Radiohead at the 1st Bank Center: 3/13 Review
Tuesday night at The 1st Bank Center in Broomfield was one for the ages. Thom Yorke and company delighted the sold-out crowd with a show that will be talked about for years to come. For me it held a special place; Radiohead has been my favorite band for a long time now and getting a chance to see them live for the first time was truly an experience in itself. We arrived just in time for the opening number “Bloom” of their latest album King of Limbs. Flanked by an LED wall and panels that changed position with each different song, the visual element of the show only added to the grand spectacle of the performance. The square panels often shifted after a song and displayed a visual of each member’s face, giving us a closer look at the passion they put into each and every song.
The night’s setlist ranged from singles coming off of seven of their eight studio albums. While showcasing more from their latest, they still played a few classics including “Karma Police”, “Street Spirit”, and “The National Anthem”. As the set grew, it seemed that Yorke became more acclimated to the crowd, dancing and interacting. ”Where are we? Where the fuck are we? ...somewhere in the mountains”. The crowd ate it up and continued to rock out to the almost three hour set.
Yorke and company seemed in their comfort zone, it usually takes a band a while to reach that level, but with nine shows under their belt on this current tour, you can see how each member thrives off each other. The Greenwood brothers, Johnny and Colin, have always brought a unique element to their live sets with an array on non-conventional instruments that gives Radiohead that signature sound we have all come to love, or hate. For this tour they have brought in another drummer in addition to Phil Selway, judging by their unique bald look you wouldn’t be able to tell the two apart. The often under appreciated Ed O’Brien rounds out the band. Many of Radiohead’s harmonies are created by the talented O’Brien; none more evident than when they played “There, There”.
In all, the show would rank as one of my favorites of all time. It’s hard to say that when I consider them my favorite band, but nobody would agree more than the 5,000 plus in attendance that night.