After a seven-year absence from the stage, Radiohead made their long-awaited return to live performance on Tuesday night, November 4th, at Madrid’s Movistar Arena. The band delivered an emotional and politically charged set, concluding with a powerful display, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights projected across the venue’s LED screens.
Radiohead get political with their show
The moment drew comparisons to U2’s Vertigo Tour in 2005–06, during which Bono and company followed their performance of “Miss Sarajevo” with a video of a woman reciting the same declaration.
While some fans have speculated that the gesture was intended as a statement of solidarity with Palestine, others point out that Radiohead’s message was broader, emphasizing universal human rights amid ongoing humanitarian crises worldwide, from Nigeria and Sudan to Tibet.
The band’s political voice has often placed them at the center of debate. Their controversial 2017 performance in Tel Aviv drew criticism from pro-Palestine activists, though frontman Thom Yorke defended the show at the time, rejecting accusations of insensitivity or political bias.
Observers note that attitudes toward the Israel-Palestine issue have shifted considerably in the past decade, with advocacy for Palestinian rights becoming more mainstream in global discourse only after 2013.
Critics argue that earlier generations, particularly in Western nations were taught to equate criticism of Israeli policy with antisemitism, leading to the kind of backlash artists like Radiohead might have faced had they taken a stronger stance in the past.
With their return to the stage, Radiohead seem determined to remind audiences that their art has always been intertwined with humanitarian and ethical consciousness.
