When I got back from the show my roommates asked me how it was. I really couldn’t explain the absolute masterpiece that I had just been a part of. I started to tell them when one them stopped me. She said she glad it was awesome but didn’t want to hear about it. She had contemplated scalping some tickets outside the show, but eventually decided it wasn’t an option. It was so hard to not go into detail about how they played every song I wanted them to, how the lights were a thing of beauty, or how Thom Yorke is an absolute musical genius. But I reserved myself, for her sake.

Now that I’ve had a day to process it all, it can be summed up quite simply. Wow. That’s all I can say about it. Radiohead was one of the greatest live acts I’ve ever seen. Musically the 23 song set had everything you wanted to hear. Yorke was obviously the focus of the show, but with good reason. He commanded the stage through a variation of different albums, instruments, and emotions. But the rest of the group comprised Johnny Greenwood (lead guitar), Colin Greenwood (bass), Phi Selway (drums), Ed O’Brien (guitar, backing vocal) and Clive Dreamer (percussion, backing vocals) brought as much energy to show.

Visually it was as stunning. The light show was the most unbelievable that I have witnessed. The bottom section of back wall of the stage is made from 14,400 recycled Naked Juice bottles with LED lights illuminating them. In addition to that were 30 projection screens above and around the stage. 12 of them floated up and down and created a different feeling with each song.

15 Step started with the floating projection panels facing downward, compressing the space. A white light flashed from these panels giving a very unique effect. During Paranoid Android, a fan favorite, as the song switched from chaos to hushed the background echoed it. I wish I had gone all out and bought tickets in the pit. The set was mostly tracks from 2007′s In Rainbows and last year’s King of Limbs. They played two tracks from Kid A, the album that skyrocketed them to stardom in 2000. The title track Kid A got a great reception and they also ended with Kid A and it’s hypnotic opening track Everything In Its Right Place.

The Susquehanna Bank Center’s sold-out crowd was electric. A gorgeous night for a outdoor concert. To see the full set list click here. For photos of the event click here.

Written By: Jorgen Eriksen