I began my career as a professional music journalist in 2003 by reviewing Radiohead’s concert at White River Amphitehatre for the Seattle P-I. I had reviewed several concerts previously (this was the first show I got paid to write about) so I didn’t walk into the show completely green, but man was nervous.
Little did I know that this one assignment would lead to a pretty awesome side job as a freelancer and provide me with opportunities to cover hundreds of concerts, interview some of my favorite musicians and set up this website that you’re looking at now.
Below is the Radiohead review that launched my career/hobby into full gear. It was originally published on Aug. 31, 2003 and while it isn’t the best review I’ve written it definitely is one of my favorites.
Labor Day weekend signals the end of the summer concert season and this year’s season ended with a bang Sunday at White River Amphitheater.
The burgeoning venue hosted many of this summer’s biggest concerts including Ozzfest and Lollapalooza. But the best performance wasn’t delivered by an up-and-coming alternative group or a geriatric head-banger. That distinction belongs to British guitar-rock group Radiohead.
Performing behind the backdrop of a wall of lights, the band played for more than two hours. Lead singer Thom Yorke’s vocals ranged from falsetto wails to raging screams, usually within the same song. Mechanical buzzes and electronic beeps generated sonically adventurous sounds, which fittingly accompanied Yorke’s dark and cryptic lyrics.
The performance began with “There There” from the band’s new album “Hail to the Thief,” its most relaxed and diverse record. Three sets of drums kept the rhythm steady, flanking Yorke while he bellowed the song’s opening lyrics.
The usually reserved front man delighted the audience by dancing during many of the band’s songs — if you can call it dancing. His erratic and robotic movements consisted mostly of bouncing up and down like a human jumping bean while flailing his arms as if he were a young bird attempting to fly.
In another animated moment, Yorke flirted with the camera that displayed images of the band performing on two narrow video screens above the stage. He playfully shifted his eyebrows and made faces during “You and Whose Army?”
The show’s highlight came during the middle of “Paranoid Android” when the band jammed on a raucous three-guitar assault, while smoke covered the stage and the light-filled backdrop spastically flickered during what seemed like guitar-induced chaos.
Yorke was mostly quiet in between songs but he commented on the WTO demonstrations of 1999, calling it “World War III against hippies.” He also dedicated “A Punchup at a Wedding” to R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, one of his personal friends.
Radiohead’s 23-song set was heavily filled with new material but the band also performed several staples from its catalog including “Fake Plastic Trees,” “Idiotheque,” “No Surprises” and “The National Anthem.”
