With so many bands touring the country every summer, it is hard to pinpoint which concerts are ones that should not be missed. The Radiohead tour was a must see act this summer when they toured the states for the first time since 1997, when they released their critically-acclaimed album, “OK Computer.”

This summer’s tour comes as a follow up to two highly regarded albums, “Kid A” and “Amnesiac.” While both records rely heavily on a sound that seems hard to re-create live, Radiohead had no problem putting on an incredible show that exceeded even the sound they produced in the studio.

Often referred to as a depressing, somber band, Radiohead thawts that image during their live shows. Lead singer Thom Yorke hopped up and down on stage appearing to have a good time during the show held at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and reportedly acted that way at every show.

One aspect that set the Radiohead concert experience apart was the difference in style that they could bring within a two-hour set. Their sound ranges from techno-beats to beautiful piano ballads. The lighters got a good workout on one of the show’s best songs “Exit Music for a Film,” in which Yorke started out playing a solo on guitar and showcasing his vocal talent.

Another of the show’s highlights was, “Paranoid Android,” an eight-minute song that travels through three different musical styles. On the album “Ok Computer” this song sounds incredible – live it sounds even better.

One of the best songs performanced was “Idioteque.” This is a number off “Kid A”, one of the band’s newest, and probably most unconvential album. Yorke was jumping all around the stage, getting really into the music and, in turn, getting the crowd really into the music.

The concert atmosphere overall was pretty incredible, the crowd was quiet during the softer parts of the song and they made some noise when Radiohead kicked into some of their harder songs.

One common complaint of the group’s live shows is the fact that they refuse to play any songs off of their debut album, Pablo Honey, which is filled with punk rock songs – a style Radiohead avoids with their new music. Although I admit I would have loved to hear some of their old songs live (especially “Creep” which is the song that first made the band famous in the states), the set-list performed contained enough variety to keep me thoroughly entertained for over two hours.

They played two encores ending with “Street Spirit”, a slow, acoustic guitar driven song that served as an unconvential, but very effective closer for the show.

I reccommend to anyone who gets the chance to see Radiohead live, they should go. If the band comes within a one-state radius of Ohio ever again, it’s worth it to make the trip. It’s not often you get to see a band of this caliber perform live.