FEATURE:
Optimistic
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Radiohead’s Weekly Concert Series: Will Other Artists Follow Suit?
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THIS year…
I am going to talk about Radiohead’s work. Kid A turns twenty later in the year, and there is always something to discuss when it comes to one of the world’s greatest-ever bands. I am going to keep this short but, pleasingly, Radiohead are gifting us with yet more musical wonder. Radiohead have already opened their Public Library to the people, and one can access endless Radiohead tracks and rarities. It is wonderful that a band who have been around for decades are still offering up treats and surprises. As we are all inside and yearning to see live music, artists are giving up gigs from their homes. It is interesting seeing these more intimate sets, so that we can get our fill of live music without leaving the house. I have been looking around, and quite a few artists are giving the public access to archived live shows. Radiohead are putting one of their gigs on their YouTube site every week. Live from a Tent in Dublin (October 2000) went up a few days ago, and this is a gig that I have not seen before. Here are more details of Radiohead’s series:
“Radiohead are set to upload a number of full concert videos to their YouTube channel in the coming weeks to keep fans entertained through isolation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The band will draw on the vast archive of live footage that forms part of the Radiohead Public Library, launched earlier this year, for the uploads. "We will be releasing one a week until either the restrictions resulting from [the] current situation are eased, or we run out of shows," reads a note shared via their Facebook page.
The first of those sets, Live From a Tent In Dublin - October 2000, will go live at 10pm BST tonight (April 9). You will be able to watch it via Radiohead's YouTube page here. The show, which took place at Dublin's Punchestown Racecourse, formed part of Radiohead's tour in support of the albums Kid A and Amnesiac, having come shortly after the release of the first of those records”.
Whilst one does not get the same rush and tangibility watching a gig online compared to being there, the pleasure of watching a legendary band absolutely blow the crowd away is more than enough to lift the energy levels and create a smile. I am not sure when Radiohead will gig again, but there is something wonderfully nostalgic about seeing one of their classic gigs. I know there are videos on YouTube of their iconic Glastonbury set in 1997, but I wonder whether a version with better video and audio will be part of the series. There are some Radiohead gigs on YouTube already, but I think we will see some real gems come to the surface. There are a few artists, as I said, who are putting out some of their gigs whilst we are in lockdown, but it will be interesting to see whether other acts follow suit. I realise there are a lot of classic gigs online, but it would be good if some major artists did a weekly series whilst we are in lockdown.
For me, I would love to see The Beatles’ early gigs streamed. I think there are a few floating around on YouTube, but a weekly Beatles gig series would be awesome. As Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour is thirty this month, having some of her gigs available on her YouTube channel would be incredible. I think Blond Ambition exists in various forms on YouTube, but a better-rendered video from one of the shows doesn’t really exist. There are other shows and sets of hers that are harder to find and, even if the videos already exist, having Madonna backing a weekly series would bring a lot of people together. We all have our dream list of other artists we’d like gig series from, and I feel it makes for a nice companion to the home-streamed gigs that we see on social media. It is a difficult time for everyone, and we are seeing gigs presented in a whole new way. Whilst we might not be able to see live gigs for another couple of months or so, there are those in lockdown (myself included) who are searching through the online archives and seeing what big gigs are available to watch. Radiohead’s new is brilliant indeed, and I feel other major artists may well try a similar endeavour for a few weeks at least – or just carry it on past lockdown. I’d also like to see some classic Oasis gigs; maybe some of Glastonbury’s archives dug up – I know there are highlights from various years available, but watching full sets would be a thrill. Even though we are in lockdown, we are being treated to so much…
GREAT live music.