Radiohead concert rocks

Road trip. Were there ever two words any sweeter? Well, add Radiohead to the mix, and you have an event.

It’s not often that Radiohead visits the Midwest (besides the occasional visit to Red Rock, Colo.) So when news broke that it was coming to Maryland Heights, Mo., near St. Louis, all the Radiohead fans from Kansas were in line to buy tickets. And yes, it was worth the money.

Here’s the setlist for a recent Radiohead concert:”The Gloaming,” “2+2=5,” “Sit Down, Stand Up,” “Where I End and You Begin,” “Airbag,” “Bulletproof,” “Knives Out,” “Climbing Up the Walls,” “Talk Show Host,” “Paranoid Android,” “Sail to the Moon,” “A Wolf at the Door,” Go to Sleep,” “I Might Be Wrong,” “Idioteque,” “No Surprises” and “There There.”

Radiohead recently released its newest album, “Hail to the Thief.” Most fans expected to hear tunes mainly from that album. But Radiohead played everything, and when the first note from each song echoed across the UMB Bank Pavilion, the crowd roared with delight. The songs that drew the most response from the crowd were “Paranoid Android” (from “OK Computer”) and “Pyramid Song” (“Amnesiac”). Hearing any sort of extended version of your favorite songs is always great. What’s cooler than the audience lifting their lighters to the sky? Nothing. Whenever that happens you always get a good feeling inside, and everyone else there is feeling it, too. You are witnessing musical genius at its highest state.

Witnessing a performance of that caliber by one of the best and most revolutionary bands is an amazing experience. You can’t take your eyes off the stage. You don’t even glance at the video screens. You just watch, listen and soak it all up.