Not everyone got the amazing Radiohead show we in Florida were privileged to witness last week in Tampa and West Palm Beach.  It looks like Live Nation has some 'splaining to do.

Due to a torrential downpour, officials at the Nissan Pavillion in Bristow, VA shut down the parking lots due to immense flooding, forcing thousands of attendees to the sold-out May 11 show to circle the venue for more than three hours as Radiohead played to a near empty crowd.

Here are some eyewitness accounts, via Consumerist:

"One of the two roads getting into the venue was closed due to flooding, and the venue began denying people parking. Instead they would send them on "detours" around the venue never letting anyone park causing a lot of people to spend hours sitting in gridlock in their cars going around and around the venue while the show played."

"Some sort of explanation is definitely called for from Nissan Pavilion on this one. If your venue depends on auto access (as Nissan does), and people can't get in by car, then, frankly, you ought to give them their money back. At a minimum you ought to apologize for making them sit in lines of traffic six miles long for a few hours. Would it have been so hard to send a guy with a bullhorn out to tell us we weren't going to get in?"

"my boyfriend and his 2 friends never got into the show. they were pretty devastated - they love radiohead. i left early because they gave up after they were turned away at the entrance and told there was a "detour." they were still trying to get into the venue during the 1st encore. they gave up and went to ihop."

The poor lad.  He buys tickets for Radiohead and ends up with just a Grand Slam breakfast.  (I sense a t-shirt idea brewing!).  For their part, it seems Radiohead had no control over the situation and urge scorned ticketholders to contact the Pavillion.  From their website:

Due to Sunday night's torrential rain storm and consequential multiple road closures, many fans were unable to reach the Nissan Pavilion. While acknowledging a lack of control over the ensuing flooding and detours, the members of Radiohead are nevertheless disappointed regarding this turn of events. For further inquiries, ticketholders who didn't get in are urged to contact: customerservice@nissanpavilion.com

Many commenters on the blogosphere are wondering why Radiohead, who profess this tour to be green and scheduled these dates and venues to lower everyone's "carbon footprint," would choose such a suburban site considering Washington D.C.'s venues are much more amenable to mass transit systems.  And, whose streets are less likely to be flooded.  (The one good thing about having Homeland Security.)