Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
All Points West Day One: Radiohead Returns to Liberty State Park
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 9, 2008
Modified Feb 2, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 21
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 9, 2008
Modified Feb 2, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Aside from a passing shower in the afternoon, the weather at Liberty State Park was unseasonably mild and sunny yesterday for day one of the "inaugural" All Points West rock festival. The grassy grounds were populated by misting tents, American Spirit free cigarette lounges, a healthy variety of food vendors, a Sony PlayStation tent, and the whimsical art that's become de rigueur for these sorts of things, with curiosities ranging from Christopher Janney's Sonic Forest to the Solar Pavilion shade sculpture designed with "a zero-waste mandate."
The three stages are situated much closer together than at Bonnaroo or Coachella, so it's easier to bounce around to catch multiple acts. Highlights included the always-enchanting Grizzly Bear and a peach of a set by Andrew Bird. Of course, the raison d'etre for the hike to Jersey City was Radiohead, who did not disappoint, which is more than one can say for the noisy, blathering tools who somehow find a way to pollute seemingly every Radiohead festival appearance. One hopes there's a special place in hell for these degenerates, where they're tied to a spit and forced to listen to Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" ad infinitum, interrupted every few centuries by Radiohead's "How to Disappear Completely," during which anyone who ever had to stand next to them could come scream banalities in their ears. Seriously, STFU or go be wasted somewhere else, you ignorant bastards.
More tips on travel to and from All Points West here. Taking your bike onto the PATH to Grove Street and cycling to the festival seems to be the best bet; it enables you to bypass all crowds on the way home and it's only about a 10-15 minute ride (though the promised bike racks were nowhere to be found, there is a chain link fence to lock up to). Brooklyn Vegan has more (stellar) photos of Radiohead and, in the comments, reports of lines for the ferry home appearing "awful when first approached, but they did move fast."
Tagged
All Points West
andrew bird
friday
Grizzly Bear
Liberty State Park
Music
radiohead
rock
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 14, 2026
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .