Thom Yorke apologises as a storm floods out Vaison-la-Romaine

Radiohead's show at the Théâtre Antique, the Roman theatre in Vaison-la-Romaine, was called off on Wednesday evening after a storm flooded the stage and lightning broke over the site. The set list was already written, with different new songs from the night before, and the band had soundchecked them.

Thom Yorke went on the official message board in the early hours of Thursday to say the band had had a terrible day. Can you pass on apologies to all who came a long way for today's show. It was just too dangerous with the thunder and lightning, very, very frightening.³ A spokesperson told NME the show was pulled for safety reasons and that the band are trying to reschedule.

Ed O'Brien, writing in his tour diary on the band's site, says a 20-minute downpour left about three inches of water on the stage. Another storm was forecast for 9.30pm, and much of the equipment was still damaged from the rain at Arles.

Vaison was meant to follow straight on from Tuesday's return at the Roman theatre in Arles, the first Radiohead show since Paris-Bercy in December 1998, where the rain held off just before they went on. Over dinner among the ruins there, Colin Greenwood told the others this is the best holiday i’ve ever been on!², which O'Brien rates as close to extraordinary for Radiohead on tour.

O'Brien wrote it all up on the road to Barcelona, driving through more lightning towards Thursday's show at the Teatre Tivoli, the first venue of the tour with a roof.