Guess who’s back: Radiohead’s first show in four years

Rock band entertains fans with old, new tracks as part of 28-concert tour

AMSTERDAM: British alternative rockers Radiohead served up songs from their new album mixed with old classics in their much anticipated first live performance since 2012.

The Oxford-based group opened the tour on Friday night to promote their ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool, at Amsterdam’s Heineken Music Hall. Thom Yorke and the band kicked off the two-hour concert with a hard-rock rendition of the first track, Burn the Witch, from the new record. The song set the tone for the evening that also saw them perform rock tunes including the powerful and growling There, There from the 2003 album Hail to the Thief and Bodysnatchers from the 2007 album In Rainbows.

Throughout the show attended by some 5,500 people, Radiohead was backed by a visual display featuring six giant screens showing close-up camera shots of each member.



Usually introspective and abstract, Yorke was in a playful mood and even cracked a joke or two with the audience, thanking them at one stage in Dutch.

For diehard fans, some of the most pleasant surprises of the evening were Radiohead’s live performance of My Iron Lung for the first time in seven years and anthem Paranoid Android from their seminal 1997 album OK Computer.

“I go to a lot of concerts and this is my fourth Radiohead concert,” said fan Jeffrey Leeuwenhaag. “For me it’s certainly one of the best ever. The band has achieved greatness,” he said.

Radiohead performed at the Heineken Music Hall on Saturday night as well, before travelling to Paris for their gig on Monday (today) at the Zenith. In total, 28 concerts are scheduled including those at other European venues and ones in Japan, Mexico and the United States.

Radiohead was formed three decades ago and has become known for its maudlin rock tunes featuring Yorke’s trademark falsetto and various music styles including rock, electronic music, jazz and 20th century classical music. The group has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2016.

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