Radiohead stop and restart “Sit Down. Stand Up.” in Berlin

Radiohead lost the beat in the middle of their second night at the Uber Arena in Berlin on Tuesday 9 December, and had to stop “Sit Down. Stand Up.” and build it again from the drums up. Twelve songs in, Jonny Greenwood stayed at his keyboard a moment too long and reached his sequencer late, so the programmed beats that run with the live drums came in out of time. Thom Yorke tried to sing around it, then took his hands off the piano, and the whole band fell apart.

Sassan Niasseri, reviewing the night for Rolling Stone Germany, watched Yorke wipe his hands on his trousers and give Greenwood a furious look. Greenwood already had both arms in the air, protesting his innocence. Phil Selway brought the drum pattern back, Greenwood hit the right button this time, Yorke started again on piano and they played the song to the end. The band use no backing tape on this tour to cover a gap like that, and the arena applauded the recovery. Afterwards Yorke told the crowd that machines are unpredictable things.

It was the night's second restart. “Airbag”, the second song, began again because Greenwood had forgotten to retune his guitar, and Yorke filled the wait with some joking noodling; the HeavyPop reviewer says restarts like that have become something of a habit on this tour. In the encore Greenwood's ondes Martenot, the early electronic instrument he plays by sliding a ring along a wire, gave out during “How to Disappear Completely”. The song was a surprise in that slot, where “Like Spinning Plates” was the alternative on the written setlist, and HeavyPop named it the highlight of the night.

Anyone who came to both nights heard 14 songs that were not played on the first, from “Airbag” and “Nude” to “Pyramid Song” and “Exit Music (For a Film)”. The band are alternating two set lists, and this one matched the second Copenhagen night song for song, apart from that swap in the encore. In “Nude” it was Ed O'Brien who played the guitar solo, while Greenwood stood with his arms folded behind his back. The four Berlin nights began days after two Copenhagen shows were postponed while Yorke got over a throat infection.

The critics split over the closer. HeavyPop found it a less memorable ending than the first night's “Karma Police”, but for Niasseri “There There”, with its two drum kits and Greenwood on lead guitar, was the most forceful thing all night.

Setlist, Uber Arena, Berlin, 9 December 2025