Song · Live covers
Tell Me Why
Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood got it right at the second attempt, at the Hollywood Bowl.
1970
the opener
“Tell Me Why” opens Neil Young's After the Gold Rush: acoustic guitar and a harmony vocal, asking questions that never get answered. Thom Yorke has sung the album's title track on stage too.
aug 2008
auburn, then the bowl
At White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington, on 20 August 2008, Thom Yorke forgot the words to “Faust Arp”, laughed, and slid into “Tell Me Why” instead. He and Jonny Greenwood could not get through that either, and went back to “Faust Arp”.
Five nights later, at the second of two nights at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, the cover came in the same place, straight after the “Faust Arp” duet, though it was not on the printed setlist. This time they played it to the end.
on stage
Their Neil Young cover, live at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, August 2008.· redsoxfaan03watch on youtube →
Live history
| Times played | 1 show |
|---|---|
| Live debut | Monday 25 August 2008 · Los Angeles |
Nights played include broadcasts; opened and closed count gigs only. A cancelled night has no setlist. All setlist stats →
sources2
- The site's own catalogue note, based on setlist.fm and Stereogum.
- The site's news story “Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood finish ‘Tell Me Why’ at the Hollywood Bowl”, 27 August 2008, for Auburn, the Bowl and the setlist.