Thom Yorke fans are true believers, I can tell you.
After the Rolling Stones’ concert at the Echoplex fiasco a few months ago, I had promised to myself I would never try this famous-band-does-a-small-club fraud again, because what is the point? Wasting hours waiting in line for finally never getting a ticket,… no thank you! But this was before learning that Thom York and his Atoms for Peace had scheduled a secret-surprise gig in Los Angeles.
I don’t know why I persist at trying to get a ticket for these things because I failed again today! What can I say, I never learn! When I heard about the secret Atoms for Peace shows, I first tried all the contests set online by different radio stations, being well aware that I had probably more chance to win the California lottery, but what could I do?
Then, a little before 10 am, I read a tweet from Thom Yorke himself, announcing that several indie music stores were giving away tickets with the purchase of the album. I decided to rush as fast as possible to the nearest one, Vacation Vinyl. I got there only a few minutes after the tweet was sent, and there were just a few people in line, I was number 7, and suddenly my hopes were very high. The store wasn’t open yet but when the owner came out he announced he was sorry but had only 5 tickets! Damn, I was so close and it was such a let down again. I rushed to Origami Vinyl, the next store where they were giving away tickets, knowing it was a waste of time since they had probably 5 tickets to give away too
Still I went there, driven by emotion and not reason: if I wasn’t able to get a tcket 10 minutes after the tweet, what were my chances 25 minutes later? Origami Vinyl opens at noon, the news had spread quickly and people waiting over there already knew only 5 tickets would be given away, but still, everybody was waiting,… why? ‘Why are you waiting?’ I asked a guy in line, ‘Do you believe him?’ he answered pointing to the person who had came out and said there was no reason to wait. What is everybody hoping? All these people are true believers, and they were hoping for a miracle! It’s not as if Thom Yorke was about to jump out the store, giving everyone a ticket!
This is an interesting phenomenon, anthropologists should study why people are in such denial during this kind of things. We were believers, and I include myself in the lot, and we wasted close to 2 hours, to finally get the definitive answer: yes Origami would only give away 5 tickets too.
There is a guy I see at each Radiohead-related events – I actually met him at a Conor Oberst intimate show at the Echo – and he was at Origami early in the morning, but got physically sick when he learnt he would not get a ticket! Why do we get so emotionally involved in these things? It’s just a show after all. I know, a very special one, so intimate to the core you can count Thom Yorke’s facial hair, but still! These high profile giveaways do something to your brain, they build emotion, make you high on adrenaline before letting you down, they make you hope for a miracle and I don’t even believe in miracles!
The secret location was revealed in the afternoon, and all the rumors I had heard were false: Flea’s Conservatory of Music, the Echo,… no, the show was held at a totally non-hipster place on Adams boulevard called Fais Do Do! Well done, but what wasn’t exactly well done was the ticket process: making people run around town from one store to another for just 5 tickets! Come on, it was ridiculous. Plus this method always rewards unemployed people and piss off people at work, how can you waste 2-3 hours on Friday when you are working! I should have filled up all these report cards instead, Big sigh!
The show was tweeted and youtubed to death of course, and here is the unbelievably long setlist with two encores
Default
Unless
The Eraser
The Clock
Black Swan
Ingenue
Dropped
Skip Divided
Atoms for Peace
Stuck Together Pieces
Reverse Running
Harrowdown Hill
Amok
Cymbal Rush
Encore 1
Before Your Very Eyes
Paperbag Writer
The Hollow Earth
Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses
