In a city that is both weird and wonderful, Radiohead’s quirky Britishness and their eclectic musical style was a true complement.
The set list was relentless, coming at us like a steam train. Tracks old and new were played with real vigour and the live versions of these new and classic tracks were pushed out to the max. From the opener to the closing bars of ‘Paranoid Android’, the band was in synch and full of smiles, eye contact and friendly banter.
The Austin show sold out in minutes and in such a small stadium (capacity 16,000) you couldn’t help but sense this would be a special performance. The Frank Erwin Centre is a purpose built Basketball arena, possibly the smallest venue on the official tour schedule and felt intimate, almost like a small theatre. The backdrop was simply engineered but impressively dynamic and ever changing. Twelve large LED screens dangled above the band, constantly raised, lowered and angled. The suspended screens projected blocks of colour and close up images of the band members while the electronic backdrop complemented with colourwash and graphics.
After track ten, Thom took a breather and a moment to truly win over the crowd. He mentioned that he and the band “were out and about in Downtown Austin today” which provoked a raucous applause. Austin is a liberal city, known for its laid back, artistic attitude. It is wall-to-wall music venues, from dives to modern concert halls. And over recent years it has become a music mecca for bands from all over the world. The unofficial city motto is “Keep Austin Weird” and Thom relayed that saying he and the band “did their bit to uphold the weirdness and bought the T-shirts.” Sadly they were not wearing them on stage in favour of plainer attire. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood wore a Texas t-shirt, but he toned it down with his rather English Oxford collar shirt.
Radiohead continue their North American tour during March and April, culminating in their hotly anticipated headline slot at Coachella Festival in California before heading to Mainland Europe in July. They finally put the UK fans out of their misery with arena performances planned in September.
Words and photo by Andy Sheppard
