Radiohead play 14 North American shows and leave out “Creep”

Radiohead's spring tour of North America has ended with a second night at Radio City Music Hall in New York, the 14th show in three weeks since Houston on 28 March. “Creep” was not played at any of them. Spiritualized opened. Björk), due to open the last four nights from Toronto, withdrew over staging. The new songs in San Francisco), Vancouver) and its stoppage), the crowd at the Max Bell Centre) and the last night in New York) have pages of their own.

David Simutis wrote in the Houston Press that the opening night at the Aerial Theater had sold out faster than any show in the venue's short history, quicker even than the reunited Jane's Addiction. The band came with a Grammy) for Best Alternative Music Performance, won on 25 February, after OK Computer was also up for Album of the Year. Simutis counted one hit single in five years and little radio play since, and put the growth of their American following down to word of mouth about the shows.

At the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on 1 April, Thom Yorke began “Exit Music (For a Film)” alone with an acoustic guitar, and the band had joined him by its end. Alanis Morissette and Brad Pitt were in the audience for a set of nearly two hours. Robert Hilburn, reviewing it for the Los Angeles Times, found The Bends, largely overlooked in America, almost the equal of OK Computer on stage. He singled out Jonny Greenwood's guitar. Near the end a fan screamed “Godhead!”, and Hilburn thought it fitted the night.

In Seattle on 5 April, before a full house at the Paramount Theatre, Yorke said almost nothing but thank-yous, except to introduce at least three songs the same way.

This song is definitely about Bill Gates

Thom Yorke⁴

The crowd sang “Karma Police” when he asked them to. Patrick Macdonald of the Seattle Times went in doubting the talk of the next big thing and came out saying the band more than lived up to it, with a sound system and lights built for an arena.

At the Rosemont Theatre outside Chicago on 10 April the band played for more than 90 minutes under a full light show, with Jonny moving between guitars, keyboards, foot pedals, mallets and knobs. The one song from the Pablo Honey days was “Lurgee”, and Yorke explained where it came from.

we didn't know what we were doing . . . it's called learning

Thom Yorke⁵

North America, spring 1998