Largely known as the lead singer for Radiohead, Thom Yorke has managed to make quite a solo career separate from the alt-rock giants. Although there are some similarities to his band’s sound, his solo work has a concentration in electronic music. Arriving on stage amid producer Nigel Godrich who plays keyboards, bass, guitar, and “atmospheres”, along with visual artist Tarik Barri, who live-mixes abstract projections, Yorke handled vocals, keyboards, bass, guitar, and computer operations at various times throughout the show. Grinning from ear to ear as he visually addressed the sold-out crowd it was readily apparent the Yorke really enjoys this.

With his new release Anima (Italian for soul), Yorke also put together an accompanying Netflix film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. His penchant for frenetic dance moves could be seen in the film and he definitely replicated that self-abandonment at Stage AE. Concentrating on new material Yorke presented a rave-like atmosphere with visuals that were stunning, dizzying, and dreamlike. The music at times seemed trancelike amid the impression of spontaneous lyrical content, much like an artist might paint without too much thought, deriving from the subconscious. Playing for over two hours, Yorke gave his fans more than their monies worth while indulging his own artistic avenues, which is rare for many solo projects. Pittsburgh has been fortunate to see Radiohead and Yorke within the same year. Hopefully, history will repeat itself.

Setlist: Interference, A Brain in a Bottle, Impossible Knots, Black Swan, Harrowdown Hill, Pink Section, Nose Grows Some, Cymbal Rush, The Clock, (Ladies & Gentlemen, Thank You for Coming) Has Ended, Amok, Not The News, Truth Ray, Traffic, Twist, (Encore): Dawn Chorus, Runaway, Default, (Encore 2): Unmade

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