Radiohead

As I type this Radiohead, arguably the biggest band in the world -- though only U2 and the Stones have the right to make that arguement -- is playing its much ballyhooed set on Bonnaroo's main stage. I can hear it but not see. So why am I not out there, mingling with what surely must be all 80,000 Bonnaroosters? Well, there's a couple reasons.

First, I wanted to give any early reader that might stumble across this entry a sneak peak at what the new model Radiohead sounds like. For openers, it's a return to guitar. Although some of the blips and bleeps that have marked much of the band's more recent output haven't been abolished, the distinctive sound of guitar/bass/drum that originally brought the band into the public eye has returned. The sound is more subtle than the the big electric bang of albums like The Bends, but it sure sounds like Radiohead. Nice.

The other reason I'm not out there catching the set is that I've discovered, as a guy in my late mid-30s, I don't have the stamina and patience I once did. My back hurts and I'm tired of getting jostled and bumped. I'm not saying I won't go out there. I'm a soldier in the army of rock. I belong in the trenches. However, there's also a pretty good chance that once Radiohead flees the stage and hits the highway, I will follow. I've got some Fathers Day action to hit tomorrow so, in all probability, my Bonnaroo adventure is drawing to a close.