Occupy Wall Street Protest to Get Boost From Radiohead Performance?

All morning, the web has been buzzing with an unusual rumor.

Apparently, it is said, Brit-mope band Radiohead is set to play a surprise free gig in Manhattan’s Zucotti Park. The location is host to the Occupy Wall Street protests, a fluctuating gathering of individuals that has been ongoing since September 17th. Although the group has no central stated goal yet, celebrities such as Susan Sarandon and Michael Moore have visited the protests since they began nearly two weeks ago and the rally continues to draw attention- as well as accusations mainstream media is, for the most part, ignoring the protests.

If it goes ahead as rumored, the purported Radiohead concert could raise the profile of the movement significantly. The band recently annoyed some New York City metro area fans when it sold out two tiny shows at the small-ish venue the Roseland Ballroom. Ticketmaster spokeswoman Jacqueline Peterson said at the time:

“We know people are frustrated, more than a half a million people were attempting to purchase just a couple of thousand Radiohead tickets, most people did not end up with tickets and are understandably disappointed… We are fans ourselves and we know the disappointment of not securing tickets to a highly anticipated event, this is why we work so diligently to evolve and provide ticketing solutions that help ensure that all of the tickets end up in the hands of real fans, not with scalpers.”

Radiohead reportedly denied the show at Occupy Wall Street was a go, but rumors persist. Regardless of whether the event goes ahead as rumors suggest, it’s likely to create some traffic snarls as well as mass transit congestion downtown as fans flock to the location just in case.