Unless they were ready to fly across the Atlantic, U.S. Radiohead fans were left out of the band’s first tour in seven years, which wrapped last month. Radiohead played 20 shows in five European cities and promptly re-disappeared completely, with stateside fans left to drool over clips of the band unearthing “Sit Down, Stand Up.” Now, as we discuss on the latest Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, the big question is whether Radiohead will resurface for U.S. dates this year. (A spokesperson for the band had no new information on the subject.)
Radiohead’s European run — hitting Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen, and Berlin — was a triumph, aside from some scattered grumbling about the in-the-round stage setup and descending screens that sometimes obscured the band early on. When the tour was announced in September, drummer Philip Selway presented the dates as a test run: “For now, it will just be these ones, but who knows where this will all lead.”
But will it lead to, well, the United States? As we discuss in the episode, the fact that bassist Colin Greenwood is booked for summer touring with Nick Cave initially seems not to bode well. But Greenwood’s own Rolling Stone Music Now interview last year suggested he made that commitment before he knew Radiohead was coming back, and the band could easily work around his schedule.
(To hear our entire podcast episode, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.)
The murkier issue is whether Radiohead actually want to return. The one interview the band gave to promote the tour aired interpersonal and even political disagreements. “Somebody said that article was the equivalent of a group therapy session,” Rolling Stone‘s Andy Greene notes in the episode. The band seemed delighted to be onstage together, but internal dynamics are always hard to gauge. “You can never tell,” Greene adds. “To have no activity for seven years, only hit five European markets, and vanish again would be a real bummer.”
The episode goes on to dig into 2026’s broader concert landscape, discussing upcoming tours by Rush, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, and many more. We also touch on huge names who haven’t quite announced their plans. Harry Styles hasn’t played a show since July 2023, but posters and a new website suggest an album is coming — and if there’s an album, there are almost certainly live dates. Beyoncé is in similar territory: New-album rumors persist, and shows would presumably follow. Olivia Rodrigo is widely expected to have new music coming, too, and it’s impossible to imagine there wouldn’t be an accompanying tour.
Elsewhere in the discussion, we dig into the ongoing battle over concert etiquette — supernova-bright phone screens, “scream-singing” at pop shows, the sitter-versus-stander wars, and somehow, still, people yelling “Freebird.” “I’ve been hearing this stupid joke at concerts for 30 years now,” Greene says. “It still gets laughs. That’s what’s so annoying about it.”
Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone‘s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Check out nine years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth interviews with artists including Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Questlove, Halsey, Missy Elliott, Dua Lipa, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Yungblud, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Brian May, Roger Taylor, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.
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