Spafford Debuts Radiohead Cover In Buffalo

Spafford returned to Buffalo on Wednesday for a concert at Buffalo Iron Works. The Arizona-based four-piece closed their first set by debuting a cover of Radiohead's “Fake Plastic Trees.”

The show in Buffalo came less than a week after the release of Cat Shop, Spafford’s first studio album with keyboardist Cory Schechtman and bassist Shon Gordon who joined guitarist Brian Moss and drummer Nick Tkachyk over the past few years. Spafford kicked off their first set in Buffalo with a double dose of Cat Shop: “Motel 6” and “Neutrino.” Each were blown out for over 18 minutes.

The four-song opening stanza moved forward with an expansive “Fake The Fate,” which ran nearly 20 minutes. Spafford wrapped the frame with their first-ever “Fake Plastic Trees.” Brian Moss foreshadowed the premiere in April when covered the song from Radiohead’s iconic 1995 album The Bends for a TikTok video.

Moss handled lead vocals on the “Fake Plastic Trees” performance. Spafford kept their version close to the original until the guitarist shredded a potent solo. Schechtman added swirls of synth and powerful organ blasts throughout.

The band lit into fan-favorite “Broken Wing” to launch set two and showcased several jam motifs over 30 minutes. It was then back to Cat Shop for “Back In L.A.” before a synth-infused cover of Phil Collins’ 1989 hit “Another Day In Paradise” sung by Cory Schechtman. Spafford followed by getting “Comfortable” and sealed the set with a concise “Noctural Emissions.”

The quartet came back to end the night with a “Stratus” encore. Both “Another Day In Paradise” and the Billy Cobham cover were debuted by Spafford in 2025. Spafford continues their summer tour tonight, June 25 at Vinoski Winery in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania.

Stream official audio of Spafford’s show at Buffalo Iron Works below with a nugs subscription:

Setlist (via Spaffnerds)

Set One: Motel 6, Neutrino > Fake The Fate > Fake Plastic Trees [1]

Set Two: Broken Wing > Back To L.A., Another Day In Paradise, Comfortable > Noctural Emissions

Encore: Stratus

[1] – Radiohead; first time played