Alt-pop singer and songwriter Lizzie Weber told us about her Radiohead experience...
Lizzie Weber: The Power of Discovering and Falling in Love with an Artist in Real Time.
I was 17 years old. My older brother and I had just gotten home from school when he mentioned that he had an extra ticket to a show at St. Louis's biggest outdoor venue, now known as the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, with a capacity of 20,000.
He told me it was a British band that he thought I would really love called Radiohead. That they were currently on tour in support of In Rainbows. I had never heard of them but was happy to go.
We had seats in the lawn, so we were the furthest you could possibly be from the stage. Almost everyone on the lawn was standing, not sitting. Attentive and focused on the performers. I will never forget how it began. The sound of Thom's voice singing that first song, which was "All I Need" alongside the most spectacular light show. It is perhaps why this concert stayed with me in such a massive way... the unique combination of several things all at once: going in knowing absolutely nothing about the artist or music, and therefore discovering and connecting with them in the best way you can: at a live show. The album and light show being as magnificent as it was, and witnessing the adoration from their loyal and captivated fanbase. I was so young, but I understood how much this band meant to the fans around me. It remains the most memorable gig I've ever been to.
The next day I went to my local record store and bought OK Computer. The next year, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue my career as an artist. On my drive from St. Louis to LA, I must have played that record 20 times, discovering something new with every listen. Their influence on me, everlasting. And it all began on May 14th, 2008 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.
Lizzie Weber's Wraiths In The Wake album is out in April. She performs at the Hotel Cafe on Tuesday, February 10.
