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As the sun prepared to rise over the Spanish capital, Francesco Puddu occupied a prime position in front of the city's massive concert venue. He joined the initial Radiohead fans to appear at the location, filled with hopes for the group's comeback performance in an extended period, starting a multi-city European tour.

"I'm incredibly excited. Like, I don't think it's real," remarked the fan, who had travelled from Italy. "After such a lengthy hiatus, even if they play the same song 20 times in a row, I'll be happy."

Time flew by as concertgoers planned where to stand in front of the circular stage, and reveled in the fact that they were among the lucky ones who had secured tickets for a concert series that had sold quickly in minutes.

Debate and Audience Responses

The war in Gaza was another topic that had been discussed throughout the day, considering the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel had urged on people to avoid the tour, referencing musician Jonny Greenwood's appearance in Israel.

The topic seemingly remains delicate for the artists; subsequent to news stories about the demonstration request, reporters were blocked from obtaining tickets to report on the opening night. On the day of the show, the band did not reply to a request for comment regarding the action.

In Spain, where many thousands have marched in solidarity with the Palestinian cause, the band's actions had caused some followers conflicted. "It would have been nice if they had made a statement about it much earlier," said one attendee, 22, who requested that her full identity not be revealed. "As someone who admires them, I was a little bit disappointed. But at the very least I think they learned their lesson."

She referenced the event last year in the Australian city, when the band's frontman, Thom Yorke, momentarily walked off stage during a solo gig after a pro-Palestinian disrupter shouted: "How many young lives lost will it take for you to speak against the atrocities in the region?"

It was not the proper manner to react, said the attendee. "I was unhappy with that reaction." Finally, however, the songs had won her over. "I clearly can't control my emotions when I experience music ... I was determined to be present for the voices and sounds that I've been listening to since I was 12 years old."

Musician's Position

Subsequently, issued a comment saying the incident in the city left him "surprised that my apparent non-response was somehow being seen as complicity," describing the prime minister, the politician, and his administration as "hardliners" who "should be opposed."

Before the European tour, the artist stated that he would "certainly not" appear in the country. "I prefer not to be any distance anywhere near the leadership," he continued.

Loyal Followers Share Their Views

Several defended the band, pointing to their established record of social engagement. "They have consistently supported for peace, they can't have changed now," said one supporter. "I think the those familiar with them, recognize that they are on the correct side."

The evening's performance was to be the half-century mark she had seen the band play, after developing a passion when she initially witnessed them live in the mid-nineties.

On this occasion she had passes for multiple performances: opening night in the Spanish city and all the appearances in her home country of Italy. "They always change from release to release, they never do identical performances," she said as she presented her pair of music-related ink. "I mean, I formerly was a supporter of another band but they continued with identical actions. And eventually you lose interest."

New Generation Discovers the Fanbase

With several fans, the fact that the group had gone seven years without performing together had injected a awareness of rarity into the latest concerts. "Perhaps there will be no future chance, Radiohead is pretty old at this point," said a young fan, 20, eliciting amusement from those waiting in line with him. "So it was really worth it to come here and share this event."

In the vicinity sat Sergio Zapater, who had arrived luggage in hand after catching a morning train from the coastal town.

The most recent instance the fan had seen the band was over two decades past. On this day, he had arrived at the location over half a day before the concert was due to start, convinced that he would be the first in line.

Contrarily he found himself confronted by the fact that a new generation – one that seemingly did not mind early hours or queues – had become enamored with the band's "evolved, elaborate, soul-touching" tunes. "It amazed me to find numerous youth here," he said with a laugh. "What a nuisance, I believed I would be the lead attendee because older people skip these things. But currently my position is later."

Following several performances in Madrid, the band's journey will proceed to the Italian city, the UK capital, the Danish city and the European nation, ending on mid-December.