Radiohead tour focuses on cities with good public transit
Photo: Stephane De Sakutin, AFP/Getty Images
In addition to making great music (OK Computer remains one of this blogger's favorite listens), Radiohead tries to make a difference from an ecological standpoint. The band is going to great lengths to reduce the carbon emissions associated with its concert tour. In addition to refusing to fly unless absolutely required and investing in equipment like solar-powered generators, the group carefully considers where they choose to perform. Specifically, if a city doesn't have a solid public transit infrastructure, it likely won't be a tour stop. As lead singer Thom Yorke points out, the largest CO2 producers associated with Radiohead are its legions of fans and how they transport themselves to and from shows. If they can get them out of cars and onto more efficient transportation systems by choosing show locations that encourage this behavior, then it's a green "win." Radiohead can essentially sell out any venue it wants, so credit them for being picky. Choosing locations because the surrounding infrastructure passively encourages greener fan behavior is a lot more meaningful than just selecting the biggest venues and preaching environmentalism from the stage while thousands of cars clog the surrounding roads and parking lots. As you all know, talk is cheap. Yorke and Radiohead make their green impact through considered, thoughtful planning and by sweating the logistical details so their fans don't have to. Good for them.
[Source: AP via Forecast Earth, Photo: AFP/Getty Images]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Red 6:27PM (3/10/2008)
It's be interesting to see what kind of tour bus, etc, they have to help themselves personally be less reliant on gas.
- Red unstarved.com
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ug 12:41PM (3/11/2008)
If they skip cities without public transit then a certain number of fans who are missing out will just fly in to the cities they do play in.
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BlackbirdHighway 6:50PM (3/10/2008)
I call BS!
They are playing the Washington DC show at Nissan Pavilion in Virginia, which is far out in the boonies, far from Washington's very fine Metrorail public transportation. The pavilion has a long single lane road leading in and out, which gets backed up for hours before and after every show there. It's not at all unusual to sit idling in your car for two hours or more after a show, even after waiting an hour in the parking lot before starting the car. That narrow road connects to the dreaded US Rt 66, which has horrendous traffic backups every single workday, and many non-work days too.
If they really cared, they would play at RFK Stadium, right in town, one block away from a Metro stop.
I'd love to see them, but I won't even consider a show at Nissan. I may drive up to Philadelphia to see them there instead.
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KarenRei 11:37PM (3/10/2008)
They're probably just trying to encourage people to walk. You know, to be fitter, happier, and more productive. ;)
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Pudge 8:37PM (3/10/2008)
I would have to agree with BlackbirdHighway: Radiohead's crusade a big load of huey- and I'm a Radiohead fan! Radiohead could have easily fashioned a tour that was mostly located in central city venues, but they opted for an amphitheater/festival tour instead. Very few of the venues on the first leg of the American tour have reasonable access to mass transit (http://www.radiohead.com/tourdates/).
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Shades 9:46PM (3/10/2008)
Charlotte is a "good public transit" city? Really??
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KMG 10:41AM (3/11/2008)
Another DC Radiohead fan here. When I heard that they are playing at Nissan Pavilion, I was pretty unhappy. It's almost 40 miles from the city. I was hoping for a perfectly good stadium like RFK.
I'll still be attending, but will make sure to carpool!
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JKFS 3:21PM (5/10/2008)
Went to the ATL show a few nights ago. Amazing to say the very least. But, the interstate was jam packed on the way. The venue isn't close enough to the city's public transit system for the majority of fans to use it. At least my group carpooled, as I imagine most did.
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mog 3:39AM (5/12/2008)
Total total bullshit.
they played waaaay outside of DC this time around in a spot notoriously difficult to reach & with poor traffic management. why not Verizon center or the new baseball stadium (both metro+bus accessible)?
Nissan Pavilion: 49 minutes outside of the city & only accesible with a car as no public transit options were available. My friends and I rented a car from the airport (we all normally use public transit & don't own cars) & left around 6pm. 3.5 hours later & less than a mile from the venue: thousands of cars (though most of them small, economy sized cars...bravo!) sat idling about for hours.
We burned about half a tank of gas (~3.5 hours) and still never made it to the show. We had a good time signing to oldies in the car though...so that's a plus.
Otherwise: worst concert experience ever!!!
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Gus 10:33AM (5/12/2008)
Indeed! Nissan Pavilion was a VERY poor choice for a venue. I've been to some large amphitheater venues before (e.g., Shoreline in the San Francisco Bay Area) so I thought I knew what to expect. Not only that, but I read up on Nissan before the show and was prepared for some serious traffic. Quite honestly, it needs to be experienced to be believed---it's really that bad. Hands down this was the worst traffic I have ever experienced, and I lived in the San Francisco bay area and Southern California for 27 years before moving to the DC Metro area about a year ago. It took more than 3.5 hours to go the 50 miles from our place in Montgomery County Maryland to the Nissan Pavilion exit off of I-66, and that's when the REAL traffic started! Seriously, just try to imagine 25000 people driving to the same place on a single- or double-lane road---seriously, just imagine it. Now, the reality is unimaginably worse than that. I can assure you, I will NEVER attend a concert at Nissan Pavilion again (at least not until they upgrade the access routes to something from the 21st century). Now that I have experienced the reality of accessing Nissan Pavilion, I feel obligated to spread the word---steer clear!
Now, I know that I'm being dramatic, but it is my hope that this will help convey the sheer absurdity of the traffic accessing this venue. I am a very reasonably person. I normally go with the flow, and make the best of almost any situation, but the drive to Nissan Pavilion really started to get to me.
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Rachele 2:28PM (5/12/2008)
Yup, COMPLETE BULLSHIT. Hundreds of suckers including myself who paid $50 per ticket, $16.50 of which went to Nissan Pavillion and its owner, LiveNation, to waste a tank of gas sitting in standstill traffic in Bristow, Virginia for five hours. They knew full well there was no way we could all get in to the show - not enough parking spots, staff, or roads. And we missed seeing RADIOHEAD. one of the best bands on earth. I've seriously never been so enraged, frustrated, and disappointed in my life.
Nissan Pavilion Customer Service Box Office: 703.754.6400.
Facebook group: "Sat in Traffic Around Nissan Pavillion Instead of Seeing Radiohead" http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=34329901280
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