Radiohead at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

There's something impossible about describing a Radiohead concert using only words. Thankfully there are some photos if you scroll down. If you can get a copy of the bootleg, that's recommended. However, for those determined to read, here's what happened: Tonight, in St. Louis, Radiohead treated a 20,000+-person crowd to a 25-song extravaganza that featured "Videotape," "The Gloaming," and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place," among many others.

This tour is clearly going to be about showing off the finished In Rainbows material, and, my fellow melophobes, you should not be afraid.

It has been two years since Radiohead last toured the United States. In 2006, fans were treated to a band designing and experimenting with its new songs. Like peeking into a writer's unfinished manuscript, the band showcased a multitude of unfinished tracks and fans that cared to listen to the bootleg recordings (or the lucky ones that went from show to show), were treated to an evolution of music as the band tweaked and altered their material.

But the gradual change from concert to concert couldn't match the surprise of many fans when, on Oct. 1, Johnny Greenwood announced the imminent release of In Rainbows, and the world heard the final, produced versions of songs many people had been listening to as "live" recordings for years.

The question tonight, as Radiohead begins a massive, three-continent tour, was whether Radiohead would reinvent the songs for their live performances, or whether we would be hearing the songs as played in 2006. Turns out Radiohead wanted to give us plenty of material to compare: In St. Louis, they played all of In Rainbows. Live.

One such song, "Videotape," made a dramatic change in the studio as the band slowed down the tempo and refused to let the song's momentum send it into a frenzied end. The band remained true to the album version tonight, letting the song slowly fade out before moving to the next song.

The rest of the In Rainbows pieces sounded beautiful. You can definitely see that the band as a whole feels more comfortable with the album. During the 2006 tour, I remember watching guitarist Ed O'Brien shake his head in disappointment while singing the backup vocals in Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. Whatever the problem was, he knew he hadn't nailed it. Unsurprisingly, I saw no such hesitation from him tonight as he belted out the vocals.

As for the rest of the St. Louis show, to say that it was awesome would be an unforgivable understatement. Radiohead seemed in good form and fresh for the tour, although Thom Yorke didn't spend a lot of time talking to the fans. Instead, he spent a good portion of his time dodging friendly fire from the crowd. Some people in the pit managed to launch a coonskin cap and an extra-large set of grandma's underwear on stage. The band handled both in good humour.

It is highly recommended that you see Radiohead live if you can. They have chosen to play in very large venues this tour and so it should be easier-the-usual for fans to get tickets. You'll regret it if you pass it up. Promise.

Finally, for those still interested, Liars opened the show, kicking things off at around 7:00pm. Opening for a band like Radiohead is always good for your career, and you could feel the excitement in Liars as they took the stage and played through their set. (I couldn't but reflect that Radiohead opened for REM early in their career). I imagine we'll be hearing more from this band in the future.

St. Louis Setlist
01. All I Need
02. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
03. Airbag
04. 15 Step
05. Nude
06. Kid A (video)
07. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
08. The Gloaming (video)
09. You And Whose Army?
10. Idioteque (video)
11. Faust Arp (video)
12. Videotape (video)
13. Everything In Its Right Place
14. Reckoner
15. Optimistic
16. Bangers and Mash (video)
17. Bodysnatchers