Radiohead Sets All-Time O2 Attendance Record

Photo Credit: The O2 (X/Twitter)

Radiohead breaks the all-time O2 Arena attendance record, dethroning Metallica with four sold-out shows last week.

UK mainstay Radiohead broke London’s O2 Arena’s attendance record after four sold-out shows at the venue last week. The feat smashes the record previously held by Metallica since 2017.

Radiohead played four shows at the O2 on November 21, 22, 24, and 25. Each show saw a crowd of over 22,200 attendees, with more than 22,355 fans present at the final show, the venue announced on social media.

“These past four record-breaking nights will go down in the venue’s history, with Radiohead breaking the attendance records each night,” said Christian D’Acuna, Senior Programming Director at the O2 Arena.

“We knew how special these exclusive shows would be, and we’re so grateful to the band for bringing them to the O2. It’s been a true honor to host them, and each night they played different set lists spanning their incredible back catalog. These shows will be remembered for years to come.”

The tour marks Radiohead’s first shows as a band since 2018, when they played at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center that August. The band returned to the stage this year on November 4 at Madrid’s Movistar Arena, launching a sold-out 20-show tour across Europe and the UK. Stops include Bologna, Copenhagen, Berlin, and the four-night stand in London.

“Last year, we got together to rehearse, just for the hell of it,” said drummer Philip Selway. “After a seven-year pause, it felt really good to play the songs again and reconnect with a musical identity that has become lodged deep inside all five of us.”

When tickets for the tour went on sale earlier this year, fans were notified that there was a “€1/£1 charity donation added to, or included in, the ticket price.”

In London, that money will be donated to the LIVE Trust, an initiative representing the UK’s live music and entertainment sector. It helps provide support for artists, venues, promoters, festivals, and other grassroots spaces across the country. Shows in Europe will see money donated to Doctors Without Borders, the non-profit humanitarian organization that works to provide medicine and emergency assistance to those living in countries affected by war, epidemics, natural disasters, and more.

Radiohead took an indefinite hiatus after completing their extensive tour in support of the 2016 album, A Moon Shaped Pool. The record became the band’s sixth #1 on the UK Official Albums Chart and reached #3 on the Billboard 200. It also earned the group a headlining Coachella slot the following year.