You'd never know it from this cell phone shot, but that is indeed Radiohead lighting up the Greek Theater earlier tonight.
It might be strange for some people to contemplate going to a concert alone, but I used to have to do it all the time (believe me - no one wants to be your friend when you have to review the Michael Bolton/Kenny G double bill). It doesn't bother me. I kind of like slinking in whenever I want to, wandering around if and when I so desire, and watching all the people go by (the women's bathroom was especially interesting tonight). But most of all, I like disappearing into the music.
That last bit was never an option with good old Michael B, even though I do have a soft spot for the guy (a high point of my music critic career was when he held up an article I'd written about him and got 12,000 people to boo me).
But when the band on stage is Radiohead, disappearing is a profoundly excellent thing to experience.
I went alone because the show sold out in (I'm not exaggerating) 90 seconds - when Radiohead plays a small venue like the Greek Theater, there aren't many tickets to go around. George somehow managed to finagle an extra ticket (he and Jackie are going tomorrow night), and he was kind enough to throw it my way for face value (he could have gotten three times that on eBay).
The show was amazing and held several high points for me - The National Anthem and Idioteque were particularly memorable, Paranoid Android took me someplace else, I liked the tripped-out, sped-up version of the OCD anthem Everything In Its Right Place, there was a new song about needing nothing more than love that almost made me cry - but a killer rendition of How to Disappear Completely is what's sticking out in my mind. (I'm still crushed they didn't do Pyramid Song, which I'm listening to as I write this, but I'll get over it.)
So, was seeing Radiohead sober as good as seeing Radiohead stoned? Well ... no. Being stoned contributes to the whole feeling of being transported by the music, and I missed it. Some good stuff certainly wafted my way a few times, but there was nothing in the way of a "contact high" - I was 100% straight for this one.
In the end, maybe that's why I never disappeared completely during tonight's show. But I definitely lost myself a few times, and that alone was worth the price of admission.
4 comments:
You don't need pot to help you let go. It creates an illusion of going deeper, but it's not real. It's enjoyable sure, but it's not real.
You have what you need to find the magic in life without weed. There's so much more, right there, just beyond your senses.
Don't try to find it though. It'll find you.
i'm confused. you say that pot creates an "illusion," but there is magic all around you.
is this a copperfield vs. blaine kind of debate? where does doug henning fit into all of this? and what about criss angel?
are you a different kind of wizard who has magic chasing him around? is this a dream catcher argument?
fill me in...please!
Isn’t the experience of reality where you are at a given moment? Stoned or straight feeling deeply is your reality at that moment. Stoned at a concert doesn’t change the reality of being at the concert or the reality of being moved deeply during moments at that concert … does it? Do illusionists mess with our view of reality in the moment? Ahhh, I wish that I were stoned now!! Perhaps Michael can share a photo of himself in his wizard cape?
well jesus fucking christo, everyone knows concerts are better when your stoned.
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