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To listen or not to listen


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I was having the debate recently with a couple of concert going friends of mine on whether or not you should listen to who ever your going to see in a concert right before you see them, i.e. that day, or in the car on the ride to the show. Some argued that listening to who ever you were going to see right before you saw them spoiled seeing them live. Others argued that listening before hand helped psych you out and get you really familiar with the artist's material. Possibly a lame topic...

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i've gotten into this same arguement numerous times.

 

If its a band like the dead, bob dylan or wilco i ussaly listen before the show because i know their catolouge is big enough that i wont go inside only to hear the same songs.

 

for smaller groups i ussaly listen to something in the same genre just to get in the mood, theres nothing worse then going to a show and not being in the mood for that type of music.

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If its a band like the dead, bob dylan or wilco i ussaly listen before the show because i know their catolouge is big enough that i wont go inside only to hear the same songs.

 

 

what he said..

 

listening to wilco tomorrow wont spoil anything. last time i saw the howling bells (they only have 1 album), i listened to it right before i left the house.. 2 hours later, they played the entire thing + one extra song and it did dampen it a bit

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i'll third the above responses. if i'm going to see one of my favorites then i'll usually listen to them because that's probably what i would listen to in the car anyway. if it's somebody i'm a casual fan of i'll listen to something in the genre but probably not that band. if i've never heard the band before, i will purposefully not listen to them so that seeing them live will be my first impression. happened for me when dr. dog opened for the black keys. now i'm a huge dr. dog fan.

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If I am unfamiliar with a new album I will listen to before. Ie I am seeing Son Volt wednesday so I have been listening to the search alot. But if not I usually will just listen to a band the day after I see em.

 

:music

 

I do the same. I generally see bands as they tour to promote a new album. I like to get familiar with the material.

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When I saw Wilco in one of their opening shows of the AGIB tour, before the album officially came out, I had played the leaked songs to death for months already and I listened to the whole album on the drive to the show--and then during the show they of course played 90% of the songs from AGIB and pretty quickly I found myself thinking "Man, I'd kill for some Being There right about now." :unsure

 

So there is such a thing as overkill. Be careful with it, boys and girls.

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you have been here too long....

:lol Actually, after I posted that, I remembered being in exactly such an argument about a decade ago. The consensus in the car that day was that the people who sat out in the parking lot before a show blasting music by that night's headliner were the kind of people we didn't much care for and didn't want to be seen as emulating.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* - Delicate paraphrasing of what was actually said.

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There were times when I used to follow the Dead when we'd do maybe 10 shows over 2 weeks, and we'd listen to nothing but GD--all day, all night. It never got old or boring. Of course, when you're talking about a group with a long history ( and a vast catalogue) you can do that ( Dylan also comes to mind).

 

Really though, there's very few artists/ bands that you can do that without getting pretty burnt on em.

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I've had better luck when I don't listen to the artist that I go to see.

 

For instance, didn't listen to Elvis Costello, met him after the show

 

Didn't listen to Wilco, got front row seats the day of.

 

Listened to Steely Dan, got rained on and had a Michael McDonald tune in my head for a week.

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I think it's cool to listen to the album versions of songs before the show because the live versions are always going to be different... Louder, faster, slower, etc.. It's just like with anything live.. Sporting events, etc.. A NASCAR race is boring as hell when you watch it on TV, but when you see it live, it's a competely different experience.

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I'm surprised at the number of responses in favor of listening to the band's music before a show. It's been a long-standing "rule" among my group of friends that we don't listen to the band's music before the show - either pregaming at home or tailgating. It's overkill and there is so much other great music to hear beside the music your about to hear for the next two hours. An exception is when it's impossible to avoid because the other fans around you will be blasting it, like at a Springsteen or Dead show.

 

>The consensus in the car that day was that the people who sat out in the parking lot before a show blasting music by that night's headliner were the kind of people we didn't much care for and didn't want to be seen as emulating.

 

Great comment.

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The consensus in the car that day was that the people who sat out in the parking lot before a show blasting music by that night's headliner were the kind of people we didn't much care for and didn't want to be seen as emulating.

I like to blast GWAR in the parking lot, no matter whom I am going to see. (got me some strange looks at that James Taylor concert) :rock

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I think it helps you get more excited for the show. In the case of Wilco, I listened to them almost straight for a week before the show, and afterwards they were on a really consistant rotation on my CD player.

 

the only band i've ever truly been so burnt out on i didn't listen to them before a gig was the old 97's...

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My friends and I have also had this conversation in the past. For me it's never listen to the band I'm seeing on the way to the show. Why? I suppose after all these years it's tradition but for me I want the band to sound "fresh" when they hit the stage. If that makes any sense. Usually the ride up is talk of past shows with background music. Also post show music for me is no music at all untill what I've just heard is allowed to be enjoyed and remembered. At least a half hour to an hour depending on the ride and the show. I really don't like going to shows with a driver who blasts tunes as soon as the engines on after a really good performance, that's why I drive. Plus I don't drink.

 

I've been to hundreds of shows and have never worn the bands shirt. I don't make fun of those who do either, allthough I used to think they were "different" in my younger "cooler" days. To each his own. Live and let live, etc. B)

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> The important question is: do you wear the tshirt of the band you are going to see or not?

 

i spotted about 6 or 7 people wearing the same wilco t-shirt as me last night

I think that's why I would avoid wearing the band shirt to the show. I guess one could always make their own custom band shirt to wear. The audience could look like the Price is Right crowd!

Thepriceisright.dt_price_timecaps_018.jpg

(but with Wilco's picture and it would say "Wilco is the band.")

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