House of Cards

After coming to terms with the fact that seeing Radiohead live in my lifetime just wasn’t meant to be, I was blessed by Craigslist. I’ve always seen Thom Yorke & Co. as a measure of time, growing from the glorious pop of “Creep” to the hypnotic roll of In Rainbows’ “House of Cards,” jumping from major label hype to complete independence. As I matured, so did they, from straight-ahead rock back to an electronic-savvy force of nature. Radiohead is this generation’s high-water mark. But then, I don’t really need to tell you that, do I?

On May 3 VH1 aired Radiohead In Rainbows: From the Basement, and it was possibly the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen on television. Coming from an album so chock-full of affectation and dreams, they just eased through the songs. No fancy lights, no fog machine, no crowd to feed off of, just pure unrelentless passion. Perfect. Around 2am, I really started regretting not jumping on the phone the moment tickets went on sale for Saturday’s show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands. I have insanely high hopes for Saturday, always a dangerous way to go into a show, but I’m guessing tears will fall, hearts will warm, and I’ll come away imbibed with the spirit of Thom Yorke. Keep an eye on this spot next week for the verdict. In the meantime, check out VH1.com for a teaser. Better yet, catch it in HD.