Bands that change(or don't change) setlists
Oh, Jimmy
Posts: 957
I have been to 30 or so shows in my life. I am kinda picky but I go to a few every year. I have seen bands that change every show(PJ,Crowes,Moe), band that stay exactly the same, or swap a couple songs in and out each show on 1 tour(Velvet Revolver, David Gilmou),2 tours(Tool)3 tours (Tom Petty). I can't say that I really prefer one way over the other. I mean, PJ has a great light show but it can't compare to Rush or Tool b/c they have it completely planned out before the tour starts, and rehearse it night after night. And the Crowes chattin between songs, seemingly tryin to decide what to play next, isnt anymore off the cuff than Jimmy Page breakin off in to some unheard territory when I seen Page/Plant in '98.
So in short, What do you prefer?
It's almost a straight split for me. Maybe a little on the spontanaiety side since very few bands do that anymore.
So in short, What do you prefer?
It's almost a straight split for me. Maybe a little on the spontanaiety side since very few bands do that anymore.
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That's not to say that I wouldn't go see a band that plays the same setlist night after night. I would only go to one show though. I don't think I could go to multiple shows of a band that does the same thing every night and continue to enjoy it as much. It would become monotonous after about the second show and I'd want some variety.
8/7/08, 6/9/09
The last time I seen Tool they changed one song from the tour before and dropped Aenima off the end of their set. I was basically a perfected version of the show I seen the tour before. I admit it got a little absurd, knowing what kind of musicians they are, but it was still and excellent show
Every show is identical, and that is my point. It's hard for me to decide. An amazing show is an amazing show. I have seen Rush and I know that their setlist is almost identical every time out, but I would go see them a couple times without even thinkin about it.
Honestly, I think all the obsessive comparison of setlists has gotten completely out of control. It makes me mad when I read about people knocking a particular show just because the setlist wasn't, in their eyes, as good as another one. I think it can kind of ruin the experience for someone. Imagine if you went to only one show of a tour, and then came on here and had to listen to 80 nerds--most of whom were not even there--bitch about how the set was too predictable and boring. :rolleyes:
I remember back during PJ's 03 tour. I was talking to a former bf about how I had managed to get front row seats to one of the shows I went to on that tour. (It was Camden night 2.) The setlist was a little more predictable than some other set lists from around that time. So, my douchebag former bf was like "oh, well, I wouldn't have even wanted to be at that show because the set list sucked so much..."
Pearl Jam is this guy's favorite band. Back then, at least, he completely obsessed over them. He decorated his home with tons of their posters and collected bootlegs like a fiend. It was pretty much his only hobby. And yet, a so-called subpar setlist would be enough to make him happy he wasn't at a particular show? Give me a fucking break. :rolleyes: I hate that attitude.
Oh, and I saw Tool for the first time this summer...and I could have watched the same show over and over again for like 20 hours, because it was so awesome. I'm really just getting into this band, and I feel like I can't get enough of them!
I agree with this. I don't care if the set list is the same as long as their is some improvisation to change it up every night. This is why I always disagree with people who complain about Red Hot Chili Peppers setlists. Even when they don't vary the setlist much (and I would argue that they vary it more than most bands), they jam out on many songs, making the show a different experience every night. I'm much more interested in seeing a band create something new on stage than in hearing a particular song.
I can't stand going to see bands that just play their songs note for note they way they are on the album. What's the point in going to the show of there's nothing new to hear?
The only bands I've roadtripped to see play multiple shows are U2 and PJ. U2 play nearly the identical set every night but take a very organic way of changing the way the song is played to the crowd. In back to back nights I heard a 5 minute version of Pride (In the Name of Love) and a 10 minute version that was turned into a huge sing a long.
Really, to me it's about the passion being poured out and the rapport with the audience than with the songs played.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
Disclaimer - Surferdude, this is not directed specifically at you. I'm just using your comment as a launching pad for a point I want to make and I may be misrepresenting what you meant. End Disclaimer.
That's another thing I take issue with. The whole "rapport with the crowd" thing. I understand wanting to feel a connection to the music, but I've often seen complaints of shows I thought were amazing because the beand didn't "interact with the crowd" enough. I don't understand why people give a crap if the band says "Hello Cleveland" or what ever.
I almost prefer the way jazz musicians like Coltrane did it where they barely spoke to the audience and just let the music do the talking. To me, the best music comes when a musician is totally absorbed by the music to the point that the crowd may as well not even be there to them.
Maybe it's because I prefer to approach music as art rather than just entertainment. I don't mean mean to sound snobby or pretentious, I just mean that I go to a show solely for the music, so the light show, etc. means nothing to me. Going to a concert purely for entertainment is fine, it's just not what I personally look for in a concert. To me, interaction with the crowd is more about entertainment than art.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
I'm with you on that 100%. That is the experience I want from a concert. I couldn't have described it better myself.
To me a good light show is part of the artistry, esp. when you know a band has a big hand in what else goes on besides the music.
If you are goin to a jazz concert, the musicians have to have maximum concentration. Jazz/rock is like martial arts/street fighting. Jazz guys have to be in a zone, where as rockers tend to get lost and play more by emotion.
I agree. I think there are times when interaction can certainly add to your experience at a show, but that's not why I go to a show. I don't need to hear them make a joke about the local sports team or some other bullshit.
My take is that once a band has a few albums - bands with a small catalog get a pass - you should mix things up. It is fine to have staples at every show, but if I go to two shows on one tour, I want at least a handful of the songs to be different.
That's so cheesy....
I do agree that should be spontaneous most of the time. But I wouldn't expect anything different from Aerosmith these days.
their sets go in a rotation. every night a different member writes the setlist so every night it's different and amazing.
Springsteen mixes it up all the time (except the first few nights of the Rising tour-they were all the same).
i've seen Lamb of God and i believe they play mostly the same set every night. same w/ Ministry. it just annoys me to no end.
Pearl jam does play more of their catalog than most bands. That's a great thing, but it's not necessarily a different setlist every night. There are always a few repeats in the set plus the staples (E flow, Corduroy, ). Pearl jam does a great job with their sets I think (but my friend pointed out that they do play alot of the same songs just in a different order). Theyplay such an extensive catalog though, it doesn'y really matter. "Corduroy could be song #3 one night and #10 the next, so the cool thing is you never know whats coming next, but you can expect those somewhere.
Bands that play the same setlist everynight is fine for me cause I don't usually attend multiple shows for those bands. So, the set doesn't get boring but for someone that does it may get boring. Also the videos are the biggest factor, cause of all the pre- programming like for bands like the who, Tool ect. The video aspect is very cool too especially when you see a band do that for the first time.
I don't however like rearrangements with the music like the counting crows or Bob Dylan. That can come off as terrible and I love both of those artists.
EV Solo: 7/11/11 11/12/12 11/13/12
They were the band that got me into the whole alternative-stuff, I simply loved them. But now I couldn't be arsed to go to another show, at least not at the very moment. Why? Because out of 6 times I've probably seen them 5 times with the same setlist, only minor changes.
Everything's so rehearsed, I can actually move the exact same way as Brian (singer) does. I know when he's pointing at his "watch", I know when he's shrugging, I think I do actually know when he's having a cigarette on stage. They sometimes look bored themselves onstage, which isn't necessary.
On the other hand, I've seen I AM X (electro indie shmindie stuff) for the sixth time two weeks ago (first time seen May 06). They didn't have a lot of changes in their setlists, some songs are in that weren't in before, they've changed for a festival and they don't play Kiss & Swallow as a second song anymore. Nevertheless, every, and I say EVERY show is different, and I'm looking forward to reach the 10-gigs-mark this year.
It always depends on what the band/artist makes out of it.
That being said, if a band never ever changes their setlist the chance that you get to hear a specific song is very little. But one gotta live with that.
I'm a gig-addict. I don't care what they do, as long as they do it well.
The only difference is that if I KNOW that the setlist is being changed every night I feel the need see the band even more often than I would usually.
In 1996/1997 I saw Stone Temple Pilots twice. Once in Milwaukee and once in Madison. 80 miles apart and 4 months apart. Identical setlist. That was a disappointment. After that, any band that does that, I just see once.