I could hear everything good enough last night – near middle of the stage halfway back – during Radiohead’s set. But, some people around me were complaining. It looks like that’s a pretty popular complaint online today.
When we were rooftop on Wabash and Roosevelt pre Radiohead concert – just west and overlooking the park – you could literary hear the lyrics coming from the venue. There was a noticeable – yet, not more than 15 mph – breeze blowing in from the lake. Was Mother Nature to blame for last night’s volume issues during Radiohead’s set though there were supposed to be some sound changes/fixes this year?
It’s worth noting, after I took a “breather” near the end of the show and sat near the western banks of the park, I still didn’t (personally) have an issue hearing the concert.
WTF? As noted here at 10 pm (tribune link now updated as seen below), Radiohead wouldn’t close with music from the song (15 Step) they opened with, right? I would never ask this question other that the end of the night after standing amongst 75,000 people for nearly 3 hours and not eating since lunch – amongst other things – made things really foggy.
P.S. The following is a YouTube profile link for user “anon10069” with a few decent enough but (most important) quickly posted 30-90 second clips from the show last night.
Update: The Tribune’s website is updated with the correct closing minutes of the concert. Click here for the original screenshot before their correction. After the page loads click on the image again if it looks weird.
[SET LIST at bottom of the posting in the “Update” section]
Please comment if you’ve found Radiohead’s set list from last night’s Lollapalooza show.
I’m pretty sure they opened with 15 Step and closed with a non “In Rainbows” song. Or, I’m at least pretty sure they didn’t close with 15 Step (as mentioned in the Tribune link below) because I clearly remember them playing it earlier in the night.
“8 p.m.: Radiohead arrives. Hutchinson Field is shoulder-to-shoulder with fans. The scene is in sharp contrast to the U.K. quintet’s performance on the same site exactly seven years ago. In 2001, tickets were capped at 25,000. This time there are three times as many fans in attendance.The vibe in 2001 was idyllic, the concert one of the best rock shows Chicago has ever witnessed, and it will be tough for any band — even Radiohead — to bottle lightning twice. This time, the size of the crowd creates more of a festive, big-event atmosphere. Music takes a back seat to spectacle. Fortunately, Radiohead are old pros from the European festival circuit, and they deliver the goods. The set list is stellar, and they bring the requisite special effects: A forest of cylindrical lights provides a spectacular complement to the music, creating the illusion of purple icicles, emerald-green rainfall and a cathedral of flickering candles. (GK)
8:37 p.m.: “The National Anthem” was a signature moment during the band’s 2001 show, and it is once again today, with Colin Greenwood’s fuzz bass taking no prisoners while Thom Yorke cries in a sea of electronic distortion. (GK)
9:05 p.m.: Fireworks in the southern sky distract part of the audience, but the booming spectacle in the sky unexpectedly synchronizes with the climactic verse in “Fake Plastic Trees.” Oooh, ahhhh, and applause. The audience isn’t quite as reverent or rapt as the one that attended the 2001 show (that’s what a day full of oppressive heat and copious drinking will get you), but this is one of those crowd-pleasing moments that defines a vast, overpopulated outdoor event. (GK)
9:41 p.m.: “House of Cards,” part of a lengthy encore, is absolutely lovely. It may be the warmest song the band has ever written, with its hint of bossa nova and Yorke’s unusually direct lyric. “I don’t want to be your friend/I just want to be your lover.” The confiding tone and gently swaying vibe suit a sultry summer evening. (GK)
10 p.m.: Yorke’s burst of spastic dancing to “15 Step” brings the long day to a close. Here’s hoping Radiohead comes back soon — this time at Millennium Park. (GK)”
I’m scouring the internet…help a bro out if you stumble upon a set list.
Update 1: Greg Kot slipped up above in his timeline as seen on BccList.com here….
Update 2: Click HERE for the Radiohead setlist – or, set list if you will – from Lollapalooza August 1, 2008. Variety, thank you!
P.S. I thought 2+2=5 was played a little earlier but I’m probably most certainly wrong since it was a long night.
Update 3: Some pretty good YouTube clips from the show. Please feel free to post more via comments since I don’t have time to search! It’s reported that the fireworks had nothing to do with Lollapalooza or Radiohead. Rather, there was some weird family night going on at Soldier Field. I just remember wondering – while laying down away from the masses – why are there helicopters everywhere, fireworks, and a ton of walk talkies going off? errrrr.
Well, maybe the posting title is a little off. But, the first (and last) pictures from tonight’s concert posted on BccList.com.
Great set if you REALLY like “In Rainbows.” Really good set if you like the most recent album but wanted to see more from the past. Regardless, excellent concert. Hot as fck.
Taken from my iPhone. The picture quality is so-so at night but I’m not complaining.
Bcc:List.com 