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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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On the Road with Radiohead
Wednesday 06 August @ 10:55:09 |
 A tour diary by Alan Sparkhawk of Low
Editorial Introduction: For those of you who don’t know (which are probably few and far between if you’re reading the Pulse music section), Low is a Duluth-based band who have been among the leading figures in independent rock since their formation in 1994. Posited as forefathers of the so-called “slo-core” musical movement (an unnecessarily fancy term for quiet and slow moving bands). Low (vocalist/guitarist Alan Sparhawk, vocalist/drummer Mimi Parker and bassist Zak Sally) have worked hard at expanding the scope of their music over the years and at this point have a widely ranging sound that vexes any attempts at short and sweet description, so I won’t bother to try. Their latest album, Trust, was released this past fall and is as good a place as any to start discovering the band. Because the Pulse is cool (and Rob Czernik hooked it up) Alan Sparhawk agreed to let us publish an excerpt of his tour diary from Low’s recent Southern European jaunt with Radiohead.
In May this year, our European booking agent e-mailed me saying that Radiohead’s management had asked if we were interested in opening for them for seven shows in southern Europe. We had heard they were fans, and we briefly met them last summer at a festival in Spain, but this invitation was quite a surprise. We of course said we would. It was an experience we’ll never forget. Here is an extremely edited version of a diary I kept for the trip. The full version will be on our little Web Site: chairkickers.com
July 5
Up at 8:30. Can’t sleep, too many things in my head that I need to remember to do before we leave—soft case for the 12-string so we can carry it on the plane, find a hot-weather shirt or two (almost everything I have is black...), shampoo, a new shoulder bag, pack our bags...
July 7
Flights went fine and the first show went well, I guess. Bergamo is a medium sized city just a bit away from Milan. After their soundcheck, the Radiohead guys one-by-one came over and greeted us. Nice guys. Even their crew was very nice and accommodating. Doors opened while we were still soundchecking our last song and the main gate was directly across at the back of the courtyard. I think the vision of the first 20 or 30 people dashing toward stage while we were playing was more unsettling than seeing the whole crowd later when we finally went on for real.
July 8
The drive was longer than expected today. We did a quick check, finishing again just as the first anxious audience members came through the gate. I think I heard a few of them shouting “Santa Maria” as they sat down on the pavement in front of the stage. Are they thanking the patron saint of good seats?
With the first show jitters gone, we were a little more relaxed. We’re still feeling our way around the large stage dynamic. Louder songs of course go over better and we’re kinda letting ourselves do that for a change, just to see how we feel.
Chatted a bit more with the Radiohead guys. Being an equipment geek, I’ve been nosing around at their stuff. They are an interesting and varied bunch, technology-wise. For instance, while Johnny plays some stuff using effects on a laptop and expensive hand-built analog modular synth filters, he also gets his famous crunchy guitar sound from a small solid-state practice amp—yes, the world famous “KA-CHUNK” on “Creep” can be yours at the local pawn shop, not the fancy expensive equipment boutique.
July 10
The 2nd show in Florence, last night, went well (I always say that...) The Radiohead set was the best so far. These are the first shows since their new record came out where they are playing their full two-hour-plus set. Before these, they had only done festivals where they do 90 minutes, tops. Before the shows, you see several of them sitting together working on the set lists. I imagine it takes some time, not knowing how new songs will work with the energy of the crowd.
Zak, Karla, and I stayed around for the after-show “party.” We mostly just sat around backstage and talked to each other. Colin [Greenwood, bass player in Radiohead] came over and asked if we had ever done any Al Green songs, saying that some of our phrasing and harmonies sounded like Al Green. Al Green is just fine with me.
July 12
Finished now with the two nights in Ferrara. The last few days have been really great. First indication that it was going to be good was when we arrived and found that the hotel was 100 feet from the stage. The stage was at one end of a cobblestone square next to an old castle. On the first night, Zak broke a string. One of the Radiohead backline guys had one of Colin’s basses in Zak’s hands before we knew what had happened. Then, by the end of the next song, Zak had his bass back with a new string on, ready to go. We were dumbfounded.
Highlight of the Radiohead set, for me, was when they came out for the first encore and did “Spinning Plates.” The moment was strangely intimate. I mentioned it to Thom [Yorke, Radiohead frontman] today at lunch and we talked a little about it. They seem very aware of the dilemma with large shows and are still trying to “connect.”
They spend a lot of time working on it (set lists, etc.) I’ve heard some people say they are cold, live, but I disagree.
After the show, some of us went out into the town, found an ice cream joint and sat outside. There were still a lot of bootleg T-shirt vendors out among the people hanging around. I guess it’s normal in Italy and there’s not much you can do about it. Apparently if a band cracks down on them, they retaliate and “mess things up” for the show—kinda Mafia-like. So, bands just let them do it and take the hit. Our show tonight was fun. I got a little mouthy with some guy (sounded American) who yelled “go home!”
July 16
Tonight in Madrid is the last show. We play in the city bullring. Should be the biggest show. We had the day off yesterday but decided to do the whole drive from Niemes, France, (13 hours!) so we could have the day off from driving today. There’s no a/c in the van so it was quite hot.
Niemes was a pretty fun time. We played in an old Roman coliseum. The hot sun was beating down onto the stage for soundcheck. I think I was slightly hallucinating by the end. The place was amazing and packed—12,000.
Radiohead did three encores. At one point, Thom played and sang the first verse of Neil Young’s “After the Gold Rush.” There was another meet-and-greet after their show—same thing, we mostly just sat there, watched, and talked to each other.
It’s been interesting watching the world of the rock star from this angle.
We will never ever be in that position, thank goodness.
July 17
Last night seemed to go by like a flash. The bullring in Madrid is a newer building, so though bigger than the Roman coliseum in Niemes, it was somewhat less awe-inspiring. As always, after we checked, we sat down and enjoyed the talents of the Radiohead tour caterers. We were daily amazed by the meals these gals turned out every day. They are probably the hardest working members of the crew, too, up at 6 or 7 a.m. and not to bed until everything is packed up after the show.
Our set was fun. Perhaps it was the relief of knowing it was the last one.
Don’t get me wrong, we loved doing the shows, but we really felt like fish in the frying pan. Radiohead had some feedback problems early in the set. The place had an odd vibe - maybe old violence is better than new. Again, it was packed—13,000. I’ll never forget how the place always goes ballistic on the “you have not been paying attention” part on “2+2=5.”
After some interviews, Radiohead joined us for talk, some pictures, and the inevitable farewell. We talked about their upcoming shows—they are apparently already catching flack in the United States for their hinted antiwar/anti-Bush tendencies. Colin was probably the most social one for the whole tour—very encouraging and gracious. Phil, the drummer, was always lovely to talk to and always the best dressed of the bunch. Even the “dark one,” Johnny was quite social on occasion. Almost wish I had some kind of dirt or personal gripe to offer to make it sound more interesting, but that’s that: They are really nice people who make great music and try very hard to make the whole experience for everyone around them as positive and selfless as possible. We really had a great time. I wish them the best.
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