(Ed. Note: Stephanie's review is obviously different from mine.  But then again, I sat in section 8, in the heart of the pavillion.  I would love to hear any reviews from people who sat in the lawn to see if this sound deficiancy was more of a problem for fans.  Email me here and I swear I will post!)

I admit I wasn’t as excited as I should have been but as the minutes ticked closer, the elation grew.  The opening track “All I Need” warmed up the crowd and through my trusty pair of binoculars Thom & the band were still pint sized.  Seated within the last three rows of the Amphitheatre, it seemed the quality of sound was lacking and never reached that rounded decibel level where one feels they are immersed within the sounds of one of the greatest bands of the 21st century.  Maybe it would be different if I had closer seats, but that shouldn’t matter in a venue this pricey.

All my desired songs were played: “Reckoner,” “Just,” “You And Whose Army?,” “Pyramid Song,” and “Exit Music.”  The band was surrounded themselves with a square of metal/aluminum tubes that resembled wind chimes.  They captured the light show amazingly, embodying the In Rainbows effect.  Other songs played were “Idioteque,” “House of Cards,” “Airbag,” “Nude” “15 Step,” “Weird Fishes,” “Optimistic,” and “Everything In It’s Right Place.”  The two large screens on the sides of the stage went unused and everyone on the lawn undoubtedly struggled to see and hear the band. 

Thom’s performance included double, even triple duty, on guitars, piano, and drums all while practicing his patented spastic head thrusts and jumping about the stage while the majority of the crowd remained lifeless.  It was sad, really.  How could thousands come and see Radiohead and barely move aside from clapping?  Where was all the energy, the excitement the movement?  The lackluster crowd paired with the weak sounds put this show at three on a five-point scale.  With all that fancy equipment I couldn’t understand why they didn’t blow the roof off that place. Instead (probably due to some decibel level statute) the band half-mutedly rolled through their songs while those with the best seats just stood there. 

With two encores it was a show I would gladly live again and again, but for all the hype, it didn’t meet the this-is-one-of-the-top-bands-in-the-world experience.  On the other hand, I got to hear twenty plus live songs by Radiohead and that alone is bragging rights.