Radiohead, Memory and the Long Way Back

Bahram Foroughi on January 5, 2026

There are certain bands you’d chase to the end of the world. Radiohead has always been one of them.

I first saw them on Aug. 17, 2001, at Liberty State Park. Four encores. A setlist you could only dream about. The Twin Towers stood behind the stage, glowing in the distance. That image—Radiohead framed against the skyline—has been burned into my memory ever since.

Less than a month later, I watched those towers fall from Brooklyn. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, Radiohead became a lifeline. Their music gave shape to grief when nothing else could, offering a strange mix of unease and comfort that felt raw and honest in a world suddenly unmoored.

Fast forward to 2012. Thanks to my dear friend Jihni Baron, I received press credentials from Entertainment Weekly to photograph Bonnaroo. The lineup was stacked: The Shins, a young Childish Gambino, Kenny Rogers, Phish (covering The Gambler with Kenny!), Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Roots—but Radiohead was the pivot.

Photographers get three songs. Three songs to capture everything. Standing just a few feet from the band, with nearly 100,000 people behind me, I felt the power of music as both a healer and a connector. When my pit time ended, I melted into the crowd, shoulder to shoulder with strangers, witnessing the rest of the set. Somewhere in that field, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to documenting music.

There are bands I regret never seeing. Nirvana is the biggest. That regret became a rule: if I love a band, I go. My mental health, my sanity, my love of music—they depend on it.

So when Radiohead announced their 2025 European tour, I didn’t hesitate. The preregistration process was brutal—no guarantees, no shortcuts—but I got a code. I aimed for Copenhagen. I stayed up all night, waited hours in the queue, and finally landed a single ticket. By sunrise, I had a flight and a hotel. For the first time in a long while, I had something to look forward to.

The tour unfolded beautifully across Europe. London’s O2 Arena set a new attendance record. Every show hinted at something special to come in Denmark.

I landed in Copenhagen on Dec. 1 and, on a whim, found a floor ticket for that night. Exhausted, I lay down for a “quick nap.” Two hours later, I woke to the news: both that show and the Dec. 2 show—the one I had a ticket for—were canceled. Thom Yorke had a throat infection. Four hours’ notice. My two shows, gone.

I cried.

The band rescheduled Copenhagen for Dec. 15 and 16. The city became the final stop of the European tour. Fans from across the globe gathered at a small bar, EscoBar, tucked into Nørrebro. People had driven for days, flown across continents, left families and pets behind. Strangers became friends over shared disappointment, music, and the recognition that this—this community—is why we chase live shows.

I flew home, hesitated, thought about the cost, thought about letting it go. Then I burned every frequent-flier mile I had and went back. Regret lasts longer than inconvenience.

The final two nights in Copenhagen were extraordinary. The band played with urgency, with gratitude. The crowd felt it. These weren’t just concerts—they were communal moments, full of energy, memory, and the kind of joy that reminds you why live music matters.

Radiohead has been the backdrop to decades of my life, carrying grief, passion, perseverance, and joy. Watching them close out their European tour in Copenhagen felt like a full circle I didn’t even know I needed.

Life is short. Music matters. Go see the bands you love.

***

Radiohead — Royal Arena, Copenhagen

Dec. 15, 2025
Planet Telex
2 + 2 = 5
Sit Down. Stand Up.
Lucky
15 Step
The Gloaming
Kid A
Videotape
Nude
Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
Idioteque
Everything in Its Right Place
Bloom
Ful Stop
Daydreaming
Exit Music (for a Film)
Let Down
Bodysnatchers

Encore:
Fake Plastic Trees
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Paranoid Android
You and Whose Army?
A Wolf at the Door
Just
No Surprises

Dec. 16, 2025 — Final show of the European tour
2 + 2 = 5
Airbag
The Bends
All I Need
Ful Stop
Nude
Reckoner
Separator
Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
Pyramid Song
You and Whose Army?
Sit Down. Stand Up.
The Gloaming
No Surprises
Paranoid Android
Bodysnatchers
Exit Music (for a Film)
Street Spirit (Fade Out)