26th
Video: Radiohead on SNL, 2011 / 2000
Radiohead returned to Saturday Night Live moments ago for the first time since their 2000 tour de force performance of Kid A’s “Idiotheque” and “The National Anthem.” While Thom Yorke broke out plenty of dance moves for their set over a decade ago, tonight he graced the 30 Rock stage with maracas and a few of those fresh steps we saw in the “Lotus Flower” video back in February. Guest drummer Clive Deamer rejoined the band for the second segment: a take on post-The King of Limbs tune “Staircase.”
Below, you can revisit Radiohead’s 11-year transition with videos from both tonight’s Alec Baldwin-hosted SNL premiere and their first appearance:
I was pretty blown away seeing Radiohead on SNL for the first time in over ten years. Even though SNL isn’t the greatest stage for a performance, there’s something about seeing a great band in a conventional space just to see what they do with it. Watching this last night, I had my breath taken away several times. The same thing happened when I watched them on SNL in 2000 playing a couple songs off the just-released Kid A. I just rewatched those performances, thanks to 24Bit, and was still just as blown away. They play like a band possessed and it’s quite something to see. I’ve seen them live in person twice, but both times were pretty huge disasters, not because of the band, but because of the terrible venues they got stuck playing. So until I can see them in an ideal space, I’ll have to settle for their live TV performances. Speaking of, they’re on the Colbert Report tonight, which I assume will be amazing.
