Radiohead was set to make an announcement today about a surprise show at the Chicago Theatre Thursday night. It would have been the official launch of the art-rockers’ North American tour, and all proceeds would have gone to charity. The band was organizing the show itself, without the assistance of Lollapalooza organizers C3 Presents or any other local promoters.
The group pulled the plug on the show early Tuesday, however, because singer Thom Yorke has been sick, and he wanted to rest up before the band’s big headlining gig in Grant Park on Friday night, according to a spokesman for the band.
The famously anti-corporate Yorke isn’t likely to feel any better when he does take the AT&T Stage on Friday and sees the ubiquitous branding for the telecom giant covering the platform. The group famously has fought performing under any corporate logos.
Lollapalooza promoters have insisted that none of the bands performing at the festival have made any complaints about corporate sponsorships — and that if any of them do remark upon it onstage, the comments won’t be censored like AT&T’s Blue Room Webcast did with Pearl Jam’s remarks about President Bush last year.