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As the sun prepared to rise over Madrid, Francesco Puddu claimed a perfect location in front of the city's massive Movistar Arena. He was among the earliest devotees to appear at the site, overflowing with expectations for the group's return to the stage in almost a decade, starting a multi-city European tour.

"I feel overwhelming joy. It's hard to believe this moment has arrived," shared the 27-year-old, who had come from Italy. "Given the extended wait, even were they perform one track repeatedly, I'll be happy."

The hours passed quickly as attendees plotted where to position themselves in front of the circular stage, and reveled in the fact that they were among the privileged ones who had scored tickets for a tour that had sold quickly in record time.

Debate and Audience Responses

The situation in Gaza was a subject that had come up throughout the day, due to the fact that a pro-Palestinian campaign group had called on people to skip the concerts, referencing guitarist a member's 2024 performance in Tel Aviv.

The topic seemingly remains contentious for the group; subsequent to news stories about the protest appeal, media representatives were blocked from getting tickets to report on the opening night. On that evening, the musicians did not answer to a question regarding the choice.

Across the nation, where hundreds of thousands have marched in support of the Palestinian cause, the artists' stance had made some supporters conflicted. "I would have preferred if they had expressed their views about it sooner," said a fan, a young woman, who requested that her last name not be revealed. "As someone who admires them, I was a little bit disappointed. But at the very least I think they realized their mistake."

She pointed to the situation earlier in the Australian city, when the band's frontman, Thom Yorke, momentarily exited the performance during a personal show after a pro-Palestinian heckler called out: "How many dead children will it take for you to condemn the genocide in Gaza?"

This wasn't the proper manner to answer, said Lola. "I didn't like his response." Finally, however, the songs had swayed her. "I obviously can't control my reactions when I experience their songs ... I was determined to come and listen the tunes and lyrics that I've been following since I was a young teen."

Musician's Position

Yorke later, issued a comment saying the situation in Melbourne left him "in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being interpreted as complicity," calling the prime minister, the politician, and his government as "extremists" who "need to be stopped."

Prior to the continental shows, the singer stated that he would "definitely not" appear in the country. "I have no desire to be anywhere close to the Netanyahu regime," he continued.

Longtime Supporters Express Their Opinions

Some supported the band, pointing to their long history of activism. "They've always stood for peace, it's unlikely they've altered now," said one supporter. "I believe the people who know them, recognize that they are on the correct side."

The opening show was to be the half-century mark she had seen the band perform, after becoming hooked when she originally attended them in concert in decades ago.

On this occasion she had tickets for several concerts: the premiere in the Spanish city and every single performance in her nation of the European country. "They constantly evolve from one record, they avoid repeating similar shows," she said as she displayed her couple of Radiohead-themed ink. "I mean, I used to be a follower of different artists but they continued with similar performances. And after a while you become tired."

New Generation Embraces the Community

For some, the fact that the group had been seven years without performing together had injected a awareness of rarity into the latest concerts. "Perhaps there will be no another opportunity, the group has aged at this point," said a young fan, a young man, causing laughter from those queuing up around him. "Hence it was absolutely justified to attend and share this event."

Behind him stood an attendee, who had come luggage in hand after catching a daybreak rail from Valencia.

The last time the fan had seen the group was in a different era. For this event, he had reached at the site over half a day before the concert was due to start, convinced that he would be the initial attendee.

Contrarily he found himself confronted by the fact that a younger crowd – one that seemed comfortable with dawn arrivals or waiting – had become enamored with Radiohead's "evolved, elaborate, soul-touching" songs. "I was taken aback to find all these teenagers here," he said with a smile. "How annoying, I assumed I would be the lead attendee because mature individuals don't do these things. But at present I'm 25th."

Following several performances in Madrid, the group's series will travel to Bologna, the UK capital, the Danish city and Germany, finishing on the winter date.