Is it possible to become even more impressed with this band?
Radiohead benefit gig raises Ł350,000 for HaitiNo cameras, no covers, no Bono. It's not surprising that the Oxford rock boffins' charity concert raised so much for Haiti.Radiohead raised more than Ł350,000 for Haiti relief on Sunday, playing a benefit concert in Los Angeles. The one-off gig, which didn't include any television cameras, Leonard Cohen covers or cameos by Bono, marked the band's first performance since last year's Reading festival.
The Oxford band are "in the middle of recording" their eighth studio album, they said on their website, and only announced the charity concert on Friday – about 50 hours before hitting the stage. Tickets were sold in an online auction, fetching between $475 (Ł293) and $2,000 (Ł1,230) each, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"You'll be catching us on the fly," drummer Phil Selway said, "but if you're up for it, then we are too." Before 1,300 people, including singer Justin Timberlake, director Paul Thomas Anderson and actors Drew Barrymore and Jessica Biel, Radiohead ran through a dozen hits, two encores and one new song – Lotus Flower, previously performed at a Thom Yorke solo gig. "What did you do to get a ticket?" Yorke joked with the audience. "Get money from your dad? Or blackmail your boss?"
Later that night, the frontman was handed a piece of card. "This is how much money we made," he told the audience. "Gross: Fuck me! $572,774!" Proceeds will be donated to Oxfam.
Radiohead's Hollywood performance is part of an ongoing Oxfam fundraiser, including auctions for items donated by Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and others. Generous fans have until 2 February to bid for such glittering prizes as a custom-written song by Blur's Damon Albarn.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/26/radiohead-benefit-gig-haitiNone of this 'Look at me! Look at me!' stuff that was obvious on the MTV concert last week.
Their collective bullshit-ometer is absolutely flawless
