It Rained All Night

• Author: Marty Day
• Filed under: music
• Date: May 12,2008

I know, the title of the post is actually a Thom Yorke song, not a Radiohead song. But it’s very appropriate, as you’ll soon read.

Last night, I had the amazing pleasure of seeing Radiohead. Hot in the middle of their 2008 tour supporting the stupendous album In Rainbows, it was a fantastic show at Bristow, VA’s Nissan Pavilion. I mean, look at this set list!

All I Need
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Lucky
15 Step
Nude
Pyramid Song
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Myxomatosis
Idioteque
Faust Arp
Videotape
Paranoid Android
Just
Reckoner
Everything In Its Right Place
Bangers + Mash
Bodysnatchers

—-
Like Spinning Plates
Optimistic
Karma Police
Go Slowly
Planet Telex

—-
Fake Plastic Trees
The National Anthem
House of Cards

How could that not be a good show?

A mix of Mother Nature and inept staffing.

Without going into too much detail (honestly, I’m too angered to get into it all now), there was a torrential downpour the entire evening…and the staffers at Nissan Pavilion did nothing to assist the matter, closing roads, bringing movement to a crawl, not being helpful to ticketholders, and even sending people away.

This was a sold out show. 25,000 people. Why are you sending away people who dropped an average of $50 to see the show?

Luckily, the internet has voiced my anger far better than I could, with this post at DCist, this followup at The Consumerist, and ranting and raving across message boards nationwide.

As for the actual show? I finally got in (1 hr.+ waiting for parking) just in time to see “Just”, and despite the rain, cold, and miserable setting, they were absolutely transcendent. It’s just a shame what could’ve been an amazing show was marred by people who had nothing to do with what was on stage.

I will never go to Nissan Pavilion again. And you better believe they’ll be hearing from me.