FANGRRL

" Are you sick of always reading reviews of the same bands at the newsstand? There is so much music out there, oftentimes we find ourselves simply perched at the tip of the iceberg. Here is your pick-axe. Break through to the other 90% of the music realm..."

m i n i o n s

unxmaal
networkgeek
counterintuitive
geekish
wondergeeks

2001-07-31 - 11:04 p.m.

STREET SPIRIT...Radiohead at Stone Mountain Park, GA.: A Prelude?

It's honestly been a while since I have ventured to a rock concert in which I likened it to a religious experience.

Oftentimes lately I seem to be to caught up in the environment -- too much cigarette smoke, drunken rednecks, and people muchtootall to be in front of myself -- to truly lose myself in the music. Last night, I lost myself and reeling myself back in since has been a slow, delicious undertaking.

I've not got a proper review written as I am still letting the events from the show seep into my consciousness, but I needed to post something. I needed to get it out here, into the universe, before it eats me alive like some parasite.

The show, for me, comes down to two words. Well, a simple name.

Jonny Greenwood.

I'd been aware of his genius from following the band over the years, often defending his place in Radiohead, as everyone always seems to be so fixated on Thom Yorke. Still, I never actually had the opportunity to see the band live for myself and seeing Jonny perform was enough to make me melt away to nothingness.

Mind you, I am not talking about his physicality -- sure, with him all cheekbones and lank, yes he is a feast for the eyes, I do concede -- but the mood he created as he played and the sheer energy and intricacies of his musicianship. Yes, last night he was my God and I was prostrate before his alter.

I was almost weakened from the experience of it all, so truly blown away I didn't know how to handle it all. I found myself rushing home to purchase several bootlegs of Radiohead online, hoping the keep the buzz of the evening high as I felt it slowly slipping between my fingers.

No avail. The night is slipping away.

All I have left is the memory of the show and the moment, yes, the moment that Jonny and I locked eyes during "Street Spirit" and how my heart leapt and I felt alive. It was not like a schoolgirl crush or lustful exchange, but simply an acknowledgement, pure and simple.

Jonny Greenwood.