It's Memorial Day in the United States. After having just come home from my town's parade, I'm looking outside of my window and feeling the cool breeze pass through the screen. There's an unfinished sketch to my right and just above it, my record collection. With a little over a day left until Radiohead begins the third leg of their "King of Limbs" tour, I sit here and reflect on the fact that a little over 3 months ago, I wouldn't have even considered myself a Radiohead fan.
Within those months (or semester, if you want to put it in a more academic perspective), I have forced myself to stay awake for 2 events, spent more money than I should have on a concert ticket, and bought 7 CDs.
But it was all out of admiration and respect for this one band. I'm still trying to figure out what it is that brought me up to this point. Perhaps it is my obsessive nature, my constant hunger for info on Radiohead, or maybe the fact that, once I get into a new band, I need to listen to as much of their work as possible so I could evaluate them as a whole.
...Yeah. I'd say it's the former.
I'm also still trying to determine what it is about the band's music that kept me wanting more. I'm still waiting for someone to ask me, "Why do you like Radiohead", to which I will answer...well, what does it matter, anyway? The most I can say is that I listen to them as a classic rock fan. If I were to go back in time to my freshman year of college and say, "Hey, guess what, you're going to become a Radiohead fan in 3 years", the younger Me would scowl and say that all of today's music is crap.
I've always wondered if there were any decent rock bands around today. I have my answer with Radiohead.
And they're more than decent: they're wonderful. The kind of music they make is, to me, a dream come true. Haunting, epic, soothing...emotive while still getting my brain to work. Pink Floyd did the same with me and now it's happening again with Radiohead.
And in about 29 hours, I get to hear the music I've been addicted to for some time live...in person...for the first time.
If their music has the power to make me quiver, cry, and convulse with excitement through their recordings alone, I'm a little nervous to see what will happen once I see them tomorrow night.
To the members of Radiohead: Thank you for letting your music be there for me over the past few months. Without it, I don't think I would have been able to come out of my spring 2012 semester at university with a sane head on my shoulders. Break a leg, all of you, tomorrow night. I can't wait to see you play.
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