the stoic Yorke appeared to be smiling. Or maybe he was just grimacing.
As a songwriter, Yorke is a tortured poet with a dystopian, world-weary view; over the course of two hours and 25 songs here, he sang of isolation and anxiety, of frustration and dissatisfaction.
"I only stick with you because there are no others," he warbled in "All I Need," the atmospheric ballad that opened the show and thus set the tone for the night. Indeed, there was a quiet intensity to the set, during which Yorke's ethereal falsetto – so fragile, yet so powerful, like a Qawwali singer's voice – was warm and clear, landing perfectly in the exceptional mix.
But clear doesn't necessarily mean straight-lined: Yorke bent and otherwise distorted his own soaring, swooping vocal notes, as if his voice came with an effects pedal. And actually, during "Everything in Its Right Place," it did: As Yorke sat behind a keyboard to sing such lines as "Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon," the multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood crouched over a bank of pedals, manipulating the frontman's vocals to stirring effect.
Save for the rhythmically vexing "Faust Arp" – which was performed as an acoustic folk song, without the strings of the studio version – the songs featured Yorke's vocals wrapped in the warm textures and Technicolor grandeur of Radiohead's music, which manages to sound at once cerebral and intuitive.
The band's ebb-and-flow instrumental approach was centered on the sturdy rhythms of drummer Phil Selway and bassist Colin Greenwood, and the songs frequently featured a three-guitar attack (Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and the mysterious Ed O'Brien). But Radiohead hardly used the firepower to stack power chords or peel off virtuosic solos. Instead, the guitars – along with the keyboards, pianos, samplers and such – were used to build a cinematic wall of sound, as in the majestic "Lucky," the orchestral "Bodysnatchers" and the chiming, swelling "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi."
The latter two songs were from Radiohead's new recording, "In Rainbows," which was performed in its entirety and then some: In addition to the 10 songs from the album, released online late last year, the set also included material from a bonus disc that came with a deluxe, limited-edition version of "In Rainbows."
The new material translated well to the stage, particularly the twittering piano ballad "Videotape" and "Bangers and Mash," a snarling, angular rock song featuring double drums and some of the night's most jagged riffs. There was plenty of old material, too, including "Karma Police" (before which Yorke had some harsh words for the suits on Capitol Hill) and a terrific trio of songs from 1995's epochal album, "The Bends."
Among them was "Planet Telex," a howling, reverb-laden rocker during which there was a kaleidoscopic explosion above and around the artfully lit stage.
The most surprising and successful of the older songs, however, was the haunting "Fake Plastic Trees," which opened the band's second encore – and which Yorke dedicated to those who missed the show because of the rain and traffic. Radiohead was thought to have retired the brilliant song from its live repertoire. As it turns out, the band was just saving it for a rainy day.
By J. Freedom du Lac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008; C01
The music of Radiohead does not exactly conjure images of sunshine. The band, one of the most beloved in contemporary rock, specializes in gorgeously anguished tales of dread and alienation – sullen songs for sullen souls.
It was fitting, then, that Radiohead's stunning concert Sunday night at Nissan Pavilion was performed in the midst of a torrential downpour. Flooding on nearby roads led to major traffic delays and prevented some ticket holders from reaching the sold-out venue, adding to the legend of local Radiohead rainouts. In 2001, the band canceled two shows at Bull Run Park in Centreville because of flooding, and in 1998, Radiohead was on the bill of the massive Tibetan Freedom Concert when lightning struck RFK Stadium, forcing promoters to suspend the show. (Radiohead performed the following day.)
"We know how tough today has been for you guys, and, uh, sorry," singer Thom Yorke said midway through Sunday's set. He then introduced an old warhorse, 1997's "Paranoid Android," calling it "a nasty song; it's not nice."
Yorke sang dismissively – in a high, quavering voice – of insufferable people, and then the caustic song exploded, with screaming, spiraling guitar riffs shooting off in every direction. And then it shifted once more, transforming into a rousing singalong, with Yorke leading a chorus of thousands in declaring, "Rain down, rain down/Come on rain down on me."
The crowd cheered rapturously, and for the briefest of moments, the stoic Yorke appeared to be smiling. Or maybe he was just grimacing.
As a songwriter, Yorke is a tortured poet with a dystopian, world-weary view; over the course of two hours and 25 songs here, he sang of isolation and anxiety, of frustration and dissatisfaction.
"I only stick with you because there are no others," he warbled in "All I Need," the atmospheric ballad that opened the show and thus set the tone for the night. Indeed, there was a quiet intensity to the set, during which Yorke's ethereal falsetto – so fragile, yet so powerful, like a Qawwali singer's voice – was warm and clear, landing perfectly in the exceptional mix.
But clear doesn't necessarily mean straight-lined: Yorke bent and otherwise distorted his own soaring, swooping vocal notes, as if his voice came with an effects pedal. And actually, during "Everything in Its Right Place," it did: As Yorke sat behind a keyboard to sing such lines as "Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon," the multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood crouched over a bank of pedals, manipulating the frontman's vocals to stirring effect.
Save for the rhythmically vexing "Faust Arp" – which was performed as an acoustic folk song, without the strings of the studio version – the songs featured Yorke's vocals wrapped in the warm textures and Technicolor grandeur of Radiohead's music, which manages to sound at once cerebral and intuitive.
The band's ebb-and-flow instrumental approach was centered on the sturdy rhythms of drummer Phil Selway and bassist Colin Greenwood, and the songs frequently featured a three-guitar attack (Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and the mysterious Ed O'Brien). But Radiohead hardly used the firepower to stack power chords or peel off virtuosic solos. Instead, the guitars – along with the keyboards, pianos, samplers and such – were used to build a cinematic wall of sound, as in the majestic "Lucky," the orchestral "Bodysnatchers" and the chiming, swelling "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi."
The latter two songs were from Radiohead's new recording, "In Rainbows," which was performed in its entirety and then some: In addition to the 10 songs from the album, released online late last year, the set also included material from a bonus disc that came with a deluxe, limited-edition version of "In Rainbows."
The new material translated well to the stage, particularly the twittering piano ballad "Videotape" and "Bangers and Mash," a snarling, angular rock song featuring double drums and some of the night's most jagged riffs. There was plenty of old material, too, including "Karma Police" (before which Yorke had some harsh words for the suits on Capitol Hill) and a terrific trio of songs from 1995's epochal album, "The Bends."
Among them was "Planet Telex," a howling, reverb-laden rocker during which there was a kaleidoscopic explosion above and around the artfully lit stage.
The most surprising and successful of the older songs, however, was the haunting "Fake Plastic Trees," which opened the band's second encore – and which Yorke dedicated to those who missed the show because of the rain and traffic. Radiohead was thought to have retired the brilliant song from its live repertoire. As it turns out, the band was just saving it for a rainy day.
Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:http://www.myspace.com/sonickteam
Originally posted by Erinaceous Sonickus:lol
theres more on my myspace page which i'm sure ggw will gladly post the link to.
*ggw fires up his MS access database with boardie info*
Originally posted by RustyOrgan:given that it's monsoon season in southeast asia right now, i'd say they were darn similar last night.
I'd have rather been in Myanmar than at the Nissan Pavilion last night!
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:ggw just lost geek cred for not immediately objecting to an association with MS Access.
Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:http://www.myspace.com/sonickteam
Originally posted by Erinaceous Sonickus:lol
theres more on my myspace page which i'm sure ggw will gladly post the link to.
*ggw fires up his MS access database with boardie info*
Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:why were they thought to have retired this? did i miss something?
Radiohead was thought to have retired the brilliant song from its live repertoire. As it turns out, the band was just saving it for a rainy day.
Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:just on a side note, and information i didnt fact check, someone told me that all of those light thingies were made with recycled aluminum. "just saying"
from washpost's postrock blog, interview with liars frontman:
How has the first week with Radiohead been?i totally agree with ggw on this one, just completely hypocritical on radiohead's part … noone's forcing them to be "environmentally sound", but don't tout your tour as such while playing exurban sheds
My word is euphoric. It covers everything from the band themselves to their crew to their show to the crowds - everything is just perfect, right down to how environmentally sound their whole production is.
http://fuseblog.typepad.com/fuseblog/2008/04/radioheads-gree.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_7360000/7360670.stm
Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:where does this say the tour is environmentally friendly?
from washpost's postrock blog, interview with liars frontman:
How has the first week with Radiohead been?i totally agree with ggw on this one, just completely hypocritical on radiohead's part … noone's forcing them to be "environmentally sound", but don't tout your tour as such while playing exurban sheds
My word is euphoric. It covers everything from the band themselves to their crew to their show to the crowds - everything is just perfect, right down to how environmentally sound their whole production is.
http://fuseblog.typepad.com/fuseblog/2008/04/radioheads-gree.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_7360000/7360670.stm
I just read a blog post by someone who had left for the show at 5pm. Really? People left for this show that late and expected to get there on time?
Those people would've been late and missed most of the show had the weather been bright and lovely. Getting to Nissan sucks. It has always sucked.
If alot of those people would've left at noon or 1, they would've been happy and waiting it out in the parking lot and there'd be alot less bitchin'.
Just my 2 cents…
Those people would've been late and missed most of the show had the weather been bright and lovely. Getting to Nissan sucks. It has always sucked.
If alot of those people would've left at noon or 1, they would've been happy and waiting it out in the parking lot and there'd be alot less bitchin'.
Just my 2 cents…
Originally posted by K8teebug:I left Reston at 5pm, had a sit down dinner in Manassas, and got to Nissan Pavillion before the Liars started…
I just read a blog post by someone who had left for the show at 5pm. Really? People left for this show that late and expected to get there on time?
I must've just missed whatever big flooding shut down the back roads into Nissan
I left for the show at 7pm and got there at 5pm
Originally posted by K8teebug:Yeah - The dcist article starts off with the concert-goer saying "6pm - We leave D.C."
I just read a blog post by someone who had left for the show at 5pm. Really? People left for this show that late and expected to get there on time?
All I could think was "Everything beyond this point is your own fault." On a picture-perfect day they should have been in VA before 5. Add more time for the rain. Add more time for a big sellout show. If you weren't well on your way by 3pm, you were risking being late.
A little planning goes a long way.
So as i am digging up information on this issue of environmentally sound touring, I am trying to decide what measures they could have taken but didnt, other than that of picking LiveNation to book their tour.
I did see were plenty of recycling locations in Nissan Pavilion.
Also, I want to make note that one of the reasons I parked so close and got out of the venue so fast was that I had 4 people in my car and thus was shuffled off into the "carpool lot". This allowed for the escape i made and an easy (as easy as it was) walk to and from the car.
I realize this is a Live Nation (or Nissan) thing and not something just in place for the Radiohead show but it MAY have been part of the reason Radiohead went with LiveNation to book their tour.
Also, per Radiohead's website WTMB or whatevr, the Globe was offering some kind of carpool matchmaking service for the show and if you offered your car and took 3 or more people , you got a commemorative poster.
I am still looking into the ways Radiohead themselves cut carbon corners in their show. (other than the recycled aluminum lights) but clearly their study found that MOST of the problem lies with the patrons and venues.
Its a topic i am much interested in now, and wondering what steps were or could have easily been taken, and maybe werent.
I do find it odd that Radiohead declined to play Glastonbury due to poor public transport issues yet played Nissan, who seems to have poor transportation issues all around!!
But i think to a European, all of the US has poor public transportation.
I did see were plenty of recycling locations in Nissan Pavilion.
Also, I want to make note that one of the reasons I parked so close and got out of the venue so fast was that I had 4 people in my car and thus was shuffled off into the "carpool lot". This allowed for the escape i made and an easy (as easy as it was) walk to and from the car.
I realize this is a Live Nation (or Nissan) thing and not something just in place for the Radiohead show but it MAY have been part of the reason Radiohead went with LiveNation to book their tour.
Also, per Radiohead's website WTMB or whatevr, the Globe was offering some kind of carpool matchmaking service for the show and if you offered your car and took 3 or more people , you got a commemorative poster.
I am still looking into the ways Radiohead themselves cut carbon corners in their show. (other than the recycled aluminum lights) but clearly their study found that MOST of the problem lies with the patrons and venues.
Its a topic i am much interested in now, and wondering what steps were or could have easily been taken, and maybe werent.
I do find it odd that Radiohead declined to play Glastonbury due to poor public transport issues yet played Nissan, who seems to have poor transportation issues all around!!
But i think to a European, all of the US has poor public transportation.
this band put out one great record and one good record. i dont get it.
Originally posted by manimtired:so did pink floyd and the beatles. america is odd.
this band put out one great record and one good record. i dont get it.
Originally posted by walkonby:and nirvana
Originally posted by manimtired:so did pink floyd and the beatles. america is odd.
this band put out one great record and one good record. i dont get it.
Thank you for contacting Nissan Pavilion regarding your experience on
Sunday night. Due to the torrential rain storm, multiple road closures
and a late-arriving crowd led to delays for some music fans entering
the parking lot at Nissan Pavilion. While we have no control over
Mother Nature, we certainly are disappointed that some fans did not
make it to the venue.
As a consolation, we would like to offer you complementary lawn
tickets to Radiohead?s performance at the Susquehanna Bank Center in
Camden, NJ on August 12th. We apologize for any inconvenience you
experienced Sunday night and hope that this free ticket offer helps to
make up for it.
Sunday night. Due to the torrential rain storm, multiple road closures
and a late-arriving crowd led to delays for some music fans entering
the parking lot at Nissan Pavilion. While we have no control over
Mother Nature, we certainly are disappointed that some fans did not
make it to the venue.
As a consolation, we would like to offer you complementary lawn
tickets to Radiohead?s performance at the Susquehanna Bank Center in
Camden, NJ on August 12th. We apologize for any inconvenience you
experienced Sunday night and hope that this free ticket offer helps to
make up for it.