After a seven-year absence, Radiohead made a triumphant return to the stage on Tuesday night (Nov. 4) at Madrid’s Movistar Arena, marking their first live performance together since 2018. The highly anticipated concert launched a sold-out 20-date European tour, with stops in Madrid, Bologna, Copenhagen, Berlin, and a four-night residency at London’s O2 Arena running through November and December.
This milestone performance marked the band’s first reunion since August 1, 2018, when they last played at the Wells Fargo Centre in Philadelphia during the final leg of their A Moon Shaped Pool world tour.
In a press statement earlier this year, drummer Philip Selway reflected on the decision to reunite: “Last year, we got together to rehearse, just for the hell of it,” he said. “After a seven-year pause, it felt really good to play the songs again and reconnect with a musical identity that has become lodged deep inside all five of us.”
Following the success of their 2016 album A Moon Shaped Pool, which became the group’s sixth No. 1 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200, Radiohead took an extended hiatus to recover from creative burnout and personal loss. Frontman Thom Yorke spoke candidly about that period, sharing that the decision to pause came after the death of his former partner, Dr. Rachel Owen, in 2016. “I needed to stop anyway, because I hadn’t really given myself time to grieve,” Yorke explained. “My grief was coming out in ways that made me think, I need to take this away.”
In the years since, each member of Radiohead has remained active across various projects. Most notably, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood formed The Smile with drummer Tom Skinner, releasing three acclaimed albums. Meanwhile, the band revisited their legacy through a live reissue of 2003’s Hail to the Thief and a reimagined version of that album featured in a Manchester stage adaptation of Hamlet.
Their return to the stage in Madrid reflected both renewal and restraint. The band delivered a 25-song set, weaving through material spanning their nine studio albums. They opened with “Let Down” from OK Computer (1997), which has recently experienced a viral resurgence, earning Radiohead their first Billboard Hot 100 entry since 2008’s “Nude.”
The night’s setlist balanced beloved hits such as “Karma Police” and “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” with deeper cuts that delighted longtime fans. Interestingly, some of their biggest singles, including “Creep” from Pablo Honey (1994), were notably absent — a move consistent with the band’s unpredictable live ethos.
With their European tour underway, Radiohead’s comeback marks not just a reunion, but a revitalization. Reinvigorated by reflection and rediscovery, the band appears poised to enter a new era.
