Radiohead At The O2: A Return That Refused To Beg For Meaning

Flying in from Los Angeles for a show is always a gamble, but some bands still justify the jet lag. Radiohead playing their first London concert in eight years is one of the few things left on earth worth crossing an ocean for. The O2 Arena was full before the lights even shifted. The crowd was mostly men, polite in that British way that looks like reservation but reads like reverence. No theatrics, no peacocking, no pre show hysteria. People stood there the way people stand when they know something important is about to begin and they do not want to embarrass themselves by reacting too soon.

The lighting operator deserves credit for the way the night opened. The flicker was slow, patient, deliberate. Not dramatic. Not a countdown to an eruption. More like the room clearing its throat.