The Lady Doc and I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Thom Yorke perform on Sunday with his unnamed new band, billed by The Orpheum as "??????". Consisting of Nigel Godrich (keys, computers, guitar, backup vox), Flea (bass), Joey Waronker (drums) and Mauro Refosco (percussion), the band played to a sold-out crowd of 2,000 eager concertgoers.Touted by Ticketmaster as a "ticketless" concert, we gained entrance after an employee swiped the original purchase card, and a tiny, waist-mounted printer spat out two non-tickets with our seat assignments. We entered the ornate lobby, passed the merch table (stocked only with copies of "Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses"), picked up a bottle of water, rubbed elbows with Cillian Murphy and Anne Hathaway, and made our way to our seats.
After a brief set from L.A.'s veteran experimentalists the Lucky Dragons, Yorke & Co. took the stage to a preemptive standing ovation. Yorke motioned for the crowd to sit, and the band launched into The Eraser in its entirety. For example:
The band blasted through rich, impassioned performances of every track from The Eraser. Yorke stated that they had been rehearsing for three weeks, and it really showed. Their chops were tight and polished, particularly the live percussive elements which easily surpassed the programmed beats on the album. Flea knew his place and precisely when to rock out, and when to exercise restraint. And, as always, Yorke's vocals were second to none. During main set closer "Cymbal Rush", I felt like he was channeling a fractured message from the future, by way of an alien satellite.
Yorke then performed three tracks solo, which felt like he was letting us in on demo versions of future Radiohead songs. The band returned for four more songs. And then, just like that, this truly special performance was over.
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