Do you care about whats on the setlist when you go to concerts?

[remphish1]

Maybe I am too hard to please but what gives me satisfaction at a concert is hearing new songs live. Getting that chance to even hear one or two songs I haven't heard live before makes a show worth it to me. I may be in the minority here but for me if I saw a band and Wilco is a good example I would find diminshed worth in the show if I heard the same songs again and again. What started my post on this topic is one of my favorite bands is the Charlatans UK. They rarley tour stateside. I think they have been to NYC 3 times between 2000-2010. That being said along with their catelog of 11 albums I figured it was worth it to see them a few times. So I saw them at Maxwells then I saw them at Bowery last night. Between the 2 nights they changed one song and although the shows were great I left the show a little bitter...

 

So what expectations do you have when you see a show? Do you care what you hear live? Is there one song that would make your night? If you saw back to back shows would you be dissapointed in hearing the same exact setlist back to back? If a band tours behind a new album would you like the band to heavly feature it at the expense of older catelog songs being cut (9 times out of 10 I would rather hear the new stuff)?

[jff]

 

 

Do you care what you hear live? Is there one song that would make your night? If you saw back to back shows would you be dissapointed in hearing the same exact setlist back to back? If a band tours behind a new album would you like the band to heavly feature it at the expense of older catelog songs being cut (9 times out of 10 I would rather hear the new stuff)?

 

Yes, of course.

 

Usually. (For example, I'm hoping to hear Rattled by the Rush at the Atlanta Pavement show. I wouldn't say it'll "make my night", but it'll just make my night better to some degree.)

 

Absolutely...there's no excuse for this from any band. (The closest I've come to this is King Crimson. They added one song to the encore and very slightly altered the order of songs in the main set.)

 

No, unless the new album is their best album. I like a solid mix of old and new.

[tinnitus photography]

a lot of it depends on the band...if it's a big show w/ lights and all that crap to work out, it's a fair bet that the set list will not vary much at all from show to show.

 

if the artist is an FM radio warhorse, chances are most fans don't give a shit about whatever they have released over the last 15 years and want to hear the hits.

 

with the advent of setlist.fm or similar sites, it's easy to see how the sets vary night to night, so if you have a tour date that's in the middle to latter of the tour, you can judge to see if it makes sense to see two nights or not. i would be pretty bummed to see the exact (or mostly exact) set list on different nights.

 

 

i have rarely seen bands back to back, but of the ones i have seen (mogwai, guided by voices, wilco, sonic youth) there was plenty of material that was different night to night.

 

 

anyone remember when husker du used to tour, and they would play all new/as-of-yet unreleased stuff at the beginning?

[Synthesizer Patel]

if i'm going to love the show, i'd expect it to be songs from the new album, or from an album that is about to come out (especially if it means i haven't heard them before) - and then a few well known tracks for an encore. if a band is going to play a lot of old songs, i'd expect them to be rearranged enough that they sound new.

 

i also expect the set to be no longer than 1 hour 30 mins.

 

if you can do all that for me, i'm happy.

[Oil Can Boyd]

anyone remember when husker du used to tour, and they would play all new/as-of-yet unreleased stuff at the beginning?

When Warehouse came out they played the whole album straight through. I know other bands have done that but it was the first time I had ever seen it. I saw them twice on that tour and it was a little weird knowing not just what was coming next but what was coming for the next 90 minutes.

[PopTodd]

I always want to hear my favorite songs, of course!

As far as bands debuting new material: I'm lukewarm on that. On the one hand, I am excited to hear what they've got coming next. On the other hand, I wanna hear the songs that I already know and love.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I like to hear a nice mix of the past and the present.

 

Until recently, Bruce Springsteen had been a master of mixing old fan favorites with new tunes. On this last tour, he became akin to the geezers touring the sheds for sumer festivals playing only one or two songs from his new record.

[Guest Speed Racer]

This is Via Chicago, remember. We care about setlists for shows we didn't even attend.

 

My first thought upon leaving a concert is all the songs I didn't hear, that I wanted to, but when I look back I always find I got a lot more out of it than I thought I did.

 

For bands I follow closely, I enjoy it when they vary setlists so there's a measure of surprise at the show; for bands I follow casually, I wouldn't know it if they were playing the same thing night after night.

[remphish1]

I like to hear a nice mix of the past and the present.

 

Until recently, Bruce Springsteen had been a master of mixing old fan favorites with new tunes. On this last tour, he became akin to the geezers touring the sheds for sumer festivals playing only one or two songs from his new record.

Ha yeah.. I saw Bruce probably 4 times since the last album came out and only heard Working on a Dream, The Wrestler and Outlaw Pete!

 

In terms of setlist I love to see Phish and The Cure because they really mix up the sets with old and new and never play the same show twice. The Cure plays about 40 songs on a good night and Phish play up to 200 different songs per tour!

[Mr. Heartbreak]

It depends on the artist and show. For example, I'm going to see Roger Waters on The Wall tour in November, and I have an expectation (totally reasonable, I think) of hearing The Wall in order, possibly with a track or two that didn't make it to the original album. I'm also seeing Dylan next month, and I would be disappointed if he didn't play Like A Rolling Stone or All Along the Watchtower, as those are concert staples for old Bob. Then again, if the set is dominated by Together Through Life, I will be a little miffed.

 

Most artists do what The Charlatans did, which is pretty much the same setlist night after night. Many of us have gotten spoiled by artists like the Dead, Dylan, Wilco, etc., who change up the setlist, but really, everyone from the Stones to Paul McCartney don't change up their set like that.

[remphish1]

It depends on the artist and show. For example, I'm going to see Roger Waters on The Wall tour in November, and I have an expectation (totally reasonable, I think) of hearing The Wall in order, possibly with a track or two that didn't make it to the original album. I'm also seeing Dylan next month, and I would be disappointed if he didn't play Like A Rolling Stone or All Along the Watchtower, as those are concert staples for old Bob. Then again, if the set is dominated by Together Through Life, I will be a little miffed.

 

Most artists do what The Charlatans did, which is pretty much the same setlist night after night. Many of us have gotten spoiled by artists like the Dead, Dylan, Wilco, etc., who change up the setlist, but really, everyone from the Stones to Paul McCartney don't change up their set like that.

 

I hear what you are saying...If I know a band doesn't switch it up I will only see them once a tour. With the Charlatans I didn't have much to go on because there tour only started 3 days prior....

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

This is Via Chicago, remember. We care about setlists for shows we didn't even attend.

 

My first thought upon leaving a concert is all the songs I didn't hear, that I wanted to, but when I look back I always find I got a lot more out of it than I thought I did.

 

For bands I follow closely, I enjoy it when they vary setlists so there's a measure of surprise at the show; for bands I follow casually, I wouldn't know it if they were playing the same thing night after night.

 

You think this place is bad, you should have been on the AOL Sringsteen board in the mid to late 90's. I cut my teeth in obsessive online behavior there.

 

I think the internet has been both a disaster and a boon for music. Things are now much more widely available and get more exposure than was ever even dreamed of in the 60's, 70's and 80's. This, however, has somehow removed the specialness of music. It's ease of access has led to much of music being taken for granted.

 

And as for concerts, if you follow a band online, there are NEVER any real surprises at concerts. A new, techno arrangement for "I'll go crazy if I don't go Crazy tonight" at the U2 show? Read about it before the show on a U2 board. A cool arrangement of "If I Should Fall Behind" with some apparently choreographed shows of emotion on the Springsteen reunion tour? Read about it on the AOL board. Wilco breaking out tunes from AM on the Sky Blue Sky tour? Read about it here.

 

We now know and have often heard the new songs before they are officially released. We can buy or steal the record (i.e. download) if we choose. We can download torrents of live shows (Audio and Video)days after the show.

 

Music is becoming a background to our lives now rather than a primary focus. I am not as happy or knowledgable about music now with all the technology available as I was in the 1970's when I had to scrounge around record stores and read record guides and music magazines. It has little to do with age but more with the lessening of the mystique of music. I want to be surprised. I want to be enthralled. The music is still good...it seems to prove the old adage "familiarity breeds contempt". Total access breeds boredom. Music is becoming like literature. Mass access leads to the greater production of crap. Greater access leads to ennui. I cannot think of a single author I get excited about these days. With music, there are very few that excite me.

 

I say this as I am downloading a torrent file of a 1974 Bruce Springsteen show. I am sure that I will be disappointed with the sound quality and unable to appreciate the simple fact that it is available and I am able to possess it.

[Nobody Girl]

So what expectations do you have when you see a show? Do you care what you hear live? Is there one song that would make your night? If you saw back to back shows would you be dissapointed in hearing the same exact setlist back to back? If a band tours behind a new album would you like the band to heavly feature it at the expense of older catelog songs being cut (9 times out of 10 I would rather hear the new stuff)?

It depends on how many times I've seen the band. For instance: I've seen Wilco an insane number of times and, with the exception of the Mermaid Avenue stuff and some rarities, I've heard the majority of their catalog. So if Wilco plays all new songs the next time I see them (I can dream, right?), I would be more than OK with that.

 

On the flip side: The first time I saw Ryan Adams was right after Cold Roses came out. But half of the set list was songs from Jacksonville City Night and 29 (which hadn't been released yet). I was a little disappointed, because when I see someone live the first time (or two), I want to hear a good mix of past/present/favorites.

[Nobody Girl]

And as for concerts, if you follow a band online, there are NEVER any real surprises at concerts.

 

I was thinking this the other day. A couple of times I've known in advance that a band I was going to see was playing a particular cover. While I was still excited to hear said cover, knowing that it was going to be played took a little of the luster off. Kind of like knowing you're getting something really kick-ass for you birthday; you still want it, but it's a little better when it's a surprise.

[jff]

Many of us have gotten spoiled by artists like the Dead, Dylan, Wilco, etc., who change up the setlist, but really, everyone from the Stones to Paul McCartney don't change up their set like that.

 

Well, in the Stones' defense, they don't have much of a choice since everyone from band, to their crew, to venue security have to be on the same page as to exactly when the 200 foot long bridge is going to spring out from the main stage to the tiny stage in the middle of the floor.

[Vacant Horizon]

You think this place is bad, you should have been on the AOL Sringsteen board in the mid to late 90's. I cut my teeth in obsessive online behavior there.

 

I think the internet has been both a disaster and a boon for music. Things are now much more widely available and get more exposure than was ever even dreamed of in the 60's, 70's and 80's. This, however, has somehow removed the specialness of music. It's ease of access has led to much of music being taken for granted.

 

And as for concerts, if you follow a band online, there are NEVER any real surprises at concerts. A new, techno arrangement for "I'll go crazy if I don't go Crazy tonight" at the U2 show? Read about it before the show on a U2 board. A cool arrangement of "If I Should Fall Behind" with some apparently choreographed shows of emotion on the Springsteen reunion tour? Read about it on the AOL board. Wilco breaking out tunes from AM on the Sky Blue Sky tour? Read about it here.

 

We now know and have often heard the new songs before they are officially released. We can buy or steal the record (i.e. download) if we choose. We can download torrents of live shows (Audio and Video)days after the show.

 

Music is becoming a background to our lives now rather than a primary focus. I am not as happy or knowledgable about music now with all the technology available as I was in the 1970's when I had to scrounge around record stores and read record guides and music magazines. It has little to do with age but more with the lessening of the mystique of music. I want to be surprised. I want to be enthralled. The music is still good...it seems to prove the old adage "familiarity breeds contempt". Total access breeds boredom. Music is becoming like literature. Mass access leads to the greater production of crap. Greater access leads to ennui. I cannot think of a single author I get excited about these days. With music, there are very few that excite me.

 

I say this as I am downloading a torrent file of a 1974 Bruce Springsteen show. I am sure that I will be disappointed with the sound quality and unable to appreciate the simple fact that it is available and I am able to possess it.

 

i agree with everything you've said here crowe. the internet has really fucked up my music listening. more to wade through. at the same time, i can't help checking neil young sites every day to get the latest info.

 

as far as setlists go, if i'm really concerned about the set, then i probably shouldn't go to the show, b/c i won't enjoy it.

[Guest Speed Racer]

if we choose.

 

The three most important words of your post. No one forces you to read about the current tour before you attend the show in your city. No one makes you download songs before they are released.

 

Wilco is the only band I follow this closely, in part because I enjoy discussing Wilco at VC. If I enjoyed discussing Belle & Sebastian someone, I'd probably have listened to their two new tracks by now - but I haven't.

 

The printing press has been around for a while now, and I still get excited about certain authors. I think part of the ennui you speak of is simply a product of age (which isn't to say I'm calling you old - I put myself in this category too). When you first discover how amazing a good book or song can be, it's like a spiderweb - you read everything you can that is somehow connected to it. And then poof! The web ends, and you have to find a new one. When you're younger, it's a lot easier to hop from web to web because it's so easy to find, um, pre-spun webs? Later, it sometimes takes a while to find your new web. I don't know how well listened or well read you are, but I doubt you've read every book worth reading, or heard every album worth hearing.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, while there's definitely a lot of crap, I kind of enjoy the hunt.

[Rusty Shackleford]

as far as setlists go, if i'm really concerned about the set, then i probably shouldn't go to the show, b/c i won't enjoy it.

 

I came to this realization recently as well. I used to go to shows hoping to hear particular songs (or not to hear songs I've heard several times before), at least in part because of the message board mentality (which I share) that it's really cool to hear stuff that never gets played.

 

But that kind of score-keeping ended up distracting me from the show. I only get to see Wilco maybe once a year, so I should just relax and enjoy it when they're on stage. Sure, I don't need to hear Walken or ITMWLY *again*, but those five minutes are still better than most of the rest of my life. Better to just sing along to Jesus etc. and hope they play Candyfloss next time.

[LouieB]

Lots of artists do the same songs their entire lives...

 

Since most recording artists have a few hits, they are pretty much obligated to do those hits every night.

 

LouieB

[moxiebean]

When Warehouse came out they played the whole album straight through. I know other bands have done that but it was the first time I had ever seen it. I saw them twice on that tour and it was a little weird knowing not just what was coming next but what was coming for the next 90 minutes.

I had the same exact experience and reaction to the Warehouse tour as well.

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

This is one of the reasons why I am such an adherent in the cult of Bruce.

 

The time: 1984. He is a couple of months into the epic, legend in the making, Born in the USA tour. He is at the cusp of mega stardom. And he plays 15 new songs in a concert stop in Austin.

 

BORN IN THE USA

OUT IN THE STREET

DARLINGTON COUNTY

ATLANTIC CITY

JOHNNY 99

REASON TO BELIEVE

NEBRASKA

MANSION ON THE HILL

JOHNNY BYE BYE

PROVE IT ALL NIGHT

GLORY DAYS

THE PROMISED LAND

MY HOMETOWN

BADLANDS

THUNDER ROAD

COVER ME

DANCING IN THE DARK

HUNGRY HEART

CADILLAC RANCH

DOWNBOUND TRAIN

I'M ON FIRE

STOLEN CAR

PINK CADILLAC

BOBBY JEAN

RACING IN THE STREET

JUNGLELAND

BORN TO RUN

DETROIT MEDLEY

TWIST AND SHOUT - DO YOU LOVE ME

SANTA CLAUS

[remphish1]

This is one of the reasons why I am such an adherent in the cult of Bruce.

 

The time: 1984. He is a couple of months into the epic, legend in the making, Born in the USA tour. He is at the cusp of mega stardom. And he plays 15 new songs in a concert stop in Austin.

 

BORN IN THE USA

OUT IN THE STREET

DARLINGTON COUNTY

ATLANTIC CITY

JOHNNY 99

REASON TO BELIEVE

NEBRASKA

MANSION ON THE HILL

JOHNNY BYE BYE

PROVE IT ALL NIGHT

GLORY DAYS

THE PROMISED LAND

MY HOMETOWN

BADLANDS

THUNDER ROAD

COVER ME

DANCING IN THE DARK

HUNGRY HEART

CADILLAC RANCH

DOWNBOUND TRAIN

I'M ON FIRE

STOLEN CAR

PINK CADILLAC

BOBBY JEAN

RACING IN THE STREET

JUNGLELAND

BORN TO RUN

DETROIT MEDLEY

TWIST AND SHOUT - DO YOU LOVE ME

SANTA CLAUS

 

Didn't Nebraska come out in 82??

[Sir Stewart]

I'm also seeing Dylan next month, and I would be disappointed if he didn't play Like A Rolling Stone or All Along the Watchtower, as those are concert staples for old Bob.

 

But you'd have to be excited to be able to say "Hey, I was at that Bob show where he didn't play LARS or AATW!"

[Mr. Heartbreak]

But you'd have to be excited to be able to say "Hey, I was at that Bob show where he didn't play LARS or AATW!"

Well, I haven't seen Bob a million times, so I guess I'm a little different than many of the hardcore fans. Actually, I could live without hearing All Along the Watchtower again, but Like A Rolling Stone is such an iconic song, I'd be bummed if he skipped it at "my" show. (See, now it's MY show...it's all about me. )

[Wild Frank]

It's an interesting question and really depends on the band I suppose. I saw Floyd in 1994 (earl's court) and Genesis in 2007 and they were good shows. But I knew exactly what was coming and there was no chances of either band kicking in to a rendition of 'Dogs' or 'Giant Hogweed' respectively.

 

I like the recent trend of artists playing themed shows. My Morning Jacket are doing a series of shows performing each album in their entirety with associated b-sides etc. Similarly Marillion (yes Marillion!!) do events focusing of specific albums or playing just the 10 min plus tracks etc. (If you used to like Marillion check out their new material. You won't regret it. I promise!!).

 

I wonder how I would have felt seeing Neil Young in 1992 when he played a whole set of Harvest Moon material before the album came out. I would have enjoyed the show and respected the artist for that decision but I would probably have loved to hear more old stuff.

 

I also caught Jeff's show at the Union Chapel this year. It was a real buzz to have his wife and kids wandering through the crowd before the show taking requests. If felt far more interactive and personal. I was chuffed he played my request (california stars), even though he was probably going to do it anyway!!