Radiohead win two Grammys and play “15 Step” with a marching band

Radiohead won two Grammys for In Rainbows at the 51st Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday 8 February. On the night they played the ceremony for the first time, doing “15 Step” with the University of Southern California's Trojan Marching Band.

Gwyneth Paltrow introduced them as utterly brilliant⁷. Dr David Campbell arranged the marching band's part. The same university band played on Fleetwood Mac's “Tusk” in 1979. Four days later Thom Yorke put the performance up on Dead Air Space, the band's blog, thanking Campbell and the band for working so hard with us to get this right¹¹.

In Rainbows won best alternative music album, the award OK Computer and Kid A also took, and like them it was up for album of the year. The second Grammy, for best boxed or special limited edition package, went to the In Rainbows discbox. Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts I-IV was one of the boxes it beat. Jonny Greenwood had a nomination of his own, for his There Will Be Blood soundtrack, and lost to The Dark Knight.

Before the ceremony Jonny told the Associated Press he found it hard to imagine a win would change anything for the band. I'm confused, because whenever I watch The Simpsons, they're very rude about the Grammys. It's hard to know how important they are!¹

Radiohead at the 51st Grammy Awards