Radiohead w/Stephen Malkmus & Jicks at the Tweeter Center

Tweeter Center Camden, NJ 8/18/03Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
(exact order not confirmed)
Dynamic Calories
Us
Water and a Seat
Grab it and Gone
Vanessa From Queens (electric)
Witch Mountain
Face The Truth
Ramp Of Death
Phantasies
1% of 1

Radiohead
The Gloaming
There There
Sit Down. Stand Up
Where I End And You Begin
Exit Music
Backdrifts
Lucky
Paranoid Android
Sail To The Moon
Kid A
Go To Sleep
Like Spinning Plates
I Might Be Wrong
Talk Show Host
Idioteque
Fake Plastic Trees
The National Anthem

Encore #1:
Nice Dream
My Iron Lung
No Surprises
Karma Police

Encore #2:
2+2=5
Everything In Its’ Right Place

“After years of waiting…”

Of all the concerts I’ve been to this summer, this was the show I had been looking forward to the most. Two of my favorites, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, and Radiohead, on the same night! A match made in Mike heaven!

My compadres at this show were Jeff and the ever-present concert cohort, Wooly. Josh and Becca were also there, but unfortunately we could not catch up with each other.

The evening started rather ominously, when a standard stop at McDonalds turned into a twenty minute headache - all because Wooly asked for his meal to be “Super-Sized.” Apparently, this request proved too much for the mental midgets behind the counter. Only when the manager was brought in to assist was the matter resolved - or so we thought. As we were pulling away, Wooly discovered that they had put cheese on his quarter-pounder (he had specifically asked for no cheese,) and had completely forgotten his apple pie!

Sacrificing gastronomical well-being in the interest of time, Wooly turned down my offer to head back to Mc Donalds, so we instead began making our way to Jeff’s. Traffic was still pretty light, and we got there in about twenty minutes. Upon our arrival, we discovered a raring-to-go Jeff, so it was only a matter of moments before we were back on the road. What potentially could have been a nightmare of a drive during rush hour turned out to be a speedy forty minute trip. Jeff knew of some alternate routes into the lion’s den that is Camden, and by 5:45, we were parking in a lot right next to the venue.

In the post-9/11 world in which we live, I understand and completely accept the increased role security plays at conerts and sporting events lately. That being said, the folks who run the Tweeter Center need to get their acts together. Some of the guards were stating that no backpacks were allowed, while others were asking that they be opened for search during entry. Not wanting to risk being told that he could not bring his backpack in, Wooly decided to get out of line and return it to the car. Since the doors didn’t open for another twenty minutes at this point, Jeff and I joined him. When we got back into line, we saw lots of folks with backpacks, and were amazed when the were let in! The indignation subsided as we made our way inside purchased some adult beverages and quickly found our seats. I say seats, but in reality they were more like patches of pavement. We had been lucky enough to score pit seats, and as a result were no more than ten feet from the stage all night!

Wooly’s in love with Joanna, the bass player of The Jicks, so he quickly picked a spot for us right in front of where she’d be standing, pronouncing, “We’re standing here!” This was fine for Jeff and I, because it meant that we’d be between Ed and Thom when Radiohead came on.

The Jicks came on shortly after 7:30, and sure enough, Joanna stood directly in front of us. Wooly had brought a disposable camera to the show, and proceeded to use half the roll on shots of his crush.

According to several reports I’ve seen on the web, The Jicks aren’t getting the warmest of receptions from the crowds that have bothered coming in early to check them out. Wooly and I made sure to let the band know we appreciated their being here by cheering extra-loudly. In fact, as the band took the stage, Wooly shouted, “Hi, Joanna!,” in a sort of school-boy-talking-to-school-girl-during-recess kind of voice. Not only did Joanna hear Wooly, she smiled and waved back! That made his year!

Highlights of the The Jicks set for me were “Grab It And Gone,” “Phantasies,” and “1% of 1.”

Last time I was in Camden for a concert, a young lady asked if she could use my shirt as toilet paper. This time around, a different young lady made a much more reasonable, but no less presumptious request. Noticing my attempt to check my voice mail, she asked to use my cell phone. Having already seen her try to walk off with Wooly’s lighter, I explained that my phone wasn’t getting a signal. She suggested that she could always move to one of the sides of the pavillion to get better reception. Not being born yesterday, I simply stated that I’d rather not move, and was relieved when another person offered their cell phone for her use - suckers!

At around 8:40, Radiohead took the stage to rapturous applause and broke into “The Gloaming” from their latest album, “Hail To The Thief.” It was an interesting choice for an opener, but made more sense when it was followed by the same track that follows it on the album, and current single, “There There.”

Thankfully Wooly had a few shots left on the camera, because as planned, the spot we had chosen put us right between Ed and Thom, and that made for some great photo ops.

Highlights of the Radiohead set for me:

“There There” - Ed and Johnny playing drums along with Phil - very cool.

“Paranoid Android” - A fantastic song that’s just incredible live.

“I Might Be Wrong” - Wooly had been hoping for this one, so ironically it was played while he was in the head!

“Idioteque” - Great shots of Thom doing his crazy dance moves.

“Fake Plastic Trees” - “Gravity always wins.”

“The National Anthem” - killer set closer!!!!

“My Iron Lung” - We got this one by chance, as there was a problem with Johnny’s equipment and the band had to change on the fly.

“No Surprises” - My favorite Radiohead song.

“Karma Police” - There’s nothing quite like hearing thirty thousand people singing, “That’s what you’ll get, if you mess with us.”

“2+2=5″ - After the first encore, Jeff mentioned that they hadn’t played this yet, and sure enough, it lived up to his hype.

An absolutely amazing show that delivered on every ounce of anticpation I had. It was so good that even the 58-30 pasting Wooly gave me in Madden after we got back to his apartment couldn’t dampen my spirits. I’m going to the US tour closer at Madison Square Garden in October, and after last night, I think I’m even more excited than before!