Nothing should have been able to top Night 2 at the Hollywood Bowl. Indeed, I even thought (fleetingly) about whether I really wanted to go to the Santa Barbara show, considering how bloody amazing HB Night 2 was, and considering I was going up by myself, to wait in line for the pit -- all things that were more than a wee bit disconcerting. However, it didn't take much to remind me of what I was going to see, and I went anticipating a really phenomenal show.Walking to where the pit line had already formed, I was thinking to myself that I must be mad. However, upon hopping into line, and meeting the girl who joined the line a few minutes after me, I decided perhaps I wasn't mad, after all. The girl in line after me had also come by herself, and we were quickly joined by a pair of Ateasers, who had come down from Washington state and who totally made the wait a party. Eventually, said Ateaser was telling me stories of how he had attended the Dublin shows and had actually met Jonny and Thom in a small pub in suburban Dublin, and I was positively green with envy. Eventually, our little group of 3 turned into an Ateaser crew (plus one randomly awesome MTer) of 6, and it was lovely spending the hours waiting with them. Sometime very soon after my arrival, a certain someone else also arrived -- Jonny's bus pulled into the venue, and I'm quite sure it was him -- he was silhouetted by the tinted window, but I'd know that hair anywhere... it was definitely Jonny Prettyhairs.When they finally let us hike that blasted hill to get into the pit, I quickly headed for the side between Thom and Jonny, and ended up being in the third row, along with half of my Ateaser crew (the other half went for Ed's side). We were happily positioned, right in front of Jonny, and with a good view of Thom... until the tall guy in front of me migrated directly into my line of sight. I thought all was lost until a lovely brother/sister duo and the tall guy scrunched up and made some room for me, so that I could stand next to her in the second row, with her brother behind us. That made all the difference in the world, really -- it meant I had a perfect view of Jonny, and a good window to watching Thom. It was brilliant, and it was really indicative of the kind of people I met this whole night -- everyone was super friendly, everyone was taking care of each other, telling stories, making friends -- it was really unlike anything I've done, and I'm very glad I had this experience.I put in my earplugs for Liars' set, and gave my spare set to the sister -- we needed them! It's one thing for Radiohead to make my ears ring (which they actually didn't, because their sound is so well mixed), but I wasn't going to waste my hearing on Liars. So I didn't do, and happily, their set was over quickly. I watched as the Radiohead crew set up their gear, realising for the first time just how close I would be to the guys -- ridiculously close. Not quite cognisant of what was in store for me, I anxiously awaited the set -- my last concert of this tour. Here was our set:ReckonerOptimisticThere There15 StepAll I NeedNudeTalk Show HostWeird Fishes/ArpeggiThe GloamingMorning BellNational AnthemFaust ARPNo SurprisesJigsaw Falling Into PlaceThe BendsKarma PoliceBodysnatchers----Cymbal RushHouse of CardsParanoid AndroidGo SlowlyEverything In Its Right Place----VideotapeLuckyIdiotequeIf you're thinking it looks suspiciously close to the HB Night 2 setlist, you are right -- it's nearly identical, with only 3 songs swapped (sadly, for a loss on Pyramid Song, Planet Telex, and Fake Plastic Trees). That was a little bit of a let down, I confess -- since it was the last show of the tour and since they were webcasting it, I really thought we were going to get some rare songs, or at least a few that hadn't been played in awhile. I was secretly hoping for Where I End and You Begin, You And Whose Army?, and I Might Be Wrong, but I was wrong on all 3 counts. Either way, I know how greedy it sounds for me to whinge about the setlist, considering how great a show they did put on, so I suppose that saves something for me to look forward to on the next tour.To counter the whinging, I will indulge my fangirl tendencies and let you know that I had a brilliant view of Jonny, Thom, and even Phil, who was remarkably close to us. As a result of being so close, I got a smile from Phil during a break in his drumming -- he looked at me, I gave a little wave, and he smiled. It was adorable. Also, I nearly passed out in the pit the first time Jonny's eyes wandered down to the crowd and then directly to mine -- I'm pretty sure I looked like I'd seen a ghost, and I really hope my jaw didn't drop (or he likely thinks me an idiot!), but he looked right through me -- not just once, but twice! It was brilliant and mindboggling. And finally, since Thom loves checking out the crowd, I managed to catch his eye thrice -- once, right as I was snapping a pic, for which I got a wonky smile (which shows in my snap), once after rejoicing at getting Go Slowly (because I was the only one rejoicing), and once just because -- I happened to catch his eye and got a little giggle -- I think he saw my little dance/freakout. And now for something completely serious...I was literally 15 feet away from the band, and was particularly watching Jonny play his ondes martenot on songs like The National Anthem, which was ridiculously cool. There's something really magical about actually watching how they create the music they do, especially Jonny -- all of the sampling (radioJonny is amazing!), and the techniques he uses to coax the soundscape from his guitar (and ondes, the glockenspiel, the rhodes piano, and even a proper piano) are remarkable. It was really phenomenal, being close enough to see just how talented he is. Indeed, how talented they all are -- Radiohead consistently sound amazing live. It's astonishing, really, just how amazing they sound live, every night -- they are always spot on, and that is extremely difficult to do, especially whilst touring! And Thom -- he manages perfect, extremely difficult vocals, whilst dancing around the stage like an epileptic -- it's mindboggling! I don't know how they manage it, but we are all so lucky that they do -- every show they put on is worthy of them, and that is really something.Now that my last show of the tour is over, I'm quite gobsmacked -- I managed to do this tour perfectly, starting the first night with a dear friend in the nosebleeds to enjoy the lights, moving to a boxseat for the setlist of a lifetime for the second show, and being in the pit for the last show of the tour. Really, I couldn't have done that better, and I consider myself immensely lucky that I had the chance to see them three times. After years of waiting, it was decidedly worth all of it -- trite and cliche though it may sound, Radiohead mean so much more to me than just another band, and seeing them live on this tour really cemented my admiration and immense respect for them.So to all the people I met at the Santa Barbara show, thank you for making it such a wonderful experience. To the people with whom I spent Night 2 in the HB box, thank you for sharing that moment of Radiohead history with me -- we are truly lucky people. To my dear (and Lucky!) friend Vanvan, thank you for sharing a very special night with me in the nosebleeds. To Radiohead, thank you for giving me three distinctly amazing and indelible experiences to remember from this tour -- I can't seem to find the words to say what I mean, but suffice it to say I am even more in awe now than I ever was... and I can't wait for the next tour.
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