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An hour or so before the sun rose over Madrid, Francesco Puddu staked out a prime spot in front of the city’s hulking Movistar Arena. He was among the first Radiohead fans to arrive at the venue, buzzing with expectations for the British band’s first live show in seven years, kicking off a 20-date European tour.
“I’m incredibly excited. Like, I don’t think it’s real,” said the 27-year-old, who had travelled from Italy. “It’s been so long that even if they play the same song 20 times in a row, I’ll be happy.”
The hours passed quickly as fans plotted where to position themselves in front of the circular stage, and revelled in the fact that they were among the privileged ones who had scored tickets for a tour that had sold out in minutes.
The war in Gaza was another topic that had come up throughout the day, given that the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel had called on people to boycott the tour, citing band member Jonny Greenwood’s 2024 performance in Tel Aviv.
The topic seemingly remains sensitive for the band; after the Guardian reported on the boycott call in September, its journalists were blocked from receiving tickets to review the Madrid concert. On Tuesday, the band did not reply to a request for comment regarding the decision.
In Spain, where hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in solidarity with Palestine, the band’s actions had left some fans conflicted. “It would have been nice if they had spoken out about it much earlier,” said Lola, 22, who asked that her last name not be published. “As a fan of Radiohead, I was a little bit disappointed. But at least I think they learned their lesson.”
She pointed to the incident last year in Melbourne, when the band’s frontman, Thom Yorke, briefly walked off stage during a solo gig after a pro-Palestinian heckler shouted: “How many dead children will it take for you to condemn the genocide in Gaza?”
It was not the right away to respond, said Lola. “I didn’t like that reaction.” In the end, however, the music had won her over. “I obviously can’t control what I feel when I listen to music ... I really wanted to come and listen to the voices and sounds that I’ve been listening to since I was 12 years old.”
Yorke later released a statement saying the incident in Melbourne left him “in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity”, describing the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his administration as “extremists” who “need to be stopped”.
Before the European tour, Yorke told the Sunday Times that he would “absolutely not” perform in Israel. “I wouldn’t want to be 5,000 miles anywhere near the Netanyahu regime,” he added.
Some defended the band, citing their long history of activism. “They’ve always stood for peace, they can’t have changed now,” said Alessandra Fossati. “I think the people who know them, know that they are on the right side.”
Tuesday’s concert was to be the 50th time she had seen Radiohead perform, after becoming hooked when she first saw them live in 1995.
This time she had tickets for five of the shows: opening night in Madrid and every single performance in her home country of Italy. “They always change from one record to another, they never do the same thing,” she said as she showed off her two Radiohead-themed tattoos. “I mean, I used to be a U2 fan but they kept doing the same things. And after a while you get bored.”
For some, the fact that the band had gone seven years without performing together had injected a sense of urgency into the new tour. “There might not be another opportunity, Radiohead is pretty old at this point,” said Luka Arreaza, 20, prompting laughter from those waiting in line beside him. “So it was really worth it to come here and share this moment.”
Behind him sat Sergio Zapater, who had arrived luggage in hand after taking a morning train from Valencia.
The last time the 53-year-old had seen Radiohead was 22 years ago. This time, he had arrived at the venue more than nine hours before the concert was due to start, certain that he would be the first in line.
Instead he found himself confronted by the fact that a new generation – one that seemingly did not mind early hours or queues – had fallen for Radiohead’s “evolved, elaborate, soul-touching” tunes. “I was surprised to find all these young people here,” he said with a laugh. “How annoying, I thought I would be first in line because older people don’t do these things. But now I’m 25th.”
After four nights in Madrid, Radiohead’s tour will travel to Bologna, London, Copenhagen and Germany, concluding on 12 December.
