Radiohead, photo by Nathan Dainty

Photo by Nathan Dainty

Defying protests and calls for a cultural boycott, Radiohead took the stage at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv, Israel on Wednesday night. It marked the band’s ninth time playing the country — but their first visit since the launch of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement protesting Israel’s policies towards Palestine. While fellow musicians like Roger Waters, Brian Eno, and Thurston Moore called on Radiohead to cancel the gig, the band rejected the notion of a cultural boycott. As Thom Yorke explained in a tweet posted prior to the concert, “Playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government,” adding, “Music, art and academia is about crossing borders not building them, about open minds not closed ones, about shared humanity, dialogue and freedom of expression.”

Radiohead certainly let their music do the talking on Wednesday night, as the band served up a 27-song set that amounted to their longest performance in 11 years. The 17-song main set kicked off with “Daydreaming”, “Lucky”, “Ful Stop”, and “Lucky”, with “15 Step”, “All I Need”, “Pyramid Song”, “Let Down”, and “The Numbers” among the other notable performances. The first encore spanned six songs (!), including “No Surprises”, “Like Spinning Plates”, “Paranoid Android”, and “Reckoner”. A second, slimmer, but equally stellar encore closed out the night with “Creep”, “The Bends”, “There There”, and “Karma Police”. See the full setlist below. You can also find a lengthy Periscope recording of the performance,

According to reports from the ground, Yorke spoke sparsely throughout the night, saying at the end of the show, “A lot of stuff has been said about this, but in the end, we played some music.”

Last night marked Radiohead’s final scheduled show of 2017, but Ed O’Brien recently revealed the band is planning a small tour next year.

Radiohead in Tel Aviv https://t.co/wgE7WVgYPR — Adam Ben Gan (@AdamBenGan) July 19, 2017

Setlist:

Daydreaming

Lucky

Ful Stop

Airbag

15 Step

Myxomatosis

All I Need

Pyramid Song

Everything in Its Right Place

Let Down

Bloom

Identikit

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

The Numbers

2 + 2 = 5

Bodysnatchers

Idioteque

Encore:

No Surprises

Nude

Like Spinning Plates

Lotus Flower

Paranoid Android

Reckoner

Encore 2:

Creep

The Bends

There There

Karma Police