sooooo goooood

When I saw them in Chicago at Grant Park in 2001 I got lucky enough to hear "True Love Waits". Shit was fucking magic, though the show at Stone Mountain outside ATL two nights previous was much more accessible.

poop

kid a was a great surprise.

don't get me wrong, i love radiohead (a lot, i have all their albums & b-sides). but field day festival (the aborted camping fest turned 1-day event in giant's stadium) & the msg show a few years back both had more of a magic to them...the potential was endless for the apw shows & they delivered something good but not great...how often do they play nyc? oh...almost never...would have been nice if they did something a bit more poignant than showcasing their latest album... (and yes i know everyone will jump on me for posting this!) but someone has to agree....

amazing show....some suggestions for people going on sunday:

1) don't lose track of your friends. if you lose them, it will be very hard to find them again
2) take the light rail! we took the ferry on the way there, which was easy enough, but there were thousands of people ahead of us to take the ferry on the ride home, and we ended up walking to find the train somehow and taking it back to manhattan within 90 minutes.
3) get a beer bracelet right when you get there!
4) the lines for the toilets are very long, except at a hidden collection of 10 or so near the second stage.

just gonna be a naysayer and say I'm glad I was at the grizzly bear show tonight. they fucking killed and the crowd was WAY more enegeric and nutso than the RH crowd at APW on fri n ight

that said I still love raidohead more than anyone
just saying

...

"2) take the light rail! "

I was the one telling people all day about the light rail. I was wrong. Total nightmare coming back. Everyone lined up and it took forever just to get on the train (you can imagine how crowded it got). That said, the festival was a great time. Got there early, so I got to see really solid sets from Nicole Atkins and Metric before the crowds came. Needless to say, Radiohead was transcendent. Great night - I hope they do this again next year.
But the "5 beer" wristband thing has to go. (To those going tomorrow - use Purell).

Skip the light rail and walk right to Grove Street PATH station. Getting on the light rail to Exchange Place on Friday was a DISASTER. We're talking choppering out of Saigon level shitshow. The walk to Grove Street is slightly longer than the walk to light rail but there are zero crowds to contend with. Follow the sign to Jersey City (where the road forks and most of the sheep keep walking straight), cross the footbridge and follow the crowd. I left the grounds at 11 tonight and was back in the East Village by midnight as compared to 1:30 Friday!

And yeah, ditch the wretched beer policy next year (if there is one). PLEASE.

Idioteque will be stuck in my head for a week.

Friday night was pretty quiet and respectful from where I was standing. I was kind of interested in hearing I Might Be Wrong, but I suppose that will have to wait for another day. I was definitely not disappointed, but they could have spread out some of the headliners so they didn't overlap each other so much. I skipped Andrew Bird altogether because I was too consumed with Girl Talk to bother.

re: the 5 beer limit/beer garden

liberty state park is a state park. no alcohol consumption allowed. from the park's website: "Alcoholic beverages of any sort are forbidden." the beer garden and drink limit was probably the concession the organizers had to make to the state in order to be able to sell any alcohol at all. so live with it, we were lucky to get anything at all. iirc, the radiohead shows in 2001 were completely dry.

at $7-$9 per beer, we weren't even considering getting wristbands. furthermore, if you wanted a spot near radiohead, you had to know that it was an endurance contest that required stocking up on water and holding in your piss until after the show. radiohead was phenomenal both nights, it's worth the dull ache in my back and feet this morning. no complaints about the setlists, they covered almost everything you could ask for. from the entirety of both shows, i was most pleased with climbing up the walls, kid a, where i end and you begin, how to disappear completely, and the first two songs from the bends.
least pleased with the drunken teenage assholes who pushed up front and felt they should be the focal point of the show and who did every obnoxious thing they could think of to draw the attention of the surrounding crowd to themselves. this was saturday, the more crowded day. aside from them the crowd was great, and even they could not tarnish radiohead's fantastic and varied set on saturday night.

I came both nights from Princeton--the first night I took NJ Transit to Newark Penn, then the PATH to Exchange Place, then the light rail to the park. Getting there was no problem, but getting home took FOUR HOURS. Last night I decided to drive. An EXTREMELY nice Jersey City cop let me park in an illegal spot very, very close to the park and said he'd watch my car for me all night. We were right on the other side of the footbridge and were able to shave two hours and fifteen minutes off our return time thanks to this cop's being a decent human being (maybe a Radiohead fan?)

Fri I didn't even try the wristband thing, yesterday I did and it was basically not worth it. Long, long lines to get your ID checked, to get a drink, and to pee that drink away. Next time I am DEFINITELY bringing some weed, a much better option (and one which many, many people had evidently prepared for!)

The setlists killed both nights. Really had to see both shows to get the full effect of their massively strong back catalog. Most respectful NY crowds I have ever seen, almost nobody talking or texting during the shows, everybody enraptured.

This was my fourth and fifth time seeing them and I do not think Radiohead could be more impressive if they rose from the dead.

Wonderful set, even without Karma Police

"This was my fourth and fifth time seeing them and I do not think Radiohead could be more impressive if they rose from the dead."

yeah cause then they would have to die, and we all know at minimum johnny and thom are not human, so they cant die.

but yeah both sets were amazing, seeing both only made it better, and i completely disagree with the guy saying it was them trying to show off in rainbows, it as quite clear it played less of a role night 2, and not to mention who cares its the in rainbows tour its the newest material let them play it. i loved ending the first set in night one with how to disappear completely, amazing, just was also a nice surprise, but not nearly as much as cymbal rush. night 2 was full of great things, i was really pumped to see bangers and faust. the songs i wish were present but werent would have been 2+2=5, down is the new up( preferably in the solo format as cymbal was), and obviously karma police, oh well though, i can never complain about a single second about the fact i saw radiohead for a collective 4 and half hours.

im glad i didnt go yesterday. they didnt play 2+2=5. did anyone catch chromeo?

No and that's because Chromeo sucks balls. What a stupid name too.

I'm glad you didn't go yesterday, too. chromeo was great.

Chromeo sucked, radiohead killed every other act that day, most amazing show ive ever seen

absolutely spectacular saturday night. the light show was unbelievable, especially when they broke out the rainbow-spectrum madness for planet telex. i was also surprised at how respectful people were during the quiet songs -- i think a product of radiohead's ability to enrapture an audience. the 40-year-old former meat heads next to me started the show high-fiving and vigorously fist-pumping to every song (we're talking non-stop machine gun style fist pump, for at least 15 minutes straight), but by exit music they were completely silent with jaws dropped.

fall back, 942. the roots played the best set yesterday.

Saturday was basically a Radiohead concert. There was no festival. Everything else was half-assed.

Take the other ferry from North Cove (BPC). Less than half the price as the other ferry and much shorter lines.

Learned our lesson from Fri night. After Idioteque we ran like lunatics to the ferry line. Home (upper west side) before 12:30.

Kings Of Leon's new single, 'Sex On Fire'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYUW14ze5gU

just really really phenomenal set and performance. the lights were amazing. the band was fantastic. i was blown away. idioteque was my dream encore and i got it!!

If you have a car, here's what I did and it worked out GREAT. The cop I talked to was impressed w/the plan.

Drive to Bayonne, park in the daily spaces at the 34th St light rail station. $3 for parking + $3.80 for rt ticket (which they aren't even checking for this wknd)

When the show ends, everyone will be piling onto the Hoboken-bound trains, you will be going the other direction on a practically empty train. 4 or 5 stops takes 10 minutes and you are back in your car.

The Holland Tunnel will be the most crowded back-to-the-city drive, but if you leave before the last set is over (SACRILIGIOUS, i know, but common sense w/all those people there) you will be OK

Much better energy and i was much closer for night 1 and with better people, so i kinda preferred night 1. I thought night ones setlists flowed much better the first encore was fantastic then he comes out with cymbal rush and jumps into just. Idioteque to Climbing and Paranoid to Dollars were particularly ama.zing

ummm... Chromeo was out of hand good. Sounded awesome.

not to brag, but got the VIP deal. Worth it! Whenever we got hot or tired, we just mosey'd into the air condition tent. My friend even took a nap for a sec on one of the couches.

If you have a car park in Jersey City worked great, the walk is not much longer than the light rail. If no car the path train in Jersey City was an easy walk to and no lines.

PS: not sure why but the bathrooms between the main and second stage weren't being used so there was no line while the other big bathroom area had a line.

my 10th RH show since. 2001. My gf passed out in the lights of Nat'l Anthem! Wow they killed it and epic! Well we did have some 420 right before.....

Radiohead KILLED It both nights. The vibe was totally different, first night, more laid back and down tempo- saturday, super rock oriented and brilliant. Radiohead knew that the die-hards would go both nights so switched it up and hit all songs.

That's a better setlist than on Friday (when I was there). Friday was somewhat disappointing - no National Anthem, no Airbag, no Fake Plastic Trees no Planet Telex. On the other hand they DID do Paranoid Android & Oprimistic on Friday and didn't do The Bends (thank god! the ONE Radiohead song I hate) Still, this sounds like a somewhat better selection than Friday - mainly 'cause of National Anthem. On the other hand the poster above saying night 1 was better makes me feel a lot better (thanks!) Can't complain, though, 'cause there was no band on Sat that could have been as pleasant a surprise as Underworld (awesome) and Duke Spirit . . . or was there? So I'm still glad I went Friday.

BTW, that Bayonne parking idea mentioned above is brilliant; I wish I'd have thought of that Friday . . . we took light rail out & walk to Grove Street going back and it wasn't bad.

oh man, I really really wanted to go but was turned off by the high ticket prices, the time/energy involved in getting to and from the venue and my desire to avoid guido/meatheads. but am kicking myself now after reading these comments. Does anyone think Radiohead will come back to NY? probably in a few years, but who can wait that long? ahhhh.

Anybody want to buy tickets for today? I am selling 2 for $200.

I don't know how you can watch last night's show and not feel completely honored/privileged to be experiencing first hand a band of that magnitude in their prime. 2 hours and 15 minutes of absolute inspiration...Thom could be the greatest ARTIST of our time.

animal collective was the set of the day. Nothing like paying all that loot to hear a bunch of drunk fucks around you one up their falcetto over thom yorke.

The set was more like 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Sounds like 10:51 comment (Christina) hit the nail on the head. I guess they DID have to make it interesting for people going both nights. I just wish they'd done the rocking show on Friday when I was there! oh well - still great!

What was up with all the lines. It was just one line after the other. RH is killer and always will be but lets be real this was not a festival. Also what was the problem with the sound during the kings show they sound like they were playing from across the water.

Here is the rundown

40 min walk to grounds
hour and a half wait to get in
2 hour wait for ID check
hour and half wait for beer
at least 1 hour for bathroom
4 hours to get out

All this equals RH rules and GV blows bottom line

Walk to the Grove Street PATH stop! No joke. It's about a 30 minute walk and not crowded and you cut the light rail out of the equation. Sooooooooo easy.

I was the person who sort of ripped them for night one for the bad tempo. While this one was still not as good Bonnaroo, it was markedly better than night 1, like BV those moments of silence that lasted what 1 or 2 minutes, I mean 30 or 40 thousand people in total silence was shiver inducing. You could see people in the audience crying during some songs. Anyway everything bv said is pretty much right on the money I friday i got there at seven and got the rail, this time i got there just as Animal Collective(ac= I thought once again very weak show, they pale in comparison to RH, and at this point I dont know what the hell they are doing with that 3 man line-up) was starting and got to about 20 person in from the rail, not too many people got further than that.

few point- watch that you dont get busted right at the gate, since police are right inside the gates and they were checking bags, guy in front of me they took out some pills in a plastic bag from his back pack and said what the hell is this (looked to me like Tylenol) and they took him aside for questioning. I dont know what happened but i hope nothing serious, but you guys take note- put it in your shoe or pants, dont be stupid thinking you cannot be busted.

Other than that I found NJ State Police was much more respectful or kind if that is the right word than NYPD. they actually gave directions and were helpful and didnt have that "im just waiting to fuck you up" attitude of NYPD.

Lastly- if you are one of the people walking to Jersey City, right after you pass the footbridge, there is another ligh rail station that no one seemed to know about so i went there and hopped the train when it came in for a stop (this was probably possible only because very few people realized you could grab the train there) but now you know...

also i figured they wont be checking tickets since trains are packed, and lot of people were hopping on without tickets so your chances of being fined are I think very small.

Now I remember why I stopped going to festivals about 4 years ago!

It's just not worth it. Long lines for everything, high prices for everything, over-policing...

The lineup was not very impressive either. My big pull was Radiohead, although I wanted to see the Feliz Bros but missed them due to the ridiculous line to get in to the festival caused by over-searching and not enough people working the gates. I wanted to see the Roots, but saw Kings of Leon instead basically because I wanted to stake out a somewhat descent spot for Radiohead. Kings of Leon did not impress me at all.

So, everthing was riding on Radiohead for me, and then I got f'd by the sound system. I'm not sure if it was just the area I was in (right of center about 100 feet behind the sound booth), but the volume was far too low most of the time with these occasional moments when it would swell up then die down again - and it wasn't the band causing these dynamics.

I ended up leaving before the first encore because I didn't want to get screwed at the line for the light rail. I think my favorite part of the day was my fast ride home back to Brooklyn.

Do I sound a bit bitter?

btw- "strike force" security the name was very appropriate, dudes had worse attituted than the police, at every turn it was dont do this or that, at one point the guy told us not to sit on the ground. no joke.

I love how Radiohead are doing everything they can to make their tours as eco-friendly as possible...and then someone goes and opens a huge air conditioned tent in the VIP area. Nice move.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the volume was plenty loud for Animal Collective. I had to flee as far away as I could from that horrible din they were creating.

I had the brilliant Bayonne parking idea too, and coming from Staten Island it worked out great getting to the show. Unfortunately the plan broke down at night after (a) we couldn't fit on the first Bayonne-bound train that pulled up; (b) two "out of service" southbound trains passed by; (c) one Bayonne-bound train with plenty of room passed by without stopping. A Light Rail employee told us that we had to get on a Hoboken-bound train (along with everyone else), get off at the next stop (Jersey Ave), then catch the southbound train at that stop, as Bayonne-bound trains were no longer stopping at Liberty State Park. Of course, once we did this and got back to where we started at the Liberty State Park station, the train stopped and let passengers on.

Basically, we got punk'd by Hudson-Bergen Light Rail. There were plenty of cops at the station, but obviously there was some serious disorganization and misinformation.

That said, I enjoyed Nicole Atkins's set, and the Roots put on a great show. Their lineup's changed a bunch since I saw them in '99 and '03, but they still know how to play to a crowd. Black Thought certainly isn't the best MC around, but they're serious entertainers, and their guitarist is insane.

Radiohead was fantastic.

Cunts-a-poppin'

AWESOME SHOW.....I left after the first encore and missed "Idioteque". Sadness!!! However, I took the light rail to the path to the 2 train to the N train to the R train and got to the last stop in Bay Ridge at 12 midnight :)

Kings of Leon reminded me of Creed. This is just not my type of music and I would never go to one of their concerts willingly. However like 11;35 said we had no choice and basically had to stick it in our pretty good spots. Would have much rather watched the Roots, obviously.

and its true about the big mass humanity at the gates, took me half hour to get in at 4:30, made it in just as AC was starting

i used the Westside Ave. light rail station in jersey city. Only had to pay 2 bucks for parking and no one was on the train back

Kings of Leon reminded me why they were good 5 years ago!

Does anyone know what AC opened with, I also got caught in the huge entrance line and missed the first song. Thanks.

11 35: it was just your spot. i was on the barricade, and the sound was beautiful. the only thing that got me for the other bands was the bass was incredibly loud, but that was because i was so close i assumed.

i thought the security was great! they were really nice up front and gave everyone free water and were really cool to talk to.

APW is stupid.

animal collective owned them

Fuck Radiohead...how was MEHtric?

they were probably worried about people passing out. some dude right in back of us passed out about 5 minutes before RH came on and got taken out over the rail. poor guy, waited there all day just to miss the show.

skipped metric because the sucked it at coachella so didnt need to see them again

best performance of the day was THE ROOTS. seriously.

they did a 15+ minute jam out of "you got me" complete with a scat solo, as well as bass and guitar solos (the guitaist, by the way, was absolutely sick...he really conjured some oldschool blues with a touch of hendrix), and they even injected part of a zeppelin song into the prolonged jam, before bringing it around to finish the song. highly impressive, very talented dude, a performance that will stick with me for quite a long time...

totally worth every penny of the $30 i paid to get in

so, how was The Stooges show, you idiots?

Radiohead is #1. Epic.

APW as an event overall was not that stellar. I agree, long lines - no beer (unless you want to be corraled into a crowded beer garden). Radiohead was phenomenal. No complaints on sounds, in fact - it was pretty stellar if not mind-blowing. Must have been an issue with where you were standing.

Radiohead - All Points West, 8-9-08:
01. Reckoner
02. 15 Step
03. The National Anthem
04. Kid A
05. All I Need
06. Nude
07. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
08. Where I End And You Begin
09. The Gloaming
10. Faust Arp
11. No Surprises
12. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
13. The Bends
14. Bangers and Mash
15. Everything In Its Right Place
16. Exit Music (For A Film)
17. Bodysnatchers

Encore 1
18. Pyramid Song
19. Videotape
20. Airbag
21. Fake Plastic Trees
22. There There

Encore 2
23. House of Cards
24. Planet Telex
25. Idioteque

maybe it was the mushrooms, but planet telex was AMAZING

My girlfriend and I had an awesome time yesterday. Best Radiohead show Ive ever seen and Ive seen every show they have played in NYC including the 2001 at the park. Lines were a bitch and the 5 drink thing is a bummer, but watching Radiohead perform at that beautiful park makes everything worthwhile.

I took the ferry both ways and the lines were long, but they moved fast. Might have to check out some of these suggestions on the light rail next time to mix it up, but Id take the ferry again. Maybe light rail one way and ferry back.

"Nothing like paying all that loot to hear a bunch of drunk fucks around you one up their falcetto over thom yorke."

yeah, that's going to happen sometimes. here's a suggestion: move positions. if something is bothering you and you move, then it won't bother you anymore. i did that to avoid a loud talker and it worked! i enjoyed the concert instead of being distracted. just a tip.

radiohead were brilliant.
first time seeing them (at long last).
the energy, the sound, the lights...

epic.

the most amazing part being they made the nightmare that was getting home from apw worth dealing with.

Radiohead were great but the festival was extremely bad organized. We waited for hours right next to the sound booth at the main stage and right after the first song ended five asshole VIP kids decided to stand on top of a box that wasn't even supposed to be for people to be at. People threw everything at them but the security guards only said "they knew the band". I wonder if Thom and co. would have laughed at that. it was unfair to people who waited there patienty.

The ride back home was a anightmare, they never planned on how to move all those people out of JC quickly. As one person above said, drive and park somwhere nearby or you will be waiting until past 1am to get back home.

The lines at the BR was hell, they should have a separate area for girls and boys, so we don't have have to wait an hour to take a leak.

I wouldn't go back there again, Radioehead was worth the hassle, though. Their setlist was amazing and I'm so glad they didn't play the radio stuff most of the bros and the OC girls were waiting for.

"so, how was The Stooges show"

Fantastic.

Stooges show FUCKING ROCKED- Extra long set and the fact that they weren't on their own equipment didnt make any difference- Energy HIGH- People in great spirit!!!~ If you missed this show for something else it was a bad move. Radiohead night 2 was Great and Animal Collective stole the whole show. KOL mediocre at best- they lost a lot of energy and were plagued with sound problems-

Sound was good, maybe peopel didnt enjoy it from being too close to the speakers.
Security was good but completely useless, you can see hordes of fat cops standing doing nothing at any time.
Nightmare to get out of there. Plan accordingly or leave early.
Anyway, who is going to see Jack Johnson today??? LOL

"here's a suggestion: move positions. if something is bothering you and you move"

Where you there last night? You could barely move up front during Radiohead?

The festival security SUCKED. They were on your case about EVERYTHING. The lines sucked. The 8:30 last call sucked. I know it was a state park, but what sort of magic number is 5 for beer consumption?

There were still 2 Long Island douchebags in the lawn at Radiohead doing pushups during the first encore break. Would 2 more beers have hurt? Plus, it is an all day fest, what about the people who were there for 8-10 hours?

If you are going to serve beer, fuck the mile long list of rules. I hate how you felt like you were in trouble the whole time you were in the beer tent. I almost blew up when the security started screaming at people to stand up who were sitting down. Jersey meatheads.

What is the fascination with "True Love Waits"? People just want to hear it because it's rare, not because it's that good.

"Fake Plastic Trees" was great. Would love to hear something from Pablo Honey again.

Last night (08.09.08) was the first time I saw Radiohead perform live. AWESOME...really, beautiful. Thom's voice is even more amazing live than in recordings...hard to believe, yet true! =) The entire band really put on a great show, not to mention the great lighting they provided for the fans. Loved it! I've been a fan of Radiohead since Pablo Honey (even though people made fun of me for liking Radiohead back then)and I am so glad they are still my favorite band. They ooze talent.

was lucky enough to see them both nights... EPIC.
the first night me and my friends (who have been to our share of radiohead concerts) decided we would chill out more towards the back and enjoy from a more spacious vantage point. they were amazing of course, but the whole time i was standing there it became clear to me that i needed to be up front so that i could see their brilliance come forth from the source... don't know how i forgot that.
it was great to see the full effect of the side screens as a part of their programmed show (a little extra something for the people further back).
but it wasn't enough and i knew what had to be done to be up there saturday.

sacrifices must be made. love must be tested.
food & drinks early on and no pee breaks after Animal Collective. Kings of Leon was a test of... endurance (in more ways than one). We were rewarded with a spot in front of Ed about 7 people back. And except for the occasional assholes who tried to "dance" their way up to the front, everyone was respectful of each other as we all had been enduring together up there for hours. (luckily the lineup was pretty good)

completely agree with Anonymous "least pleased with the drunken teenage assholes who pushed up front..." - my biggest pet peeve at shows! - i respect everyone's right to be any kind of fan they want, but not when it ruins other fans' experience.
However, thanks to the beautiful night breezes and THANKS TO RADIOHEAD, nothing marred the perfection of seeing them live... up close.

definitely worth the aches and the numbness in my left fourth toe. So giddy that they played Street Spirit and FPT. Cymbal Rush was beautiful and Kid A and Idioteque were mind-blowing. The light show was beautiful and mind-blowing too - spot-on. And as always, seeing them perform an album live makes me love it more.

sorry for going on, but radiohead will do that to me.

oh and as for APW, thought it was a good festival - not overwhelmingly big, relatively clean and organized and the sound was great!
if nothing about the festival impedes the music experience, then it's fine by me. hope they continue with it.
didn't mind the five beer rule - a teensy fascist, but nice to not have drunken pukey messes falling on you for support as they make their way through the crowd because they're too wasted to stay for the whole show. so sad :(

THIS IS DEF ONE FOR THE GOOD DAYS.

Someone posted a video of "Reckoner" right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFWZY34Y8_Q

Radiohead are worth everything, like true love.

worst VIP ever

"What is the fascination with "True Love Waits"? People just want to hear it because it's rare, not because it's that good"

Actually, I don't want to hear it because it's rare, I want to hear it becasue that song is very important to me and has played a serious role in my life. Everyone has songs that have gotten them through tough times and for me, "True Love Waits," is one of them.

god. a "this radiohead song got me through tough times" poster.

go cry, emo kid.

"god. a "this radiohead song got me through tough times" poster.

go cry, emo kid."

shouldn't music invigorate you? dipshit, you're one of those pompous cynical assholes who goes to shows just to mock others. you're the reason why your parents divorced.

I have to say I was not-so-secretly pleased that Animal Collective sucked as bad as they did. I have never understood their appeal and apparently not too many people there yesterday did as well. Total noise. Underworld was a zillion times better.

AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG. AIRBAG IS THE BEST RADIOHEAD SONG.

"I have to say I was not-so-secretly pleased that Animal Collective sucked as bad as they did. I have never understood their appeal and apparently not too many people there yesterday did as well. Total noise. Underworld was a zillion times better."

this is seriously laughable

I can't believe no one has mentioned this yet:

When entering the APW festival, all they did was rip off the bottom half of my printed page that had my ticket on it. They didn't scan it or anything.

So I called some friends, told them to print out my tickets, and they all got in for free using the same piece of paper.

Did anyone else do this? Great free Radiohead show!

Did anybody drive to a closeby area & bike over to the festival??

I am thinking of heading over there for this evening but dont want to take ferry or rail.

I was all psyched for Jack to go on last night and then all of the sudden Radiohead came out. Then I thought, "well maybe they're just opening for JJ," but he never came on. Needless to say, I was more than a little disappointed.

Did they switch the lineup at the last second? I thought JJ was supposed to head up all three nights, but maybe my friends just tricked me.

yeah. good catch on the broken scanners at the gate. i noticed this too and figured people would try it to get in.

at least three people behind me weren't even checked for tickets as they had one person for two lines that couldn't keep up (and probably didn't care to bother).

"shouldn't music invigorate you? dipshit, you're one of those pompous cynical assholes who goes to shows just to mock others. you're the reason why your parents divorced."

burn? i think? (instead of ranting, why not go listen to a song that captures yout feelings of this moment, and then blog about it).

my parents aren't divorced though.

yes you right i doubt they will be checking the receipts to see if anyone got in on the same ticket.
so if the word got out you could have got all your friends in (if you had that print at home ticket)

Also im surprised no one mentioned part of having a beer at the show is this is something to wash down your hot dog/pizza etc? but they do it the same way at coachella so not sure if thats got something to do with that. maybe it has something to do with PNC center crap from last year?

"I was all psyched for Jack to go on last night and then all of the sudden Radiohead came out. Then I thought, "well maybe they're just opening for JJ," but he never came on. Needless to say, I was more than a little disappointed."

i wanto cry a little for you right now... if you're serious.
nothing against JJ, but to be disappointed to see radiohead take the stage is somewhat worrisome :)

(long comment ahead) As an overall music fan and veteran of concerts and festivals dating do my first ever outdoor show (lollapalozza '93-waterloo village) I think overall my takeaway from this "festival" was that it was lots of style but lacking in substance.

First the lines for everything were absurd. I expect lines but at a festival style show where people are there over the course of many hours and need to eat, drink and use the bathroom I thought the line situation was unconsciable. You were faced with a choice of missing music or going to the bathroom or eating. Should never be that bad.

The venue was amazing, ferry service from NYC was what I expected a long lines but moved, there and back in relatively short order.

The saturday lineup was weak, knew that going in but seriously you put animal collective on the main stage for a festival show? This is not the galapagos or studio b its an enormous park. The Roots should have been on that stage and then you would not have been forced to miss the only other early act that brought anything to the table in Kings of Leon.

As for Radiohead, Im not a diehard fan of sycophantic nature like most seem to be and thought the show was good not great. For a band that does not play the NYC area often , at a venue like that for their last night I expected more. Maybe my expectations were too high, but think of the situation like this - If you weren't a Radiohead fan and saw that show, was your mind blown? Do you walk away a fan? Thats my standard and I don't think it was met.

I am turned on to new music all the time by great live performances, (see yesterday The Felice Brothers for an example) and walked away wanting a little more. Like I said, good not great.

They didn't even play "Yellow" or "Viva la Vida," my two favorite Radiohead jams!?!?

I though VIP was worth it. You got actual bathrooms, an air conditioned lounge, no wait for drinks (until like six when it became insane), and a nice security guard guy who was giving out second wristbands. Also the view from the bleachers was fine

and i want to cry for you a little right now because you weren't sure if that person was kidding.

When thom said "we're dedicating this next song to Kings of Leon, if we were as pretty as them we could be famous", I seriously just shouted out CREEP, it would have been the ultimate symbolic fuck you to them.... damnit Thom.

Did anyone else notice the guy walking through the roots crowd with atleast 20 bowls on a tray selling them to people?

Tight security my ass!

Also lines sucked so just avoid them when you can.
Do you really need to wait 30 minutes just to eat a mozzereppa.
Carry your flask with you...take a a few puffs.
Get next to some people who want to have fun and all should be good.
If you need to wait on line..wait for a cute guy/girl to get on line and have a nice 2 hour chat.

The thing wasn't perfect, but there were ways to have fun there.
WHy spend $100 dollars to have a shitty time and bitch about it the next day.

girltalk was wonderful.

radiohead can suck my dick and die.

PEACE.

The point is I no longer want to worry about sneaking in flask, been there done that, I should not have too. I have no problems with the beer policy but it should have been more transparent (ie posted with the litany of other rules). Also not that I expect anyone arrived at noon given what they threw on stage before 3, but for an all day festival the notion of limiting people to 5 beers without a heads up beforehand is pretty dumb. And if you are going to have a designated drinking area (or 2) make them large enough to hold some people, it was a glorified cattle pen.

I would never expect "perfection" but for close to 100 dollars for a ticket 25 dollars for a ferry ride, almost 8 dollars for anything else food/drink related you are buying onsite I think I can have some expectations.

Anyone else see John Norris cut in front of EVERYONE and go straight to the front of the ferry line? He didn't apologize and was wearing a Jack Johson t-shirt.

Someone has to put an end to his reign of terror on the new york indie community.

Man, what happend to Chris Martin's eye?

It should be illegal to look like that and fuck iron man's girlfriend.

i hate saying this, but the food seemed priced pretty reasonably by new york standards (a veggie burrito for $7 is probably what you'd expect to pay for at any fast food place in the city for the same food).

Yes, this festival was very far from perfect.

But knowing the rules that were in place from yesterdays concert,with a little ingenuity you can have a a pretty decent time as long as you don't let everything get you down.

Did people interpret Thom's dedication to KOL to mean that they're only getting attention b/c they're attractive, or was it more self-deprecating? Radiohead are certainly not an attractive bunch, but I think KOL are a solid band.

Whomever said it, I agree that the Roots should have been on the main stage. That was a major blunder, and disrespectful to them, as well.

I think, the limit of 5 beers just sucks - I arrived at noon, so 5 beers for 10 hours in so hot day is just ridiculous if not to say more. I agree about restricting drinking to designated areas. At the same time - when Radiohead started to play I could smell nothing but cannabis all over the crowd - that was so amazing :)

Radiohead - of course's the best. There are no words to describe their show and appearance in Liberty State Park yesterday night.

fredy

Roots are tremendous live performers, a main stage with Metric followed by Animal Collective is a steaming pile of doo doo. And I actually don't hate their music, just made no sense. Roots into KOL would have been a great build to a Radiohead close. Hell Sia is probably better suited to a main stage performance. To me it was odd to have two of the higher energy acts in KOL and The Roots performing at nearly the same time.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=A_gPf-FPhI4

shit man