Radiohead: The Day After

"Nothing can stop me from having a good time at that concert" - Me, a day ago. In reference to going to see Radiohead on May 11 at Nissan Pavilion.

The band:
They were great. Thom sounded good. It was funny to see him get pissed off at himself for messing up Faust Arp. The rare tracks they played were my favorites, eg. FAKE PLASTIC TREES. The light show was awesome.

The context:
It was raining balls and probably 50 degrees outside. The venue DOES NOT have a drainage system. Literally a river flowed down into the pit area. MUD, GRAVEL, EARTH EVERYWHERE. I feel so bad for those stuck on the lawn. Thank GOD I got all of my friends into the PIT because at least we could see the band and be relatively comfortable for 1/2 the show. The traffic was unGODLY. TWO hours to get there from Arlington, which should have been an hour in traffic at MOST! Missed first part of the show. When we finally got out of the car my heart broke because I heard them playing "Pyramid Song" (another one of my absolute favorite Radiohead B-Sides). I let out an enormous "FUCK!" and slammed on the car doors to hurry my friends. Exiting the venue proved to be even worse. Stuck in one spot for 2 hours. I don't know who screwed up but I recall seeing Nissan Pavilion employees running around looking confused. I saw cops getting short with drivers and not really helping the situation.

I knew it was going to rain, I knew it was going to be wet. But this was absolutely ridiculous. If they say "Rain or Shine" on the tickets then they (THE VENUE) should be prepared to have it be RAIN. I also cannot believe they (RADIOHEAD) decided to have it at Nissan Pavilion. They cited on their website, "PLEASE TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION" and claimed they wanted to have a "GREEN TOUR" but I'm sorry guys (more likely the people who work for Radiohead) the Nissan Pavilion (NO METRO/PUBLIC ACCESS) was not the smartest choice.

Now I'm going to have to wait for them to come back again, whenever that may be.

However, I don't want to be entirely negative about the experience.

It was a joy to see them and they barely eked out the "Was it worth it?" I'd do it again, just get there really early and park right by the exit.