April 7, 2010

Thom Yorks (Atoms for Peace) played Roseland Ballroom



After waiting in line for seriously hours, many feared that this night was never going to happen. Around 9:30 Franny and I made our way into the jam packed Roseland Ballroom and tried our best to squeeze our way to the front of the stage. We actually lucked out and got a supreme view from the first row all the way to the left, which pretty much highlighted Thom and Flea for the entire evening. When Thom released The Erasure back in 2006 many felt that it was a watered down version of something that Radiohead would produce and it received lack luster reviews. Well after witnessing the songs performed live, I would say all of those reviews have been put to shame. The new band really breathed a new life into each track which on record now sound too simple and on an album highly relying on dub-step like beats, Flea showed why he was the clear choice on bass. Also I don't know if there is a more fitting partner to Thom's quirky dancing them the frantic pulsing and shaking of Flea. Even from the opening track "The Erasure" his chemistry with Thom shone as they dueled their strings to the end. The only time a song felt basic and plain was on my personal highlight from the album, and now band name, "Atoms for Peace" however the rest of the evening really made up for any forms of disappointment. There was a brief pause as the band finished the full album until Thom came back onstage and debuted his live acoustic cover of "All For the Best" followed by the elusive yet beautiful Radiohead track "Fog (Again)" which nearly brought me to tears until my heart raced for a solo piano version of "Everything In It's Right Place." This portion of the show really allowed to Thom to connect with the audience in a way rarely seen when backed by his normal bandmates. The rest of Atoms for Peace joined him for another Radiohead b-side and the final songs of the night.

Setlist:
The Eraser
Analyse
The Clock
Black Swan
Skip Divided
Atoms For Peace
And It Rained All Night
Harrowdown Hill
Cymbal Rush

All For The Best (solo)
Fog (Again) (solo)
Everything In It's Right Place (solo)
Paperbag Writer
Judge, Jury, Executioner
The Hollow Earth
Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

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