Lerman: Forget finals for one music-filled night
Live music takes the stress away.
By Jake Lerman (Contact)
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
May 14 brings with it two of the greatest musical acts on tour today. These are two of the bands whose footprints will remain in the sands of time long after we are buried beneath it.
By now, I hope you know that Finals Week is rapidly approaching.
A Lawrence street gig is sure to be more unique and personal than anything a venue can offer.
But what you may not realize is that if you live in Lawrence, you will be faced on May 14 with what may be the toughest decision you’ll have to make this year: giving the tail of academia the attention it deserves or experiencing an event the likes of which may never be seen again.
Radiohead and Wilco, two of the titans of modern music, will be playing in your region on that fateful day during Finals Week.
Thom Yorke’s haunting vocals are just part of the signature sound that Radiohead has developed over its career. Johnny Greenwood’s virtuosic guitar parts paired with the band’s inherently unique rhythms make for earth-shattering crescendos that will keep your spine shivering for days.
On its newest album, “In Rainbows” Radiohead brings back their patented sound with some of its most powerful songs to date.
Sore ankles and a stiff neck are two common symptoms of concertgoers the day after a Wilco show. With irresistibly catchy melodies, it’s impossible not to find yourself bouncing and bobbing your head when Jeff Tweedy steps up to the mic and cuts to your core with his unmistakably full vocals. Nels Cline can make his guitar weep or scream and with Glenn Kotche on the kit behind him their dynamic is unparalleled. Wilco has found a way to juxtapose its twangy country roots with experimental rock to create one monster of a band.
Wilco, at a recent five-day stint at the Riviera in Chicago, has proved the depth and diversity of its discography by playing it in its entirety. Radiohead has consistently lived up to the buzz that persistently tails the band. This new tour is sure to be extraordinary because its following what may be the biggest album release of the decade.
So who to see? The decision is not an easy one, but there is no wrong way to go. That is unless you don’t go at all.
If you’re worried about finals, consider that the memories of these tests will fade.
The closest that Radiohead is getting to our neck of the woods is the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in St. Louis.
The 270 miles is somewhat of a pilgrimage, but for those truly interested in seeing one of the giants of contemporary music playing in its peak, this show will be well worth it.
On the very same night, Wilco will be playing a one-of-a-kind show in Lawrence.
But this is no ordinary concert. According to its Web site, Wilco will be playing an outdoor show with the stage set up near Ninth Street next to the Lawrence Arts Center.
A Lawrence street gig is sure to be more unique and personal than anything a venue can offer.
As I write this column tickets are still available, but if they are gone by the time you read this, don’t give up on these shows. If you’re not up for the four-hour drive to St. Louis, then go for Wilco.
If you can’t get a ticket, park a block or so from the stage, roll down your windows and listen to the slightly muffled sounds of one of the greatest living rock bands that will ever play a show like this in our town.
This is not an event to be missed — that is unless you’re four hours away rocking your face off at Radiohead.
After listening to professors ramble on about finals hullabaloo, your ears will need a treat.
Don’t let May 14 pass by without seeing one of these shows.
Lerman is a Highland Park, Ill., sophomore in journalism.
Discussion
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Wilco! So excited! I missed them at the Riv and Crossroads, so this is a treat.
Reading Lerman write about music and culture is kinda like when Dylan went electric. He makes me feel that what music does is brilliant and intrepid . . . not dreamlike, not preposterous, not a creepy alternative universe, but something plausible and probable. Jake's an ally, a collaborator, a wink. His words on music are here to liberate, defibrillate, a-ring-a-ding-ding. And at the end of the day, he makes music assessable for ALL people, feels like he's saying that music is here for everyone, NO snob appeal allowed! Just like that . . .
No mention of M.I.A.? Really?
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