It was the hottest ticket in town, no joke, and I couldn’t go. And now people like the NPR’s Bob Bollen are calling the two-hour concert one of the best concerts they’ve ever seen.
Radiohead’s show at the Santa Barbara Bowl came as close for musicianship and creativity as any show I’ve seen in 37 years. I’ve seen a lot of shows.
These guys write great songs, and sometimes you can even sing along to them, but what they do better than any band is create a sonic adventure — a soundscape which, at its best, stretches time and allows the mind to wander and rejuvenate. I think of it as resetting the synapses. Creativity breeds creativity. When the music was over, I felt unboxed and changed and pretty darn happy. Drugs are overrated; music is underrated.
And, bless their cotton socks, NPR has posted the ENTIRE SHOW AS A DOWNLOAD! Awesome. The show runs at 133kpbs, which is pretty good.