I recall... Wednesday, August 1, 2001 Mar03 '02

During the winter it’s harder to remember what summer and heat felt like. No matter what season you’re in, you always miss the one you’re not in. On this particular Wednesday morning, I awoke with a burst of ecstatic energy at just the mere thought of what lay ahead of me. In just a mere 12 hours, I was to see the most influential and inspirational musical act that has ever entered my life. Radiohead was in Chicago. For the first time since 1997, when they almost fell apart as a band, they were here. Here. MY home town. Thom, Jonny, Ed, Phil, and Colin were all resting in a hotel somewhere on Michigan Avenue downtown. I knew this as my eyes opened that morning.

It was only 8 AM, and I could tell it was already humid out. Immediately I got up and checked my email, and greenplastic.com for Radiohead news for the show tonight. Jonathon, who runs green plastic, had news posted. He had up the time that the gates opened, the time Beta Band was to play, and then Radiohead’s set time to hit the stage. Just two days earlier, Radiohead completed a set in Atlanta, which received great reviews. They finished the show with "The Bends," and also found room for a rare B–side, "Pearly." My blood was flowing. THIS was the day.

My only fear was rain. It was humid as ever, but no sun. Clouds everywhere. I knew the show would go on as long as there wasn’t lightning, and I wouldn’t mind getting wet, but still, I prayed and prayed for it to hold off till 10:30 PM later that night when the show would be through.

We left Park Ridge around high noon. No rain yet. My friends Pat, Danny, and Kline were with me. During the el ride, we talked about what songs we thought were the LEAST likely to be played, and also the songs we most wanted to hear. I said they would never play "Lull." I would have died if they played it.

After departing the el, we were among the bustling and busy workers of downtown Chicago. After all, the world doesn’t stop for Radiohead. It was the middle of the week, come on. We got some food at a sub place, while I carefully kept the tickets deep in my pocket where they couldn’t fall out. It is safe to say my friends would have beat the pulp out of me if I lost them. I guarded them with my life….And then I gave them to Danny to carry cuz I was sick of the responsibility.

The young male and occasional young lady crowd started to thicken as we walked along Michigan Avenue towards Grant Park and unheard of Hutchinson Field. It was a little before 2 PM – we had six hours till they hit the stage, but you couldn’t tell by our expressions.

The buzz in the air was amazing.

As we got closer to Hutchinson Field, a strange thing happened. We heard Radiohead music! I believe it was "In Limbo" that was being played. I thought to myself – what the hell is this, they are playing Radiohead over the loud speakers when they are the main act tonight??!! It’s like OK, lets save it for later, morons! But…..we were wrong! As we approached the park, and as the music changed to "The Tourist," we realized that Radiohead were on stage!!!! They were doing their sound check, running through songs!

I couldn’t believe it. Since it was a park, and not enclosed by walls, the only thing keeping people out was a chain link fence. So we looked through and wham!...There they were! I saw Jonny first with his long hair flapping, and then Ed, then Thom in the middle of the stage with his shirt off, from the heat. Now… we were on the outskirts of the field, about 75 yards away, but I could still see clearly.

Between songs, Thom would say things to the rest of the band about how that one sounded, etc. Then they went into "I Might Be Wrong," and I was like – we’re getting a free show! It was quite exhilirating. I just wasn’t expecting to see them till much much later.

Jump ahead to 7:30 PM. I’m standing about 20 feet from the stage, in the middle of a crowd that’s as restless as ever. We had just heard the biggest load of crap in Kid Koala. He is a DJ/mixer, and it almost put me to sleep. The Beta Band rocked though. Finally, something happened. People in one area started yelling and cheering. Thom was walking towards the stage on the far left, where only a few heads could see him. He had just came out of their little trailor, and people started going nuts when they saw him! Thom looked at the crowd and just smiled and gave a polite wave. So shy he is. That was when I first saw the soul who has inspired me so much to this day.

The show was a blur. From the opening song of "The National Anthem," to the final one of "Street Spirit," I had lived an incredible two hours. The night air was so beautiful throughout the show – the rain held off, and things were great. The show started when it was still light out, but once the darkness came, and the stage lights went on, it was an unbelievable spectacle to witness. I stood on my tip toes the whole time (in order to see!), and my mouth open in awe.

My most memorable moment of the concert was two things actually. When Thom played "Pyramid Song" on the piano – he stopped at one point and looked out at the crowd with the funniest expression you can imagine. Since the piano wasn’t facing the crowd – it was on a slant, he looked out at us with an expression like, "Are you all still there?"

It was awesome. "Pyramid Song" was incredible, and he dedicated it to the moon, which hung over the park in peaceful solitude.

The other moment was right at the beginning of "Paranoid Android." The first line of the song goes, "Please could you stop the noise I’m trying to……..etc" Well, Thom apparently said something else, so then he goes, "Stop." The music instantly halted, like the plug was ousted from the wall. Thom then says, "Woah, that’s not right. I messed up the first word, you can’t have that." The whole crowd laughed, including drummer Phil Selway, who sat there with a big grin on his face. Thom got it right the second time around.

And this is what I wrote the day after the show, on August 2:

The show was nothing short of amazing. Every song touched me differently. I know they are more than a musical group that plays passionate music, they are a part of me and everything I struggle and die for. Everything I have faith in, everything that gives me inspiration. They are the music inside me playing each day I walk this earth. They are the music of my soul. How blessed am I to be alive at this point in time? How many people have a passion like mine? How many really truly do? I am so fortunate to have it.

I still think that way now, and I hope it never changes.

Categories: Recollections

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