The Official 2025 Tour Rumor Thread

aisleseats said:

Merkin Baller said:

Tool used to skip the encore too, they thought it was silly or something... then they got into their 50s and started taking a 15 minute break 3/4 of the way through their shows. 

As Charles Barkley said, "Father Time is undefeated".

I do like their clock that tells you how much longer you have before they come back.

Agreed. 

Merkin Baller said:

The best move I ever made was to cut back or cut out drinking at shows. On occasion I might have 1 or 2, but that's an outlier. It's so nice to go to my seat, watch the show, and not have to go to the bathroom or concessions for more... no judgement here, I've been there done that, but man what a difference it made for the concert experience. 

This was me for years until I got married and had a kid and now it's HELL YEAH NIGHT OUT

on2legs said:

PrezIntense said:

The whole concept of an encore is so outdated anyways. Last time I saw Eels they were joking about it -- "So after this song we're going to go take a little break and act like we're done and then you're going to act like you're begging us to come back out and we'll come back and play a few more ok?" (paraphrasing but it was funny)

on2legs said:

Not a fan of the intermission idea.  Feels like we’re drifting from a rock concert to a play.  I’ve never really had an issue making a quick trip to the bathroom or concession stand in 50+ PJ shows.  

While the intermission is a good excuse to get a beer or go to the bathroom, it's less for you and more for the 60 year old dudes on stage who may also want to go to the bathroom or sit down and get out of the lights for a minute. 

They already have a short break at the end of the first set for them to hit the bathroom and grab a drink.  

Sure. I think what @HailHailVitalogy was proposing was an earlier, longer break to replace the later, shorter "encore" break -- as a way to prolong the night into two long sets. Lots of bands have done this before but it's primarily in "jam band" type circles. I think it's a cool concept.

Speaking of cool concepts -- I saw the Sessanta concert last year in Raleigh. James Maynard Keenan's 60th birthday party with Primus, Perfect Circle and Puscifer. Not really a fan of any of the bands but the setup was very cool -- all three lines were on the stage at the same time. Primus would play three songs and then go sit on the couch or play ping pong (still on stage) while perfect circle played three, etc. It felt more natural than the traditional "opener(s) then main act" rock concert format -- felt like we were all just hanging out and the bands would take turns doing these little short three song sets.

Would love to see some more creative format tours like that.

pjl44 said:

The encore is kinda silly when you're seeing a club show and it's like 75 or 90 minute sets. When a set is over 2 hours I think it's probably good for the band to break, pause, regroup, whatever.

I saw this Sturgill tour - he and his band are absolute animals. Peak performance.

best show i saw last year and it wasn't close.

RatherStarved said:

Another day, another 20 new posts, none of which are a new rumor.  Sigh.  

21 counting yours!

on2legs said:

PrezIntense said:

on2legs said:

PrezIntense said:

The whole concept of an encore is so outdated anyways. Last time I saw Eels they were joking about it -- "So after this song we're going to go take a little break and act like we're done and then you're going to act like you're begging us to come back out and we'll come back and play a few more ok?" (paraphrasing but it was funny)

on2legs said:

Not a fan of the intermission idea.  Feels like we’re drifting from a rock concert to a play.  I’ve never really had an issue making a quick trip to the bathroom or concession stand in 50+ PJ shows.  

While the intermission is a good excuse to get a beer or go to the bathroom, it's less for you and more for the 60 year old dudes on stage who may also want to go to the bathroom or sit down and get out of the lights for a minute. 

They already have a short break at the end of the first set for them to hit the bathroom and grab a drink.  

Sure. I think what @HailHailVitalogy was proposing was an earlier, longer break to replace the later, shorter "encore" break -- as a way to prolong the night into two long sets. Lots of bands have done this before but it's primarily in "jam band" type circles. I think it's a cool concept.

Speaking of cool concepts -- I saw the Sessanta concert last year in Raleigh. James Maynard Keenan's 60th birthday party with Primus, Perfect Circle and Puscifer. Not really a fan of any of the bands but the setup was very cool -- all three lines were on the stage at the same time. Primus would play three songs and then go sit on the couch or play ping pong (still on stage) while perfect circle played three, etc. It felt more natural than the traditional "opener(s) then main act" rock concert format -- felt like we were all just hanging out and the bands would take turns doing these little short three song sets.

Would love to see some more creative format tours like that.

My original comment was in reference to his suggestion.  It’s not a crazy idea.  Just feels too much like a staged play with a scheduled intermission for me personally.   We already have a loss of spontaneity with how the same songs are showing up in the same spots nightly.  I’d hate to see the band move even more towards a predetermined format. 

It's also a moot point, IMO. 

I don't think the band is going back to 30+ song nights; I would love to be wrong, but I don't see it happening.  

Billy played 3 nights in a row at Ball Arena and didn’t repeat a single song. The break would make no difference in setlist variety. In fact I think it gives the chance for more varied setlists

BF25394 said:

on2legs said:

Not a fan of the intermission idea.  Feels like we’re drifting from a rock concert to a play.  I’ve never really had an issue making a quick trip to the bathroom or concession stand in 50+ PJ shows.  

I saw The Brutalist in the theater. Now that was a good use of an intermission.

I want to see this movie, is it good? I gather from the synopsis it seems to be a hard watch

HailHailVitalogy said:

Billy played 3 nights in a row at Ball Arena and didn’t repeat a single song. The break would make no difference in setlist variety. In fact I think it gives the chance for more varied setlists

So i'm assuming you liked it, yeah? I think I was the one trying to sell you on going in with an open mind in another thread. I think the sheer variety of different songs in his shows is what gets me. I think PJ have played 150+ different songs since 2022, and Billy has played 500+ different songs since that time. Sure, most are covers so its apples to oranges really. While PJ's variety seems to diminish, Billy's has filled that void for me. I still pay to see PJ every year though, in hopes I do eventually get some songs I've been chasing. 

As far as a set break, I think it could *maybe* improv the way PJ goes about their sets and offer some new variety with maybe something like an acoustic or all album "set", but the way they do it now: mini break that lasts 2:00-5:00 minutes, including an Eddie rant, then some slow songs into the grand finale is uniquely PJ and has been since at least 1993. The "break" doesn't guarantee how many songs follow it. 

Having a timer like Tool does is very theater-esque and reminds me of someone doing a casino tour. The stuff they do these days makes no sense to me. Let me lock my phone up because Maynard is afraid of cameras. okaayyy. Thankfully PJ aren't that pretentious...

PrezIntense said:

on2legs said:

PrezIntense said:

The whole concept of an encore is so outdated anyways. Last time I saw Eels they were joking about it -- "So after this song we're going to go take a little break and act like we're done and then you're going to act like you're begging us to come back out and we'll come back and play a few more ok?" (paraphrasing but it was funny)

on2legs said:

Not a fan of the intermission idea.  Feels like we’re drifting from a rock concert to a play.  I’ve never really had an issue making a quick trip to the bathroom or concession stand in 50+ PJ shows.  

While the intermission is a good excuse to get a beer or go to the bathroom, it's less for you and more for the 60 year old dudes on stage who may also want to go to the bathroom or sit down and get out of the lights for a minute. 

They already have a short break at the end of the first set for them to hit the bathroom and grab a drink.  

Sure. I think what @HailHailVitalogy was proposing was an earlier, longer break to replace the later, shorter "encore" break -- as a way to prolong the night into two long sets. Lots of bands have done this before but it's primarily in "jam band" type circles. I think it's a cool concept.

Speaking of cool concepts -- I saw the Sessanta concert last year in Raleigh. James Maynard Keenan's 60th birthday party with Primus, Perfect Circle and Puscifer. Not really a fan of any of the bands but the setup was very cool -- all three lines were on the stage at the same time. Primus would play three songs and then go sit on the couch or play ping pong (still on stage) while perfect circle played three, etc. It felt more natural than the traditional "opener(s) then main act" rock concert format -- felt like we were all just hanging out and the bands would take turns doing these little short three song sets.

Would love to see some more creative format tours like that.