Review of Radiohead on the Colbert Report (2011)

I tuned in tonight (9-26-11) to catch Radiohead on The Colbert Report, and I'm glad I did.

Said Colbert of this expanded, one-hour event: "I look forward to meeting the Radioheads and leveraging their anti-corporate indie cred to raise brand awareness for my sponsors."

After interviewing the band via the Dr. Pepper Chair (aka the show's sponsor), the band performed "The Daily Mail." I really enjoyed the stage set-up here; it was cool to see Jonny jam out in front of Thom, who had his back turned (away from the camera) for the most part, on the piano. I also took note of a sticker on the piano that read "Nuclear Power-No Thanks".

Colbert then invited Thom an Ed on-stage for an interview about global warming. Here are some quotes I caught amid the jokes:

Thom: "A lot of people are getting paid to spread disinformation."

Colbert: "Like who?"

Thom: "Scientists…"

Colbert: "Scientists and bunnies?"

Ed: "We've got children, and we want their children and their children to have a better planet."

Thom: "…In order to get elected you need to have funds, so you accept money from companies (and corporations), and some of the largest ones are oil companies."

Colbert: "Who's saving the world quicker, you guys or Bono?"

Thom: "Definitely Bono."

The band then came on again to perform a fantastic rendition of "Bloom," before performing "Little by Little." Even over the Basement Sessions, this latter track sounded amazing live, with Thom's vocals being spot-on, deepening his "ohhhh's" for this occasion.

Radiohead closed the night with the appropriate "The National Anthem," with a full horn section an images of the American Flag flowing in the background.

I don't know if the band was more 'on' tonight, if they took this gig more seriously as it's semi-political, or if the sound equipment is better on this show than on SNL, but they sounded phenomenal.

I'll leave you with this:

Thom: No, we've never done a Christmas album...

Colbert: Have you ever thought about it?

Thom: Uh... no.