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Saturday was a day full of pure entertainment. Earlier in the week, Jen C. came across an advertisement for the play Plaid Tidings, the sequel to the smash hit Forever Plaid. We originally saw this comedy/musical about a barbershop quartet that comes back from the dead for one last performance during our freshman year in college, and we’ve been waiting for an opportunity to see it ever since. The play was hilarious, as expected, but not nearly as hilarious as seeing herds of elderly white people decorated in various plaid garments. Older men generally stuck to the standard plaid shirt or the classic plaid cardigan, while the women were a little more edgy, sporting plaid skirts, tights, and matching socks. Here, we have an example of “theme-dressing”, another time-honored American tradition nearly as embarrassing as the middle-aged house wife wearing the red sweater with the giant Christmas Tree patch or the same middle-aged woman wearing the orange sweater with a giant Thanksgiving turkey on it. Hi, do us all a favor, and throw those things in a fire. Thanks.

Another memorable moment from our Plaid Tidings experience came when Jen and I were picking up our tickets at will call. Much to Jen’s dismay, I was suddenly reminded of our first Phoenix Coyotes hockey game together with Pejman and Richard. As you will find, this was not Jen’s day. As we were walking to the arena, someone mentioned that we needed to pick up the tickets from will call, to which Jen asked, “Who is this Will guy you are supposed to meet?”. After several attempts to convince her that we were not meeting someone named “William Call”, we came to realize that we were on the wrong side of the stadium, to which Jen asked, “Why can’t we just walk through the stadium to get to the box office? It would be much faster than going around.” We let that one slide, and everything went well for Jen until the 3rd period when Coyotes player Dallas Drake scored an important goal. We stood and chanted along with the rest of the crowd “Dallas Drake! Dallas Drake!”. Had Jen not continued to chant after the crowd quieted down, we wouldn’t have noticed her singing “Tell it straight! Tell it straight! Tell it straight!”.

Ok, back to the present. After the play, Jen, Joy, Ivonne, Carlos, and I gathered at the Cinema Deluxe to see the final installment of The Lord of the Rings. As was done for The Matrix Revolutions, I reserved prime seats in the IMAX theater, setting up what was going to be the greatest movie experience of the year. That is, until the previews were preempted with a message stating that this film was being shown on standard 35mm film and was not designed to take advantage of the IMAX video or sound quality. In other words, we paid 15 bucks to sit in comfortable chairs and watch The Return of the King projected onto a pretty big screen. I sincerely hope the mix-up wasn’t directly related to my disappointment with the movie. Well, that’s enough of ROTK talk… I’m going to write a review tomorrow and then post it along with several others.

* Do People Know They Are Doing This of the Day: Making the quotation mark gesture with their fingers while saying words “that” don’t need to be quoted.

* Movie Quote of the Day: “It’s the deep breath before the plunge.”

On Thursday, Jen and I finally went to the Radiohead concert!!! It was quite the wait, and not a cheap one, but I would gladly do it again for a chance to see Radiohead perform. As was our experience three years ago with Lindsor, we had an incredible time listening to just about the greatest band of our generation. But, this is my live journal, and that means the positive aspects of the experience will only be touched on, while the negative aspects will be examined in exhausting detail.

First and foremost, what is the deal with the marijuana? There are signs outside of the Hollywood Bowl venue that clearly state “No Smoking At Any Time”, which if my translation skills are accurate means: No Smoking At Any Time. I’m not sure which part of this rule is causing the confusion. We found ourselves surrounded by people “hitting up the MaryJane” constantly throughout the performance. Frankly, it makes no sense to me at all. None of Radiohead’s songs are about drugs–at least, since you can’t understand what he’s saying, they really aren’t about anything–and I’ve never seen them publicly endorse mind-altering substances, yet it seems as though fans were obligated to smoke the “reefer” like it was going out of fashion. I felt like I was at a Bone Thugz N Harmony concert right in the middle of their classic song “Bud Smokers Only”. Well, I suppose I can’t complain too much, as the “hash” smells slightly better than tobacco cigarettes. Plus, both Jen and I came away with a moderate marijuana high due to the enormous second-hand smoke that we inhaled. I think they call this phenomenon being “clam-baked”, with “they” referring to people who smoke “grass” way too much.

If the widespread “weed” consumption was annoying, then the dancing was absolutely infuriating. I seriously can only think of a few times in my life when I have been more annoyed. Now, I recognize the role of body movements and swaying, often termed “groovin”, but there is absolutely no place for dancing at a Radiohead concert. The standard “White Man’s Overbite” is acceptable, as is an occasional fist in the air, but beyond that, you are completely out of line. The general audience is there to watch, listen, and appreciate this work of art, not avoid flailing arms and legs that move randomly though the air as if independent from the rest of your torso.

What really sent me over the edge was hearing people sing out loud while they danced. Anyone who knows anything about Radiohead songs will agree that, except for a few lyrics, they are making zero sense. There is generally nothing that can be taken from the words. No themes, no stories, not even general concepts relating to the human condition. Nothing. For all I know, the aren’t even speaking a derivative of the English language. Plus, let’s be honest, I paid for my $80 ticket to hear RADIOHEAD perform, not some strung out hippie with a raspy voice and not a clue in the world what he’s singing. If you are going to ruin the performance for everyone around you, at least learn the words. Come on. Also, what is the point of screaming “Wooooooo!” in the middle of the song. We know you appreciate the performance. This is evidenced by your purchase of an $80+ ticket and your presence at the concert. If you really need to cheer them on–which seems unnecessary in itself considering they are on a world-wide tour and must be well aware that people enjoy their music–couldn’t it at least wait until after the song is finished so they could actually hear you?

Well, anyway…

The performance itself was absolutely incredible. They played all but two songs from the newest album, as well as the mandatory selections like Karma Police, Paranoid Android, and Idioteque. For those of you who aren’t familiar with their music, I would recommend downloading a few songs and listening to them one night while you’re relaxing before bed. I don’t claim to be any kind of music historian or expert on music trends, but I do know that Radiohead is really putting out some quality music. Lindsor was exactly right when she said that Radiohead has put out five of the best albums in the last 20 years and nobody really understands that right now. Of course, it was clearly evident from the concert that trendiness of Radiohead is certainly catching on. Otherwise, one wouldn’t see people dancing or singing like banshees and smoking “hydro” like there is no tomorrow. Again, this is not to say that I’m some kind of hardcore fan from the beginning. I sure wish I could “discover” their music all over again.

And, there you have it.

* Stranger Than Hell Radiohead Lyric of the Day:

Ice age coming
Ice age coming
Let me hear both sides
Let me hear both sides
Let me hear both
Ice age coming
Ice age coming
Throw it on the fire
Throw it on the fire
Throw it on the

* Movie Quote of the Day: “Hello, Mr. Braithwaite.”