Radiohead Wow Chicago
Living up to their reputation as one of the ’90s best live bands, Radiohead proved that 10 times over Thursday night at Chicago’s Riviera Theater. Don’t believe us? Just ask some of the celebrities in attendance — Billy Corgan, Matt Walker, Garbage’s Butch Vig and Shirley Manson as well as members of Material Issue and Phish were all seen rockin’ out at the show.
While Radiohead played tracks from all three of their albums, they focused on songs from The Bends and OK Computer, including “Let Down,” “Karma Police,” “Planet Telex,” “High and Dry” and “Paranoid Android.”
You may have noticed that Radiohead’s breakthrough hit “Creep” from their 1993 debut Pablo Honey wasn’t mentioned. That’s because they didn’t play it, even though fans screamed for it all night. Why didn’t they play it? Ed O’Brien, the band’s guitarist, told Q101 radio’s Brian the Whipping Boy that the song is like a double-edged sword. He said that because it was a huge hit, people would come to their shows and then leave after they’d play it. O’Brien explained that they didn’t want to have a one-song career.
Even though people left the Riv without hearing “Creep” they no doubt went home satisfied. Radiohead has proven that they are a band with a multitude of talent.