{"id":272738,"date":"2025-11-05T09:31:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T09:31:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/272738\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T09:31:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T09:31:07","slug":"madrid-recap-setlist-first-show-since-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/272738\/","title":{"rendered":"Madrid Recap, Setlist, First Show Since 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tJust three months ago, the mere thought of a Radiohead<\/a> concert in 2025 \u2014 or really, any future year for that matter \u2014 seemed impossible. Since the band wrapped their A Moon Shaped Pool tour<\/a> in August 2018, they\u2019ve been busy with various side projects. And we mean very busy: frontman Thom Yorke<\/a> and guitarist Jonny Greenwood<\/a> have released<\/a> three<\/a> albums<\/a> as the Smile; Greenwood has scored several films, including the recent Paul Thomas Anderson epic One Battle After Another<\/a>; Yorke released an LP with producer Mark Pritchard<\/a>; drummer Phil Selway<\/a> and guitarist Ed O\u2019Brien both dropped solo<\/a> albums<\/a>; and bassist Colin Greenwood<\/a> released a stunning Radiohead photo book<\/a>. So, yeah, it\u2019s been a long seven years since we\u2019ve seen these five lads together onstage. Would it ever happen again?<\/p>\n

When Yorke heard rumors of a band reunion last year, he shut them down quickly. \u201cI am not aware of it and don\u2019t really give a flying fuck,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cNo offense to anyone and thanks for caring.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWe care quite a bit. And that\u2019s why it felt like a goddamn miracle when the lights dimmed at Madrid\u2019s Movistar Arena for the kickoff to Radiohead\u2019s 2025 European tour<\/a>, and they took the stage after the longest break of their career. It was worth the wait.<\/p>\n

\n\tThey opened with the \u201cLet Down<\/a>,\u201d marking the second time they\u2019ve kicked off a set with the OK Computer stunner since Manchester in 2017<\/a> (it recently entered the Hot 100 <\/a>a cool 28 years after its release thanks to TikTok, because the kids are just like us \u2014 hysterical and useless).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt immediately felt like the band was ushering in a new era, for several reasons. They were joined by drummer and percussionist Chris Vatalaro \u2014 a Selway collaborator<\/a> who\u2019s played with Imogen Heap, Anohni and the Johnsons, Jarvis Cocker, and more \u2014 who has seemingly taken over for Portishead\u2019s Clive Deamer, their previous live drummer. But most notably, tonight was the first time Radiohead performed in the round. For the first few songs, they were concealed by a semi-translucent video curtain, which began to partially lift during a steadfast \u201cBloom,\u201d off The King of Limbs.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe video screen split into panels that lifted up and down throughout the show, always obscuring a large part of the stage. At times, this made it difficult to see the band, but Yorke made sure to consistently shift positions so everyone in the arena could get a glimpse of him. And when we say \u201cshift,\u201d we actually mean \u201cdance,\u201d in the lovable Yorkian way we all know and love. It was joyous to see those moves again after so many years, whether it was while clutching his keyboard synth during \u201cFul Stop\u201d or during \u201cThe Gloaming,\u201d his arms wading through invisible water, shaking in his sneakers like a frenzied, enthusiastic child. It is now the witching hour. Are you ready?<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Gloaming\u201d is just one of the six Hail to the Thief songs the band tore through tonight, including the first \u201cSit Down. Stand Up.<\/a>\u201d since 2004 (we have a lot of \u201cthe rain drops\u201d to make up for since then). \u201cA Wolf at the Door\u201d has only been played sporadically in the past, and Yorke nailed every single line of the spoken word Capitalist fairytale \u2014 investments and dealers! investments and dealers! \u2014 showing us just how much they\u2019ve rehearsed for these momentous shows.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tGoing heavy on this 2003 album<\/a> isn\u2019t surprising, considering Radiohead just released the excellent Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003-2009)<\/a>, packed with songs so great that they even caught Yorke by surprise. \u201cI was shocked by the kind of energy behind the way we played,\u201d he said at the time. \u201cI barely recognized us, and it helped me find a way forward.\u201d (As my colleague Rob Sheffield noted<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s welcome news to see Thom Yorke suddenly remembering that there once was a band called Radiohead, and that they were actually very good at playing music.\u201d)\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWeird Fishes\/Arpeggi\u201d will always be a highlight in any Radiohead show, if not just to watch O\u2019Brien contribute those soulful backing vocals. The guitarist is often overlooked, but glance over at him during songs like this, and he\u2019s singing his heart out, delivering magic. Another heartwarming In Rainbows moment: both Greenwood brothers facing each other during \u201cBodysnatchers,\u201d with Colin beaming. We\u2019re so back, baby.<\/p>\n

\n\tYorke isn\u2019t one to address crowds during shows \u2014 he\u2019s not going to tell a story about his childhood, like Bruce Springsteen. But when the band emerged to rapturous applause for the encore, he uttered two simple words while clutching an acoustic guitar: \u201cFair enough.\u201d He then dove into \u201cFake Plastic Trees,\u201d the only Bends material to fly in from Planet Telex tonight, complete with an audience singalong and cell phone flashlights (by this time, the video screen had officially lifted, leaving a clear view). The same goes for Amnesiac \u2014 we only got \u201cYou and Whose Army,\u201d but it was absolutely killer, with a camera on Yorke\u2019s mic, capturing his dramatic eyebrow raises and hand gestures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere, the encore portion featured the usual spectacular suspects, from a thrilling \u201cThere There\u201d to a stop in OK Computer-ville, including \u201cSubterranean Homesick Alien,\u201d \u201cParanoid Android,\u201d and their usual closer, \u201cKarma Police.\u201d A gut-wrenchingly beautiful rendition of the Kid A staple \u201cHow to Disappear Completely\u201d was cushioned in between these, a reminder that we are indeed here, and this is really happening.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThis is the first Radiohead tour without a new album, and their first show of any kind since they were inducted<\/a> into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2019 (only O\u2019Brien and Selway showed up<\/a> to the ceremony). Several factors<\/a> <\/a>\u2014 grief, mental health, and intraband tension over the Israel-Hamas conflict \u2014 almost prevented them from returning at all. In a way, Yorke\u2019s \u201cFair enough\u201d sounds like an admission that they\u2019re officially, unambiguously, classic rock. He reportedly sent around a 65-song setlist for the band to rehearse, and they plan on changing up the setlist from night to night \u2014 a major pivot from their past refusal to play the classics. It would be easy to call this a cash grab, but as they\u2019ve proved over the last seven years, they don\u2019t need to do these shows. This was for the fans.
Radiohead Set List: Nov. 4, 2025
\u201cLet Down\u201d
\u201c2 + 2 = 5\u201d
\u201cSit Down. Stand Up.\u201d
\u201cBloom\u201d
\u201cLucky\u201d
\u201cFul Stop\u201d
\u201cThe Gloaming\u201d
\u201cMyxomatosis\u201d
\u201cNo Surprises\u201d
\u201cVideotape\u201d
\u201cWeird Fishes\/Arpeggi\u201d
\u201cEverything in Its Right Place\u201d
\u201c15 Step\u201d
\u201cThe National Anthem\u201d
\u201cDaydreaming\u201d
\u201cA Wolf at the Door\u201d
\u201cBodysnatchers\u201d
\u201cIdioteque\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEncore:
\u201cFake Plastic Trees\u201d
\u201cSubterranean\u201d
\u201cParanoid Android\u201d
\u201cHow to Disappear Completely\u201d
\u201cYou And Whose Army?\u201d
\u201cThere There\u201d
\u201cKarma Police\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just three months ago, the mere thought of a Radiohead concert in 2025 \u2014 or really, any future…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[82787,82785,88,82783,76337,82784,47263,46767],"class_list":{"0":"post-272738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-colin-greenwood","9":"tag-ed-obrien","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-jonny-greenwood","12":"tag-live-review","13":"tag-phil-selway","14":"tag-radiohead","15":"tag-thom-yorke"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}