Radiohead Sets North American Theater Tour

[jewlee138]

Radiohead has announced a set of June tour dates consisting of two-show theater stints in nine North American cities. The run will open with a June 1-2 stand just outside of Philadelphia at the Tower Theatre and conclude with a June 29-30 stand at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre. Opening acts have not yet been named.

Previously reported speculation of multiple-night visits to Chicago, Montreal and Toronto have also come to fruition. In addition, the U.K.-based act will perform twice in New York, San Diego, Los Angeles and Berkeley, Calif. Tickets for some of the newly-announced shows go on sale Friday (May 5) via the band's Web site.

Outside of a previously announced June 17 headlining appearance at Tennessee's Bonnaroo festival, no other North America tour dates are being planned, according to a band spokesperson. The tour will "draw heavily" on new material the band has been crafting over the past year, although "there are no plans for a Radiohead album release any time in 2006," according to a statement.

Radiohead's European festival dates begin May 6-7 in Copenhagen and will pick back up in August with a handful of dates in the U.K. and Hungary.

North American tour dates:

June 1-2: Upper Darby, Pa. (Tower Theatre)
June 4-5: Boston (Bank of America Pavilion)
June 7-8: Toronto (Hummingbird Center)
June 10-11: Montreal (Salle Wilred Pelletier at Places des Arts)
June 13-14: New York (Theatre at Madison Square Garden)
June 17: Manchester, Tenn. (Bonnaroo)
June 19-20: Chicago (Auditorium Theatre)
June 23-24: Berkeley (Greek Theater)
June 26-27: San Diego (Bayside)
June 29-30: Los Angeles (Greek Theater)

[Massage...Bored]

I'd love to see them pull a ballsy move like not putting out an album anytime soon and just touring with new sh*t. I'd try and see them anytime they came around if they did that.

[david sumner]

zee ess-

were ya being sarcastic? if ya re-read the article thats pretty much what theyre doin

-ess dog

[Oliver's Army]

I must be a total ass-bag to confess I never like Radiohead.

Maybe 'Creep'

Just never connected.

Maybe it was to many drugs.

...or not enough.


Either way.....meh.

[The_Dude]

DMB-like ticket prices? More than likely.

[david sumner]

mark-

pick up a used copy of the bends ... check out black star - street spirit - nice dream - others that you feel like discovering

pablo honey is drenched in pixies

fleek

im sure the tix will be astronomical ... kid a or maybe it was amnesiac was crazy park avenue money for tickets ... and the opener (mr malkmus) was worth it

[david sumner]

from nme.com:

Radiohead's new songs from last night's show at London's KOKO have surfaced online (May 1).

Audio and video recorded at the show are now available to download through the band's fansites.

Singer Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood took a rare trip out of their Oxford studio, where they're working on the follow-up to 2003's 'Hail To The Thief', to play the concert in support of The Big Ask, Friends Of The Earth's climate campaign.

As previously reported by NME.COM, during the show, which was hosted by former 'Popworld' presenter Simon Amstell, the band played semi-acoustic versions of some of their biggest hits and three new songs.

The tracks, 'Arpeggi', 'Bodysnatchers' and another as yet untitled, were mixed in with songs such as 'Karma Police', 'No Surprises' and closer 'Paranoid Android'.

'Arpeggi', a ballad, was played by Yorke on finger-picked acoustic and Greenwood on softly distorted electric guitar. It featured the lyrics "Why should I stay here... I'd be crazy not to follow." Towards the end of the song, Greenwood swapped his guitar and started playing organ.

'Bodysnatchers' was far more uptempo and featured the lyric "I'm trapped in this body... can't get out," while the third new song was the best of the bunch.

At the beginning, Yorke sampled and looped his own voice to create a drum beat before playing a piano over the top. The song featured the line "You should have took me out when you had a chance."

The setlist ran:

'Karma Police'
'There There'
'Arpeggi'
'Fake Plastic Trees'
'Bodysnatchers'
'Pyramid Song'
'How To Disappear Completely'
'No Surprises'
Untitled
'I Might Be Wrong'
'Street Spirit (Fade Out)'
'Gagging Order'
'Paranoid Android'

[7WetCigarettes]

I am so there. Old sh*t....new sh*t....who gives a sh*t. Either way it wil be good.

[jewlee138]

The setlist ran:

'Karma Police'
'There There'
'Arpeggi'
'Fake Plastic Trees'
'Bodysnatchers'
'Pyramid Song'
'How To Disappear Completely'
'No Surprises'
Untitled
'I Might Be Wrong'
'Street Spirit (Fade Out)'
'Gagging Order'
'Paranoid Android'

That's a damn good set list.

[flapjacks]

can someone get me a ride?

[subgenius88]

They're playing bonnaroo this summer, too, along with Beck, Medeski Martin & Wood, Tom Petty, Sonic Youth, moe, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Cypress Hill, Les Claypool, MAtisyahu, G Love & Special Sauce, Son Volt and a bunch of other bands.

http://bonnaroo.com/2006/

[Massage...Bored]

"Bodysnatchers" is going to be a great rock song whenever the full band version comes out.

And, Senior Ess Dog, I meant touring for like a full year and only playing new material, no hits.

[jewlee138]

Live: Radiohead
Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, PA: 1 June 2006
Story by Stephen M. Deusner

The first image we saw of Thom Yorke at the Tower Theatre was not the man himself, but his face projected in eerie digital black-and-white on the bank of rhomboidal screens that served as Radiohead's backdrop. Singing "You and Whose Army?" he mooned for the cameras, which fragmented his features across the 10 screens. It was about what we've come to expect from Yorke and Radiohead in general: humanity at a remove, filtered through cold technology, deadened by dystopian paranoia, and promising a detached performance.

After striking the final chords of that Amnesiac track, the Radiohead frontman emerged from behind an upright piano to shrieks and applause. This Thom Yorke remained front and center throughout the remainder of the two-hour show, fronting a band that played to the crowd, coming across as warm showmen, complete with a dizzying array of instruments-- from floor toms to harmonicas to whatever it was that Johnny Greenwood cooked up. Yorke even sported an Oxford knit shirt-- black, of course. And the screens faded into the background, capturing the musicians in action but keeping the focus exclusively on the music instead of visuals.

Radiohead played tunes from throughout most of their career, running through "The National Anthem", "Idioteque", and "Myxamytosis" with an emphasis on Colin Greenwood's tectonic bassline and Philip Selway's snare-heavy drumbeat, which combine into a tense rumble that pushes along the guitars, piano, and vocals. This emphasis on rhythm has prevented Radiohead from buckling under their pretensions; on stage, it gave these songs a torrential rush, almost physically compelling the audience to dance.

Still, as tight as the band was, its performance occasionally seemed a little contained. The members switched out instruments after each song, which dulled the show's momentum, and "Street Spirit" and "Pyramid Song" were lackluster, never reaching the big moments they threatened to build toward. If these songs tended to be too precise-- everything in its right place, ahem-- the new songs were looser and less assured, but more spontaneous. Nearly a third of the 23-song setlist was comprised of new tracks. Actually evoking its title, the familiar "Nude" proved the band can do sensuous just as easily as numb, but "House of Cards" sounded almost like easy listening Radiohead-style. Faster numbers fared better: "Spooks" was a quick rush of inverted surf guitar riffs, and Radiohead made "Bangers and Mash" a crowd favorite, especially when Yorke jumped on a second drum set and began playing along with Selway while he sang. They could have ended on that note.

Remarkably, the audience responded to these new tracks, suggesting that even if Radiohead wanted to distance themselves, their fans wouldn't let them. The diverse audience-- which ranged from young hipsters to crazy frats to a charmingly drunk middle-age woman who gyrated energetically throughout the show-- cheered when Yorke mumbled into the microphone, strapped on a guitar, or danced around the stage (plus, he's a game dancer, his goofiness kinda charming). They shouted, "We love you, Phil!" several times and made the obligatory song requests, which ran the gamut from "Stop Whispering" to "True Love Waits". They clapped along with the opening of "Everything in Its Right Place", danced to almost every fast number, and sang rapturously to show closer "Karma Police"-- which was actually a little disturbing considering the cynical violence of the lyrics. Still, even if the crowd's excitement didn't necessarily fuel the performance, the band obviously took notice of the reactions its music inspired. Yorke's wide grin as he waved goodbye didn't look practiced in the least. It punctuated the moment and served as a lingering reminder of how great it is to have them back.

Setlist
You And Whose Army
The National Anthem
2+2=5
Open Pick
15 Step
Exit Music
Kid A
Nude
Arpeggi
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Pyramid Song
Myxomatosis
House of Cards
Spooks
Idioteque
Bangers and Mash
There There

Encore #1
Airbag
No Surprises
Bodysnatchers
Everything in Its Right Place

Encore #2
4 Minute Warning
Karma Police