Radiohead, 6/1/12, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Radiohead, 6/1/12, Prudential Center, Newark, NJ


"Last night was one intense set of music...I don't even know if I can comment on it being good or bad...but it was INTENSE. The production is stellar, and my eyes, ears, and a small section of my brain are a little sore this morning. ENJOY!" - Michael Weiss

"Remember where we are going tonight. This is not the type of event to just get drunk, dance, and show your friends the new t-shirt you bought at the merch table. This is here for you to elevate your humanity. Not in the sense that it will make you happier. You may leave feeling far worse than when you arrived. Worse in the sense that you will have absorbed the collective paranoia that encases our human experience. The unsolvable paradox that we are all one, but also trapped inside our mortal isolation. But where is there greater comfort than in feeling that you are not alone, even as you ultimately are... This event will not answer your questions, but it will help you to ask the correct ones." - Jon Bevo

"Do you feel anything weird? Because your neck muscles are twitching uncontrollably." - Greg, my Physical Therapist

Welcome Back! My bloggy and live music responsibilities were put on hold for couple of months while I was involved in a massive work project. Thanks for your patience. Let's go!

The aforementioned quotes were ones offered to me in the hours leading up to the 2nd Radiohead show at the shiny, new, Prudential Center in beautiful Downtown Newark last week. This was my first Radiohead show, and I had mixed expectations.  Basically, people who are really into them talk of their live shows as if they are the most orgasmic live music experience on the face of the planet (the Mole People would surely disagree-- they prefer Maroon 5) and I do have an open mind, but there's just no way.  Then you've got the people who don't like Radiohead and are not shy to share that opinion- ie, "At least the lights are pretty" - my friend Mark, re: Radiohead, 5/31/12. And so it seems, to the Outsider at least, that Radiohead don't seem to have many casual listeners-- you're either all-in, or all-out. I've really enjoyed a couple of their albums, but others, quite honestly, bore the shit out of me. Sometimes I just don't get it. My short attention span and desire to stay away from my dark and depressed philosophical side have really prevented me from pursuing True Radiohead Fandom. And this is why my expectations were mixed. I was confused. It's confusing.

Additionally, as you may have noted in the quotes above, it seemed that the crash gig I completed the night before (at approximately 11PM) left my neck muscles in constant spasm (still happening, btw-- good times). Between the physical and mental exhaustion, I kind of wanted nothing more than to eat ibuprofen and crawl into bed in my dark room for a week. Instead, I was headed towards what I feared would be an assault on every single one of my senses. I was in a very delicate state and just needed Radiohead to be kind. 

I met the crew around back of the arena at Brick City, where I completely avoided alcohol, due to the fear of falling asleep. We were having such a lovely time discussing Bath Salts and Zombies, we totally missed the opening act, Caribou. I was okay with this, as Caribou's official bio description includes the word "dubstep". That's one midget notch up from Raggaeton.

Upon entry, I spied a disclaimer that there would be strobe lights in effect during the performance, and felt relief in the fact that my migraine RX was on hand. We hit our seats just as the lights dimmed and the stage lit up. The stage design was pretty inventive, unique, and brilliant. Giant square LED TV screens were magically arranging themselves mid-air, and would continue to shift positions for each song. The band was essentially backlit the entire night, but there were some fill lights on either side of the stage, hitting them horizontally. Thusly, the light show consisted of various abstract flashing light patterns and CU's of Radiohead ROCKING THE FUCK OUT, on the giant back screen, the shifting floaty squares, and a banner of squares across the top of the stage. Pretty fucking cool.


The music itself was pretty rockin' too, and the energy level was high enough to keep me interested throughout the entire set. They slowed it down a couple of times, which I believe were the "crawl into fetal position and contemplate your puny status in the Universe" moments that I typically avoid. But these were quite pretty and they mixed the high-energy Rock into it enough that I really enjoyed the entire set. They also peppered some new stuff in and I didn't notice many people jetting for the bathrooms (we'll come back to that).

Every time Thom Yorke did his wacky possessed noodle dance, the crowd went apeshit. There is a direct correlation there. I got pretty excited too. It's like he's got a Tesla Coil strapped to his balls, but he's learned to use it to his advantage and our entertainment. He was also sporting a teeny little man ponytail, which didn't quite do it for me. We wondered out loud if he's ever been confused with a bird that got trapped in an oil spill, and if Greenpeacers ever tackle him and wash him down with warm water and Dawn Liquid Soap. "Just HOLD STILL! Stop squirming! Soon you will be free, little bird! FREEEE!!!" CAAAAWWW!!!



But the peak of the night was most definitely Idioteque, in which they really got the crowd really pumped and moving around.  An amazing energy filled the arena, and at the absolute climax, Yorke announced, "Fuck it." and walked off stage, leaving a stunned band, and a puzzled audience in his wake. A few minutes of silence followed before they eventually returned to stage for "Encore 1"

Idioteque. Thom York gets cranky around 3:20.

His crankiness was supposedly due to a combination of sound problems and the fact that he was sick and hadn't slept at all the night before (not sure if this also explains the hair). I feel ya, Thom. He then sang How To Disappear Completely. Oh, you ol' so and so, I get it! To end "Encore 2", they did part of REM's The One I Love, which was cool, and then one by one, the band walked off during Everything In Its Right Place.

It was a cool show, which I enjoyed way more than I expected (especially since I tried not to bob my head so much and irritate my neck muscles any further-- HAHAHA tried.). So much so, that I didn't bother taking a bathroom break, and by the end, I was seriously ready to burst. Much to my surprise and dismay, the bathroom line was really long! I didn't realize there were so many chicks into Radiohead. "I peed myself in GA!" said the Drunk Jersey Girl in her 20's in the bathroom line ahead of me after the show. "Recently?" I inquired, thinking "GA" meant "Georgia", and guessing she was On Tour or something, but apparently she had meant "General Admission" aka, the floor. "5 minutes ago!!!  It was all so awesome--- and then I just peed myself!!!" She and her friend were both excited and impressed by her fortitude/devotion. Then she showed me the $200 worth of merch she'd purchased while the line slowly moved along. I bring this up not only because it was an interesting exchange, but also because it may have proved the first part of Bevo's earlier quote wrong.   Hm…

Weiss was on-point, the show was definitely "INTENSE". Also, pretty great. I'd totally see them again. Probably not for more than $60… and I'm never going to be at the level where I'll be reaching out into the air to dramatically grasp the music and then piss myself. But, yah, I will totally see them again.

The night definitely pushed me over the edge of physical exhaustion and/or I caught whatever Thom Yorke was suffering from, because I have been sick ever since. Or perhaps this is just the 2nd half of whatever the fuck Bevo was talking about, incubating in my body? If that's the case, I definitely don't get it. People enjoy this? "Elevating (my) humanity" feels like I've been hit by a truck. Fuck that. And when I was finally able to get to sleep on Friday night, I had some seriously fucked up nightmares that included spiders spinning my skull in their web like a dying fly they were about to feast on. Then another nightmare about work. UGH. Then some more nightmares about some other crazy shit. Eventually it was 10AM and I realized my plans to go to Mountain Jam and rock out with American Babies were realistically: batshit nuts. I could barely lift my head up, let alone get in a car for 2 hours (Greg would not be pleased). That's why the next post on the blog will not be a review of Saturday at Mountain Jam-- because instead of attempting to have more fun, I ate some tylenol, went back to sleep, and had more nightmares. Does this make me a Radiohead fan? Or just a better person?  I'm still confused.

Thom Yorke Flu.  Fuck you, Thom Yorke, for making me sick. But still, thanks for a really exciting and cool show!

So, the burning correct question is: Can one be a casual Radiohead fan? Methinks: yes. Maybe. Radiohead, 6/1/12, Prudential Center, NJ: 8.3 HUZZAHS!!!


SETLIST
Bloom
15 Step
Bodysnatchers
Kid A
Staircase
The Daily Mail
Myxomatosis
The Gloaming
Separator
Pyramid Song
Morning Mr. Magpie
Identikit
Lotus Flower
The National Anthem
Feral
Idioteque 

ENCORE 1
How to Disappear Completely
Supercollider
Go to Sleep
Paranoid Android 

ENCORE 2
Give Up the Ghost
Reckoner
The One I Love/Everything In Its Right Place

Occupy Wall Street, Zuccotti Park, & Primus, 9/30/11, Roseland, NYC

Occupy Wall Street, Zuccotti Park, &
Primus, 9/30/11, Roseland Ballroom, NYC


This day started out with me checking to make sure my Primus ticket was in my wallet at least 3 times before I left the house. It was. Then I got street parking! Happy Rosh Hashanah!

When I got to work, the interwebs were abuzz with a rumor that global music superstars Radiohead, who had just played 2 surprise/sold out shows at Roseland, were going to be visiting the Occupy Wall Street protest in Zuccotti Park at 4PM and playing a few songs in support. It was believable in the moment, but as the minutes grew closer, a few statements were released claiming it was a hoax. Of course, that’s what The Man would want you to think. Regardless, it would be a stellar PR stunt for the protestors, who have gotten next to no coverage in the mainstream media. Live Music Junkie OCD took over and soon my buddy and I had ducked out of the office and took a 5 minute subway ride to Rector St.-- you know, “just in case.”

Hoax or not, it was a good excuse to finally go down there and check out the protest. I am, after all, part of the Other 99% (as opposed to those jerkface 1%'ers). And as someone who spent the better part of last year as an unemployed statistic, I am definitely in support of Tax/Finance/Wall St./Corporate/Regulatory/Health Care/Environmental/David Cook’s Beard/Generally Disenfranchised Population/You Name It Reform. But if Radiohead had played a free set so close and I had missed it, I’d be really pissed. What we found however, besides no Radiohead and a lot of NYPD, was a strange scene in the park, reminiscent of Monday morning at moe.down: lots of people kind of standing around, a sign tribute/graveyard/floor score cornucopia, air mattresses, grilled cheese sandwiches, and the occasional Tourist, who had wandered over from Ground Zero (on purpose or not). And Radiohead fans, but still, no Radiohead.

We wandered a little deeper into the mix to investigate. In the center of the park is the makeshift Media/Press Room, which consisted of folding tables, lots of laptops, and a guy wearing a black t shirt with a piece of duct tape indicating he was “Security”. Nice. We will be doing this to Pete next year at moe.down xiii. There were a mess of camera crews, I don't know from what outlets, maybe waiting for Radiohead, since the protest has gotten barely any press at all. CURIOUS. The crowd was practicing some simple chants, then they took part in what almost sounded like the legal wording of a Wide Release. Apparently, they are not allowed to use bullhorns, so they use a technique known as “The People's Mic", sort of a human bullhorn if-you-will. One person says something, and the entire crowd repeats it, in order for everyone else to hear. Cult-like, but both effective & law-abiding on Private Property. I wondered aloud if my friend and I would be leaving with Bed Bugs. No one repeated that.




Having already gotten sweatier than I ever intended to get that day, it was time to head back to work... for a major Corporation. A girl’s gotta pay for Health Insurance, yo (heeey, if only it were freeeee!!). I have left hippie protests feeling invigorated before, but this one left me feeling kind of sad and weird. Yes, the air mattresses bothered me, but also, it’s centered in this teeny tiny little park in lower Manhattan, it seems to be dwarfed by all the Skyscrapers and money around it. It feels as if nobody cares. The scene is symbolic of this entire movement, whatever it is. The 99% are diminutive. “Nothing to see here, please disperse.” It all still needs direction and focus. And there was also a hipster trying to sublet his “really nice 2 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn” on an iPhone standing next to us. So, there was that.

However, this weekend, as Occupy YOUR CITY’S NAME HERE began popping up around the country! It seems as if the message has gotten out via the interwebs. Holy crap! Sound familiar (Europe, the Middle East, etc.)? Welcome to the future? Sunday brought a massive march onto the Brooklyn Bridge, where police “kettled” in the protestors with plastic fencing and arrested over 700 of them. MORE THAN SEVEN HUNDRED PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED ON THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE ON SUNDAY. MSNBC even gave them some great Prime-Time-Air Monday night! So, perhaps they are finally onto something! I encourage everyone to go down to Zuccotti Park and check out what is going on. Occupy Wall Street has sparked a nationwide movement (joining a worldwide movement) that will hopefully keep growing and moving in the right direction. It’s hard to believe that 99% of the population can be ignored and brushed under the rug for much longer. Is it stupid to remain hopeful?

More than 700 Occupy Wall Street (peaceful) protesters were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday, 10/2/11, including a NY Times reporter, and no one seems to be talking about it.

Anyways… Later in the day, there was Live Music to be had--- and this was definitely NOT a hoax.


There are few greater joys in life than watching Les Claypool dance around in a pig mask. And that’s only one of the reasons I see Primus at every given opportunity. I first saw them on MTV’s 120 Minutes, which used to air back when MTV was awesome, and actually encouraged people to go out and buy albums (crazy how that worked!), which I did. At ~14 years old, Sailing the Seas of Cheese was unlike anything I’d ever heard. Mind-bending bass and weirdness led the charge, complemented by relentlessly pounding drums, and an uncontrollable squealing guitar that always took the road less traveled. It all came together magically, creating a beautiful ruckus. A twisted and far cry from the Classic Rock, Hair Bands, & Metal I’d grown up with.

In 1995, I saw my first Primus show. My hearing would never be the same. What? I also learned a valuable lesson, which is: tiny girls don’t belong in a mosh pit. No, sir. I vaguely recall a cocky attempt followed by a fast & cowardly retreat. Later on, my sister’s boyfriend reappeared with a black eye, after getting kicked in the face. Fun! Oh, and someone threw a shoe at Les, hitting the headstock of his bass, which knocked it out of tune in the middle of Jerry Was a Racecar Driver, and earned us all a lecture about why you don’t throw things at the band. Also, Les requested, if you see some guy walking out of the AU Bender Arena with only one shoe tonight, please beat the shit out of him, or something to that effect.

Last Friday, a slightly more mature Primus crowd, briefly mingled with the Jersey Boys theater-goers (a nice English couple were staring at the marquee and asked me what was going on- I described Primus as “a loud Rock band”) before we (sans nice English couple) stormed Roseland to have our ears dominated like sex slaves who just had to fucking take it. Enjoyably, that is. No safety words can save you now. Maybe I should have lied to get them in? "It's like Fawlty Towers... on ice."

The last time I saw Primus at Roseland, I was well out of the pit area (now a professional choice), halfway back, on the floor, against the VIP riser—and of course, location and timing being everything-- a spontaneous mosh pit erupted right in front of me. This pinned me to the wall before I managed to shimmy (oh, if you could have only seen me shimmy) my way out, still against the wall, backwards. This was why I was especially thankful and grateful to Mark, for bringing me up to the Mezzanine to enjoy this particular show, out of harm’s way. Thanks, Marquis.



With the first groans of Damn Blue Collar Tweekers, Roseland began MOVING. My thoughts turned to the Occupy Wall Street folks. Though, that might be more like Those Damn White Collar Tweekers, who have always run this town. Regardless, the first set was a killer mix of Primus favorites. A stellar Groundhog’s Day. Then Southbound Pachyderm-- insanely good. The vibe in Roseland was lurking and EVIL. BRING IT, Primus! Mrs. Blaileen was loud and crazy. Jerry Was A Racecar Driver, was awesome as always, and the floor became a mess of frenzied animals (including a cow in the mosh pit!! See video, below!). Over the Electric Grapevine was a beautiful way to mellow out the room, with just enough rockin’ involved, to keep the energy going while ensuring a calm setbreak.

I don't want to alarm anyone, but THERE'S A COW IN THE MOSH PIT!!!

Setbreak itself, consisted of a captivated room of spectators, totally entranced by cartoons playing on the big screen. Fabulous! Know your audience!



Set two was the new album, Green Naugahyde, in its entirety, which was **AWESOME**. Primus busted out the big guns and the crowd ate it up. Who wouldn’t love a demented fishing trip with Les Claypool? Fun, bouncy, loud, with exploratory jams. Highlights: Prelude To A Crawl, because it sets the scene. Tragedy’s a’ Comin’, cuz it’s a silly groove. Jilly’s On Smack, do I really need to explain why? HOINFODAMAN. Pronounced: Ho’in, fo’, da man. So… Fuck yah. A spacy Extinction Burst that any Benevento/Russo Duo fan would fucking cream over. And of course, Last Salmon Men, returning to the dock with Captain Les.



Someone threw a beer at Jay, which was totes lame. Les told the tosser dude he had a small penis. Fantastic. Then they encored with a high energy Mr. Knowitall and a smokin’ Harold of the Rocks, which featured Lal going absolutely fucking bonkers on guitar! Hot damn, I love that guy!

There is absolutely nothing like a Primus show to rock the fuck out and blow off some steam. They just fucking shred. Larry Lalonde is a mad genius on guitar and the perfect complement to Claypool’s weirdness. They exist on the same plane and are absolutely magical together. Jay Lane is back on on drums, and while he’s played with various other artists through the years (Charlie Hunter, The Flying Frog Brigade, Furthur, Ratdog), the man showed everyone why he belongs in Primus. This is nothing against Herb, who has sat on the kit previously- because he is also awesome, but Jay fucking KILLED it on the skins this night. Such a sick sick trio with such a loud loud sound.

I think years of dabbling in the jamband scene has really left a positive impression on Les. The 2 set format worked really well for Primus. I’d love to see that again. Also, secretly, I think Les enjoys playing to people who aren’t beating the shit out of each other every time the tempo builds, but that’s just one hippie’s opinion.

Hope to do it again real soon! Radiohead @ Zuccotti Park & Primus, 9/30/11, Roseland Ballroom, NYC: 9 HUZZAHS!!! PRIMUS SUCKS!!!

SET I
Blue Collar Tweekers, Wynona's Big Brown Beaver, The Pressman, Groundhog's Day, Over the Falls, Southbound Pachyderm, Mrs. Blaileen, Jerry Was a Racecar Driver, Over the Electric Grapevine

SET II: Green Naugahyde
Prelude to a Crawl, Hennepin Crawler, Last Salmon Man, Eternal Consumption Engine, Tragedy's a' comin', Eyes of the Squirrel, Jilly's on Smack, Lee Van Cleef, Moron TV, Green Ranger, HOINFODAMAN, Extinction Burst, Salmon Men

ENCORE
Mr. Knowitall, Harold of the Rocks

I haven’t seen the Roseland show up, but the rest of the Northeast tour is-- so check for updates and then DOWNLOAD THE SHOW! http://bt.etree.org/?searchss=&cat=207

BROOKLYN VEGAN PICS: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/10/primus_played_r.html

MY SLIDESHOW & HI-RES GALLERY!