Radiohead Returns: Electrifying Madrid Show After 7-Year Hiatus

The rockers kicked off their long-awaited European tour with a 25-song set at Madrid’s Movistar Arena, reports ‘Female First UK’.

The performance marked the band’s first appearance together since wrapping their A Moon Shaped Pool tour in 2018. The Oxford quintet, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, Colin Greenwood, and Philip Selway, performed in the round on a circular stage surrounded by LED walls, delivering a set packed with fan favourites, deep cuts, and long-absent tracks.

They opened with ‘Let Down’, which has seen a resurgence in popularity online, and surprised fans with ‘Sit Down. ‘Stand Up.’, from 2003’s Hail to the ‘Thief’, played live for the first time in 21 years.

The setlist drew heavily from ‘OK Computer’ and ‘Hail to the Thief’, with six songs from each album. ‘Subterranean Homesick Alien’ made its return after an eight-year absence. The comeback follows months of speculation after the group announced a limited run of shows across Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen, and Berlin.

Speaking ahead of the tour, drummer Philip Selway said the band had reunited for rehearsals “just for the hell of it”, and rediscovered a shared musical identity that inspired them to return to the stage. Fans at the Madrid opener were treated to a dynamic and unpredictable performance, with the band reportedly rehearsing over 65 songs and adopting a “busking approach” to the setlist each night.

The reunion comes after a period of solo activity for all five members, including Yorke and Greenwood’s work with ‘The Smile’, Selway’s solo releases, and Colin Greenwood’s photography book. Radiohead will be back on stage at the Movistar Arena on November 5, 7, and 8. From Spain, they travel to Bologna, Italy, with four nights scheduled in each city through November and December.

- IANS