Thom Yorke turns “Creep” on the crowd at a sold-out Wiltern

Radiohead played a sold-out Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday 29 March with three songs in the set that are on no record yet: “Electioneering”, “I Promise” and “Lift”. At one point Thom Yorke had to bring a music stand of lyric sheets on stage.

Troy J. Augusto, in today's Variety, rates Radiohead the best of the current British bands and calls the opening “My Iron Lung” the work of a band toughened by touring. He praises a gentle “(Nice Dream)” and a more arrogant “Creep”, and picks “Lift” out of the new songs. A full recording of the night is on the show page.

Sara Scribner, reviewing the show in Monday's Los Angeles Times, calls it the hardest kind of set to play, one built to whet appetites with unfamiliar songs. On “Creep” Yorke, twitchy and insolent enough to put her in mind of John Lydon, launched into operatic vocal runs before the words, then sang the chorus at the crowd with rude gestures. To her, a song about self-loathing had become an accusation aimed at the audience. He ended it flat and unsmiling.

Now ask yourself, were you convinced?

Thom Yorke¹

Scribner thought the honest answer was an embarrassed yes, and took the question as a sign that his heart was with the new songs.

Setlist, Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, 29 March 1996