Pigeons Playing Ping Pong Enlist Dogs In A Pile Members For ‘Talking Radioheads’ Halloween Concert In Austin

After offering favorites from Talking Heads and Radiohead in New Orleans over Halloween weekend, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong delivered their second “Talking Radioheads” show on Halloween proper at Austin’s Scoot Inn on Tuesday. Members of opening band Dogs In A Pile helped PPPP on classics from both iconic bands.

After opening the concert with “Happy Birthday” for Pigeons Playing Ping Pong frontman “Scrambled” Greg Ormont, Pigeons flew into original “Move Like That” followed by the debut of Radiohead’s “Just,” off their 1995 album The Bends. OG “Fun in Funk” concluded the seamless opening sequence.

PPPP then welcomed Dogs In A Pile guitarist Brian Murray for Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).” Ormont, Murray and Pigeons’ Jeremy Schon offered tasty triple guitar lines for the song’s familiar melody before Jeremy blasted the band off into a vibey dance sequence which saw some shred from Murray ahead of the song’s conclusion.

PPPP then sandwiched the premiere of Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” with their newish tune “Alright Tonight.” The band kept segueing into the Halloween and theme-appropriate Heads classic “Psycho Killer” (last time played October 13, 2022) before once again fitting a Radiohead tune, “The National Anthem,” within an original, “Burning Up My Time,” to wrap the first frame.

The seamless second set got underway with staple “Somethin’ For Ya” followed by yet another Radiohead premiere. This time PPPP welcomed Dogs In A Pile’s Jeremy Kaplan for “Subterranean Homesick Alien” off the British Band’s landmark 1997 album OK Computer. Kaplan layered in some choice keyboard textures for the atmospheric number.

Pigeons then went it alone for a “(Nothing But) Flowers” (TH) and “Julia” (PPPP) sandwich. Additional Radiohead debuts included classics “High and Dry” (played fast in a ska style) and “No Surprises” before Pigeons wrapped the set with a bust out of Talking Heads’ “Making Flippy Floppy” — last time played on November 2, 2019 for a gap of 234 shows, as per Phantasy Tour. The Speaking in Tongues cut saw Kaplan returning on keys. PPPP capped their Halloween concert with the original “Doc.”

Check out video from the show below:

https://www.facebook.com/PigeonsPlayingPingPong/videos/1002437217492228/

Setlist via (PPPP Facebook)

I: Happy Birthday > Move Like That > Just* > Fun In Funk, This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)^, Alright Tonight > Paranoid Android* > Alright Tonight > Psycho Killer > Burning Up My Time > The National Anthem > Burning Up My Time

II: Somethin’ For Ya > Subterranean Homesick Alien*% > Julia > Nothing But Flowers > Julia, Condenser~ > High And Dry* > Horizon, No Surprises* > Hell Yeah~ > Making Flippy Floppy%

E: Doc

Notes:

• “Talking Radioheads” Halloween Night 2
• * First time played
• ^ w/ Brian Murray (Dogs In A Pile) on guitar
• % w/ Jeremy Kaplan (Dogs In A Pile) on keys
• ~ Unfinished