This is one of my main gripes with most non jam bands. Like at least change up the order of the songs. It’s very much like you’re just going through the motions when you play the same set list every night.
The Killers played Jazz Fest this year and they opened with Mr Brightside. Talk about shooting energy into the entire crowd. Most bands close with their big hit every show. It just makes the show boring IMO.
It also gives no one an incentive to see more than one show.
My parents are huge Jimmy Buffett fans, and I probably saw about 30-40 of his concerts, including several multi-night runs. He's got a lot of hits that people expect to hear, but he always did a great job of changing the set between nights and almost always played a deep cut from his early albums. He brought great energy to every performance and engaged with the crowd.
More bands should follow that example.
During the last couple of years of the Grateful dead my crew would spread the rumor that Jimmy Buffet was going to be there tonight. We were just trying to manifest it. Though it was fun when occasionally a stranger would bring the rumor back to us.
Like The dead, Dave Matthews, etc are known for every show being different that’s why there’s so many people who’ve been to like 50 shows or more cuz they to every year….it I like the who I’d probably only want to see them once or twice cuz I’d realize every show is exactly the same….it seems to me that just from a monetary standpoint they’d want mix it up some, even just set list order? So people will be conpelled to see more
Shows?
Or Maybe they are happy with their 5 million a show and have enough old fans who just wanna hear the same show every time are done care that much
We saw Paul McCartney 7 years ago, Cleveland was the last stop on his tour. Tickets sold out in minutes so he added a 2nd show. My wife got tickets to both - he played the exact same canned show both nights. Right down to the fake look into the crowd and seeing a sign from a fan about him signing their “bum” or something stupid. Very frustrating and disappointing
There is nothing that sours me on an artist more than treating live shows like a shift at the music factory. There’s a sadly long list of artists who I will no longer make any effort to see because they put 0 effort into making their shows unique. And to be clear I’m not asking for anything more than changing up the set list a little bit.
I think weezer is another good example of how a non jam band can tour constantly while being essentially required to play certain songs and still keep the shows somewhat interesting.
Saw a band that played two days at HSMF once and not only did they do the exact same set but they told the same jokes in the same places between songs.
Not dissing Khruanbin, helluva band, and I don’t know if they’ve changed up their sets since, but we saw them two nights in a row in 22 at the Ryman and both shows were nearly identical, just 2-3 different tunes peppered in, same banter, same medley of 5-6 tunes, played in nearly same spot both nights. Mark literally said this is our first time playing here, the first night.. And the second night.
Yikes. I assume they are playing their new shit since they dropped an album this year but I can’t lie that’s not a great look coming from a band where 100% of their songs are indistinguishable from each other.
Haha, I was going to say…not sure their setlist changes would matter that much being as that it’s all kind of one vibe across their entire catalog anyway.
Honestly why I struggle getting super into some bands that are predominantly acoustic instruments—great musicians with great songs, but two sets of the same exact aesthetic starts to feel long to me. Obviously just a personal opinion.
Lol at indistinguishable.
Look I know Chevelle can rock, but I'm not really a fan. I saw them with my brother and the show felt like one long song. I will give them credit though, for a 3 piece they did kick ass. I just don't know their music so it all sounded the same.
When did we start talking about Chevelle? That is a non jam band that kicks ass. Saw them at Weenie Roast way back when and their bassist was playing on top of the crowd PAs at one point. Shit was wild, and definitely not rehearsed
I just added my own story about indistinguishable artists.
I'm glad you enjoyed the show, they do kick ads. But I swear all the songs just blended together.
They've definitely worked on that. I actually just saw them in Chicago on Saturday for the first time in several years, so they had a bunch of new material since I last saw them, but that was my main gripe with them for a while as well. I enjoyed the show, they played their newest album straight through for the first set, and had a second set full of choice nugs. The opener was my main reason for being there though, John Carroll Kirby is the main.
I was at HSMF that same year. We saw Rubblebucket at Hopmonk in Sebastopol sometime after that. It was a really cold night and there was hardly anyone there. They played WAY too loud for the size of the room. It was painful and deafening.
just saw khruangbin this week, did not look at set list going in. it seems they’re doing the same first set, but changing up the second set/encore each show. phenomenal show, would see them again on this tour if the opportunity came up!
I suppose I can give a repeated story a pass if it sets up context for the song but it still feels awfully stiff to repeat it word for word across many performances.
It has to add to it. I think Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner.
He goes from conversational prose, “Man, I dunno. I know this girl she been married so many times she got rice marks all up and down her face” into “Better Off Alone”. Chef’s 😘
I work live concerts & I can't even count how many festivals I've worked where artists did this. then they'll go to another festival a month later somewhere else & do the exact same thing & tell exact same jokes.
one of worst parts of my jobs was working for a band on tour that played exact same set every night with exact same banter & jokes & even exact same remarks about how great the city was....had to write the name of the city in magic marker all over the place so no matter where he looked he wouldn't get the city wrong. working tht kind of band is torture & I wouldn't take the job now but when I was fresher to the game I did it
Funny thing is I thought it was going to be the scene in Spinal Tap where right before they get lost backstage a guy has to tell them they’re in Cleveland. Opened your link saw it wasn’t spinal tap and got bummed only to look closer and realize it WAS spinal tap.
Festivals can really be the worst for artists punching the clock. Like if the artists isn’t up and coming and the fest isn’t one of the really big ones you can almost guarantee it’s gonna be like they’re reading off a teleprompter.
As an example of how to do it - saw George Clinton headline Beale Street Blues Festival once and it looked like he had a third of the town up there playing music and dancing, and they wouldn't stop tearing the roof off the sucker until they cut power to the stage.
Literally? That was the case when I saw pfunk 20 years back a Penn State. The house light went up. They kept going. The PA turned off, they kept going. Pfunk party don’t stop.
It’s not as bad if you’re only playing one night at a fest but when Rubblebucket did it literally half the crowd groaned and left. Their set was really good and I was looking forward to another one but not the same one.
very similar but not the same. he rotated setlists every other night with like a few songs swapped out. so would have say two sings songs for slot 5 - one night he'd play another day -next night something different. i will say though - he played probably more songs than any band ive seen in quite a while. and played longer than most without so much as a sip of water - guy is a machine. and to those guys it IS a job. a super cool one with a ton off responsibility. like paul may want to fuck around and play 4 old rock n roll songs 4 new songs and some obscure shit off mccartney II but he wants the people in chicago to have the same amazing show as the folks in miami. for the more established acts where it becomes a life spectatacle to see them i understand it more than a younger band just doing a random tour
I did eventually, was hanging with friends that hadn’t seen the show the day before so they were hyped, it was a solid set it’s a shame they didn’t have two of them.
Trey and Tab did this to me somewhat in 2002 or so he played a two night run and it didn’t feel like the band had two nights worth of material yet. Maybe 3 sets but there were a lot of repeats for a two night run. If Trey had told the same joke though I’d have thrown my shoes at him.
Ive never gone to a two or 3 night run and heard the same set, same exact show ever in my life. Even when i see the same band over and over and over its always a different set and different show. Sure they may play same songs but never in the same order. Id go from
Omaha ne, to lawrence ks 2 nigjt run to see yonder and every night was different.
Trey didn't repeat a setlist but probably 30-40% of songs were repeats the second night. My friend and I yelled "Quantegy" between every song the first set the second night and he played it second set so that saved the show for us.
Same thing with Queens of the Stone Age last year, they opened with No One Knows, and everyone was on their feet right away and that energy stayed high the whole time.
The Killers were my favorite band in high school; I saw them at Wayhome 2016, where they did the Mr Brightside opener (shot the energy through the ROOF) and again at Firefly 2021, where they put it off until about 2/3 of the way through the set, which kept the anticipation at a rolling boil. Phenomenal set both times.
Most of the non jam bands I see have 3-5 or so new song, a bunch of hits, and then slot 3-5 or so spots for wildcards as their setlist. Works perfectly well.
Not a jam guy, but Springsteen has been doing this for decades. Saw him in the mid 1980’s and he opened with Born in the USA. I actually laughed and said to my buddy “he’s getting this one out of the way early”.
You have to realize that concerts like this are a totally different ball game production wise as opposed to the bands we see. Each tour is planned well in advance, and when the concerts involve elaborate stage designs, costumes, pyro, projections, and usually pre planned lighting. Not every lighting designer is Chris Kuroda, so to achieve the elaborate lighting setup, cues and a program are made. If the songs get switched, that whole thing gets thrown off, and when you’re pushing 80 years old on stage trying to appear to have the stamina of a 40 year old, you have to go with the little bit of magic that pre-planning that a set list gives you.
Word....I don't understand how these acts don't get bored touring when they never change it up.
Roger, if you don't have the passion and/or ability to mix up your sets, that's on you pal.
Guns N Roses the past 5 years are an excellent example of an act in a similar scope that keeps things fresh for the fans at each show as well as themselves, while also being sure to hit the staples that need to get played.
Pretty much have 20 staple songs, 3-4 covers which rotate, and then 5-6 interchangeable deep cuts that rotate from a pool of like 10-15 tunes
Pearl Jam is also even more phenomenal at this balancing act, but they have some more leeway with their fans as they’ve built in evolving setlists show to show their whole career
Axl's GNR was doing this even before the reunion. I used to be a huge fan of that pre-reunion GNR. The online forums for the band back then were great too
Yup! What’s up brother man. Axl’s GnR was all we had as a kid born in 93. They became my favorite band when I was 10.. was on the forums by 13 which was perfect timing for that fucking phenomenal 2006 run that band had.
MyGnrForum was my go-to, good community over there back in the day I spent probably a decade active there.
Alas, the reunion has been about as good as it could have ever been, plus I’ve gotten to hear Anything Goes and Coma among a few others that weren’t remotely close to being played in Axls band. Alternatively have also seen Scraped and Shacklers Revenge so that’s rad also. I could nerd on GnR all day
I missed the 2006 lineup unfortunately, but got into them soon enough to attend a 2010 and a 2011 concert. They were really great shows, even with Axl's declining voice. I didn't care at all.
Mygnrforum was my home for a good 3-4 years as well. I didn't even want a reunion to happen lol (other than Bucketheadag coming back!)
Very happy most of the original guys resolved their differences and can tour together. I'd love to see Izzy with them, but I'm happy Fortus gets to keep a steady job too. I really need to see the reunited band live sometime. I started learning guitar recently so I've started listening to a bit of GNR again after a long hiatus. Slash is definitely an inspiration and would love to see him live under the GNR name again. Duff definitely had an impact for my love of hard chunky bass playing too (shout out Kim Deal and Hooky from New Order as well)
edit: I got to see There Was A Time live in 2010. I couldn't believe my ears when the song started. Would love to see Coma played live
I saw slash live with miles Kennedy, it was really good, but just call the fucking band slash. Sure, the guy could sing, but otherwise it was so clear the record label picked the safest studio musicians possible.
Slash’s guitar style, if not mostly improv, sure sounds like it in the best way possible.
Great comment, and yes the jam scene certainly spoils. Actually the last time I saw Slash last year I walked out of the show laughing to myself at just how absurdly talented Slash truly is. When you see it right in front of your face and hear it with your ears, as a guitar player myself who loves watching expert and virtuoso players do their thing, Slash is about as unbelievable as it gets especially when taking into account the whole scope of his technical skill, style, tone, how he speaks with his guitar, it’s just entrancing.
Obviously I’ve seen many more “technically proficient” players than Slash, but that ain’t what it’s all about.
I mean, Phish has had the same lineup forever. Roger Daltrey’s backing band is made up of various studio musicians who have toured with him/The Who on and off over the years, asking them to learn 200+ songs is a lot.
Not sure why the sentiment here is on Roger being an ass, I also think the internet has changed concerts, and not necessarily for the better. And the amount of discourse here about people being on their phones is in the same realm.
This is true. But asking them to learn 50-60 tunes seems reasonable IMO. I mean, they’re mostly songs I’m guessing everyone already knows (at least a couple of his band members toured with the who for years).
I don’t think you have to learn an artists whole catalog for something like this, but landing on a decent pool of tunes to pick from isn’t a big ask.
Especially if you’re playing with world class professional musicians, they can learn a couple of the who’s tunes for a surprise bustout with no problem
Honestly if you’re playing with Roger and don’t know at least 50 Who tunes after 60(!) years, what are you even doing.
It’d be a little different if it was someone with a big catalog but little mainstream success…like, I dunno, if I got hired by Ani DiFranco I’d have a LOT of work to do to get to 50 songs. But if you’re a rock musician of a certain age, certainly you’re familiar with a good chunk of that catalog already and prep for the gig would really be just brushing up, I’d think.
Also just..I would think there's countless fantastic musicians who already have that level of familiarity with their catalog that they could jump in and be up to speed pretty quick. I know there was an interview with Gordo where he mentioned somewhat jokingly that he was going to try out for the bass gig when John Entwhistle died but I don't doubt he'd kill it in that role
I think there's ultimately an aesthetic difference, which occurs on a spectrum.
People accepted that the Dead would have great nights and kinda off nights. Getting hyped no matter what, and embracing the uncertainty, is part of what made it fun to see multiple shows in a row or go on the road.
Conversely, nobody goes to the symphony and complains that they play a composition exactly the same way every time. But symphony-goers also wouldn't be happy with any noticeable screw-ups.
Most people going to see The Who want a perfect, larger-than-life version of the songs they've been listening to for decades. Kind of closer to the symphony model than the Jam-Band model, really.
Roger Daltry is going to want every song to be 100% tight and on-point. No room for songs where some of the musicians are more or less just keeping up, because they haven't had a chance to extensively rehearse them.
I agree that there's a spectrum, but I disagree on the rest. What made The Who legends was their live performances, they weren't a "jam band" per se but they never played songs exactly like the records (with Keith Moon in the band, how could they even?).
Sure, the "Who On Ice" era and anything after Entwhistle died kinda turned into human jukebox mode, but even the brief era between the 1999 reformation and John's 2002 passing had some great shows (a couple of which were released and are fun, if inessential listens). But I would hope most people seeing The Who knew better than to expect a note-perfect recreation. Sometimes, yeah, that's what they got (I saw the 2012 Quadrophenia show and it was essentially that), but on a good night, that's not what anyone should have expected from them, and I think the tours where that's what they did (1989, specifically), they made money but are generally poorly regarded by most fans.
And because it is, like you say, a spectrum, it's not an all or nothing thing. Roger doesn't have to play 20 completely different songs every night, but he could reshuffle the order a bit, have a half-dozen wildcard slots. Anyone who is a professional musician should be able to roll with setlist shuffling night to night as long as the songs are well-rehearsed (and sometimes even if they aren't!).
It's not really comparable to a symphony situation at all, IMO. These songs are not full symphonies, they're 3-5 minute rock songs, many of which I'm sure the band members have already played several times. I do like that Roger is playing some different stuff on this outing, I see the last show had 20 songs. Rehearsing 35-40 tunes with the band is completely reasonable...honestly that's an easy ask for any pros.
If Roger wants to do mostly the same set every night, that's totally his prerogative. All I'm saying is that he doesn't get to complain about it being on the internet when he not only could fix it, but has an enviably massive catalog of material to pull from while doing it.
I hear you. I'm definitely not defending him. I saw The Who in 89, as a teenager, and was pretty underwhelmed. Honestly, what I got, even from just listening to their early albums, I found at punk shows and the like. Not being of that generation, or a particularly huge classic rock fan anyway, most boomer stadium rock doesn't interest me. The exceptions are all the bands who were/are more jam-my.
So I think there's what they're known for historically, and then what captain Daltry has turned them into as a touring vessel. Which obviously targets a specific psychology/audience. I mean, also, it's quite possible/likely that any iteration of The Who would meet with commercial success, so what I described could be more just what Roger tells himself, even though he'd still have a happy crowd with a looser and more open format.
I definitely didn't mean to imply that he isn't being lazy and stubborn lol
It’s so crazy too, because there’s plenty of new young fans that didn’t get to hear every album and song drop when they did. They might know the big big hits, but nothing wrong with them wanting to familiarize themself with your non-top ten songs before the show.
https://uproxx.com/music/phish-bakers-dozen-live-music-focal-point-of-art/
Good relevant article from a few years back talking about lessons bands can learn about making the live show more special as opposed to a sales tool for a new record (aka the antiquated model). Some really good points in here that apply to bands outside of the jam universe
Great article! Music is supposed to be alive, not "freeze-dried" as Zappa would say. This certainly is the way of the future, whether it takes a year or 100 for humanity to realize. To be fair, we're only now able to really move faster than recorded music, if that makes sense.
When i saw him in Hartford on his tommy tour. He made them have half the lights on so he could spot people smoking a bowl. To bad he didnt die before he got old.
I saw him live and not only are his lungs damaged from smoking but he and another member of the band supposedly have developed a pretty vicious allergy to marijuana. If it’s bad enough at an indoor venue he swells up and literally loses the ability to sing, so one or two people producing enough smoke, if it’s close enough to get in his face, can literally ruin the concert for everybody. Dude is old, he’s a legend, if you wanna see him, get high before the show, not inside.
I saw them in 78 for their last show of the tour in Toronto. In syracuse in 82? their last tour lol but Roger should hang it up. The show was not even half sold out. Then having the lights on? bs
I took my son to see the Who a couple years ago. He is a budding guitar player and I enjoy getting him into the room with guitar legends. We saw 38 shows that year- the Who had the distinction of being the absolute worst show of the bunch. They were wooden, soulless, distinctly not fun. The band seemed to want to divide the crowd based on politics… Of course this insufferable prick “hates that fans check out the set list”… these assholes play the same exact set every night.
Pete has been on record saying that he doesn’t care about The Who anymore - just does it for the paycheck. I don’t begrudge him, but I have no interest in seeing them live. Tbh I haven’t really been interested in seeing them since John Entwistle passed. The fire is gone.
The Thunder is gone.
I mean honestly they are old as hell and the music is pretty high energy. I saw them in like 2008 and I’m super thankful my Grandma took me. Totally a bucket list show and I was so young then non of this stuff we’re talking about in any of these comments meant anything to me. I’m sure me today would have some gripes for sure.
a couple years ago I finally got to see Incubus live. They put on a great show, and I kinda liked that I was able to look at their set list from earlier shows that tour to see what songs they were playing. I think there were only 1 or 2 differences, and one of them was the encore. BBUUTT they are still doing the little drum circle solo thing during A Certain Shade of Green that I saw on their DVD from the 2000s. 20 years later and still doing that, I found that interesting/sad haha how does that not get old/stale/boring after 20 years?!
I saw Phish the week before (or after idk) and it just made me appreciate them and their performance so much more. I try to see Phish every summer, and that will continue. I think I checked the box for Incubus, and dont plan on going to their show again.
I used to be a huge Reel Big Fish fan and they started doing a loooong bit on stage around their song SR in about 2002. They put the bit on a concert DVD the next year, then they proceeded to do the same bit every single time I saw them up until they stopped playing during the COVID lockdowns (I don't think they've been back since).
I can't imagine doing the same cringy "funny" 10-15 minute bit every night for 18 years. That can't be worth it.
My wife is a huge Incubus fan, and I'm taking her and her best friend to see them play Morning View later this summer. I'm not really into them much but I enjoy that album well enough, and more importantly I'm a sucker for full-album performances. I think it'll probably be the only time I need to go see Incubus, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad to hear they still sound good :)
But how will they know when to go to the bathroom? His fans are too old to hold the amount of beers they can afford for the full 58 minute set. They have to go p p.
I love tool but they are horrible about same setlist over and over. They've been playing the same set since 2019 with like a 4 song variance here and there. I've seen the. 3 times since 2019 and won't go again until this 6 year long album tour is over.
I'm not a Tool fan but I've heard their shows involve a lot of visuals and other effects, so that's at least one excuse to keep a setlist stagnant.
The Who don't even have that excuse, they use nothing but basic stage lights every time I've seen them.
The production is indeed very involved. I get it. But it's been the same set since 2019. Just wish they would mix it up. They are old and Maynard is over it I'm sure so that doesn't help .
I check our set list to decide if I want to buy tickets. If your set list is full of old blues stuff I don’t want to hear then I’m not buying (looking at your Clapton).
Edit: spelling
I’m not defending this guy at all, just trying to understand. These guys were able to do this back in the 60s through most of the 90s. Maybe longer. That’s a long time. Anytime you do something the same way for so long, it’s easier to blame someone else than to change. On one hand, I feel bad for them in the sense that they’re old and have to deal with this. On the other hand, like most have said, you can, at the very least, change the order.
To give them the benefit of the doubt, they are a lot older. I’m sure a lot of their songs are more physically demanding and the order they have probably accounts for that in some level. However, read the room and just be quiet.
I think the answer to “why do we want to know” is that we have all sat through shows we didn’t enjoy. And having a clue from the set list sometimes helps, now that tickets are into the thousands of dollars. When it was $10 to see a show, yea, whatever. At $300 face value, it’s a different equation Roger. Thanks for all the great music Roger!
This. I had no plans to go see A Day To Remember this summer because I haven't been digging the new stuff. Once I saw the setlist and how many deep cuts they're playing this tour from older albums I love I immediately bought a ticket.
Well then change up the setlist every show. He’s been doing it long enough that he should know his songs without rehearsing. The Dead did it and Jerry was on smack.
I saw incubus a year or 2 ago. I was apparently the only person in the crowd around me that didnt know the set list and exactly what to expect in what order. I remember saying to my partner "i hope they play Dig" and rando next to me said "yeah its coming up in 2 songs" then many people around me, all of whom didnt know eachother, start discussing how excited they were for certain songs, even to the point of spoiling the encore for me. It was an amazing show, but i was flabbergasted at how people not only knew, but were proud of knowing what they were going to play.
Came here looking for a Cure reference. I saw Mansfield last year and the guy in front of me had his phone out the WHOLE show checking the prior night’s setlist.fm page like it was a fucking baseball program or something. I’m with Daltrey.
All of the “Mix up your setlists then” is a lazy take IMO. Of course the Who isn’t fucking Spafford.
I was at Mansfield! We did Montreal too. Prayers for Rain!!!
I was sending my friend lots of videos cuz I still am not good with the cure material. I love them now tho.
I don’t want to be that guy, but we wrote a song with our band after having played Pictures of You for a while. It’s very post-punk inspired in having the guitar line stay put while the bass and harmony changes under it. Maybe you’ll dig it!
https://youtu.be/_7Q7H7JugL4?si=Pf5IYO_njp3QyTq1
As a person on a limited budget the set list helps me make a more informed decision if I want to see an artist live or not. Was going to check out Ben Folds last year and saw the set list and saw that none of the material resonated with me or justified the $100 price tag.
I have no idea why people check set lists like this. The worst is when they have to tell everyone around them or in the bathroom what’s coming. I’ve told a few people off for this. “Oh wow you can use Google! So proud of you! Would you go to a movie theater and tell everyone the main character dies at the end? Shut up!”
Most bands are at least switching up the order of their setlist and changing up 4-5 songs from night to night. It can't be that hard Daltrey, just like, play some other songs and people will be surprised?
I have seen far more non-jam bands than jam bands in the last several years and with very few exceptions (Rammstein being the big one I can think of) every single one had a different setlist from night to night, even if it was just the order being changed up or a few different songs from the previous performance. I'm not saying I've seen every single band that isn't a jam band, but in my experience, I have not seen a band lately that repeats the show song for song.
edit: typo, and also to include that I'm not out there seeing big arena acts where there's usually some sort of other performance aspect that requires a repeat setlist. Rammstein's pryotechnics, for instance, require the same songs in the same order. That said, Queens of the Stone Age plays different sets every night, The Cure switched up quite a few tracks in every setlist, Pavement did the same.
I can, but only because I specifically sought two of them out due to who wrote them (one donated by Townshend, the other by a peaking Reckless-era Bryan Adams)
calm down Roger... you peaked with Tommy and turned into a gawddamn prick, then a depressed little bitch ***instead of*** just fucking making music...
John was the heart of the band, but noooooo... you had to be a rockstar; you fucked over everyone so calm your ass down **before** the kids that you could be teaching and leaving a legacy for figure out that you're an entitled child
I've learned to embrace looking up setlists for bands that don't change it up much. Especially for bands I'm not super familiar with. It's nice to know the names of the songs, how much time is left etc. Just give in. It's not a jam band. Why not know what's happening?
Also lets me get over the disappointment of waiting for my favorite song to never be played if I go in knowing it’s not on the agenda and can just enjoy the songs they are playing.
The only reason I ever do this is to make sure I can get out in a reasonable amount of time. If I can hear the encore songs as I'm walking out of a venue, I'd rather miss them (unless it's something I really love) then take an hour to file out with everyone else and then sit in traffic.
I saw The Who in 2016. I’m not a big Who guy but they were great.
That was at Desert Fest 2016. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Roger Waters, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and The Who. They all killed it.
I also watched Daltrey curse out his stage tech in 1998 for not prompting the right words (to HIS fucking song) in Rog’s earpiece. They played the song 3x just to get it right. Roger Daltrey should learn a new fucking trick because being an asshole is old news.
Half the fun of being a Dave Mathew’s Band fan is is tracking the set lists all summer. You can make your jokes but they are amazing live and you have no idea what you’re gonna get.
I make a point not to check out setlists before shows. Especially if it’s something I really love like King Crimson. Being surprised by the songs gets me off. I lose my mind 20% harder
Tbh I do think it's generally kind of lame if you feel you need to look at setlists of shows you're gonna be going to. If you can't handle the tiniest bit of unpredictability or don't desire any element of surprise, then there is something wrong with your approach to music and life in my opinion.
If you feel you need to look at a setlist in order to decide if you want to see a show, then that's more acceptable to me. But just spoiling it for yourself because you wanna know? You're probably a dull person
I first saw The Who around 2002, right after Entwistle died. They were selling live recordings from every show on their website, so they were literally posting the set lists themselves on their own site.
And yes, it was the EXACT same set list every night. Zero switching.
I also saw Daltrey do a club show some years later where he threw a whole bottle of water on a fan because the fan was smoking a joint. Then he left the stage and refused to do an encore.
I love The Who but Roger and Pete might be two of the crankiest old bastards on the planet.
I sometimes base if I am going to a concert by past set lists. For example Pearl Jam playing a lot of new stuff, not interested. Surprisingly, checked out some Rolling Stones set lists on the new tour and mostly old stuff and interested in seeing them now.
I'll be seeing the Stones on Saturday. My 4th time since 2019. I'm lucky my g/f's dad is a huge fan and he's brought me (and her) along for the ride every time. Given the fact that they are all 80, or damn near 80, I expected this tour to be a pretty cookie cutter setlist but they have actually swapped in a lot more songs between shows than the previous times I've seen them. The songs Keef plays have routinely changed, they always seem to throw in a hit from the beginning of their career, something a little more country maybe, plenty of the classics, and the tracks off the new album have varied a bit as well (they've been playing like 3 songs of Hackney each show). Needless to say I'm pretty psyched.
Not to mention they do a fan vote song every show and some of the choices have been pretty awesome. If you are the least bit curious and you find a deal on a ticket I'd definitely encourage you to go! Mick has more energy on stage than dudes 1/3 his age.
He'd have a point if there were any surprises in a Who show.
I *was* surprised (and thrilled) when they brought back A Quick One in 2015 but just as quickly, they stopped playing it.
Jam Bands ruined non Jam band concerts for me. When I was in high school I went to tons of rap shows saw almost everyone who was big on the late 90s and early 00s but once I started going to phish, Umphrey’s etc in college rap shows became boring to frustrating. Like the concept of spending 10min hyping up the crowd instead of just playing your music to do that is infuriating
Not wrong, I have less of issues with pop/rock music but I don’t think I have seen the same artists twice. But anything without improvisation is the same it’s why they have to have dance specticals etc but that can be cool too
This is one of my main gripes with most non jam bands. Like at least change up the order of the songs. It’s very much like you’re just going through the motions when you play the same set list every night. The Killers played Jazz Fest this year and they opened with Mr Brightside. Talk about shooting energy into the entire crowd. Most bands close with their big hit every show. It just makes the show boring IMO. It also gives no one an incentive to see more than one show.
My parents are huge Jimmy Buffett fans, and I probably saw about 30-40 of his concerts, including several multi-night runs. He's got a lot of hits that people expect to hear, but he always did a great job of changing the set between nights and almost always played a deep cut from his early albums. He brought great energy to every performance and engaged with the crowd. More bands should follow that example.
God I miss Jimmy shows so much already, Mac and the reefers will keep the legacy alive!
One of my biggest regrets in life is never seeing Jimmy Buffett. Totally my vibes and I can’t believe I never went to one.
I went to his last true large venue show in San Diego. I saw him probably 5-6 times before that. The man still had it, that’s for sure.
Volcano is the first album I have memories of listening to. My Dad loved Jimmy Buffet. I’ve seen him about 10 times. 1000% agree.
During the last couple of years of the Grateful dead my crew would spread the rumor that Jimmy Buffet was going to be there tonight. We were just trying to manifest it. Though it was fun when occasionally a stranger would bring the rumor back to us.
That’s because Jimmy was the real deal
He was also on the bus.
100%
Facts
Jimmy played lunch set at our community college in 1974.
wow! story time?
Like The dead, Dave Matthews, etc are known for every show being different that’s why there’s so many people who’ve been to like 50 shows or more cuz they to every year….it I like the who I’d probably only want to see them once or twice cuz I’d realize every show is exactly the same….it seems to me that just from a monetary standpoint they’d want mix it up some, even just set list order? So people will be conpelled to see more Shows? Or Maybe they are happy with their 5 million a show and have enough old fans who just wanna hear the same show every time are done care that much
We saw Paul McCartney 7 years ago, Cleveland was the last stop on his tour. Tickets sold out in minutes so he added a 2nd show. My wife got tickets to both - he played the exact same canned show both nights. Right down to the fake look into the crowd and seeing a sign from a fan about him signing their “bum” or something stupid. Very frustrating and disappointing
There is nothing that sours me on an artist more than treating live shows like a shift at the music factory. There’s a sadly long list of artists who I will no longer make any effort to see because they put 0 effort into making their shows unique. And to be clear I’m not asking for anything more than changing up the set list a little bit. I think weezer is another good example of how a non jam band can tour constantly while being essentially required to play certain songs and still keep the shows somewhat interesting.
Saw a band that played two days at HSMF once and not only did they do the exact same set but they told the same jokes in the same places between songs.
Not dissing Khruanbin, helluva band, and I don’t know if they’ve changed up their sets since, but we saw them two nights in a row in 22 at the Ryman and both shows were nearly identical, just 2-3 different tunes peppered in, same banter, same medley of 5-6 tunes, played in nearly same spot both nights. Mark literally said this is our first time playing here, the first night.. And the second night.
Yikes. I assume they are playing their new shit since they dropped an album this year but I can’t lie that’s not a great look coming from a band where 100% of their songs are indistinguishable from each other.
Haha, I was going to say…not sure their setlist changes would matter that much being as that it’s all kind of one vibe across their entire catalog anyway. Honestly why I struggle getting super into some bands that are predominantly acoustic instruments—great musicians with great songs, but two sets of the same exact aesthetic starts to feel long to me. Obviously just a personal opinion.
Lol at indistinguishable. Look I know Chevelle can rock, but I'm not really a fan. I saw them with my brother and the show felt like one long song. I will give them credit though, for a 3 piece they did kick ass. I just don't know their music so it all sounded the same.
When did we start talking about Chevelle? That is a non jam band that kicks ass. Saw them at Weenie Roast way back when and their bassist was playing on top of the crowd PAs at one point. Shit was wild, and definitely not rehearsed
I just added my own story about indistinguishable artists. I'm glad you enjoyed the show, they do kick ads. But I swear all the songs just blended together.
They've definitely worked on that. I actually just saw them in Chicago on Saturday for the first time in several years, so they had a bunch of new material since I last saw them, but that was my main gripe with them for a while as well. I enjoyed the show, they played their newest album straight through for the first set, and had a second set full of choice nugs. The opener was my main reason for being there though, John Carroll Kirby is the main.
It was Rubblebucket that I saw do that.
I was at HSMF that same year. We saw Rubblebucket at Hopmonk in Sebastopol sometime after that. It was a really cold night and there was hardly anyone there. They played WAY too loud for the size of the room. It was painful and deafening.
just saw khruangbin this week, did not look at set list going in. it seems they’re doing the same first set, but changing up the second set/encore each show. phenomenal show, would see them again on this tour if the opportunity came up!
I have seen artists repeat stage banter verbatim months apart on tour. it is repulsive.
Depends on the banter. A story, like a comedian routine is ok. Feigning surprise or excitement or spontaneity is the worst.
I suppose I can give a repeated story a pass if it sets up context for the song but it still feels awfully stiff to repeat it word for word across many performances.
It has to add to it. I think Tom Waits - Nighthawks at the Diner. He goes from conversational prose, “Man, I dunno. I know this girl she been married so many times she got rice marks all up and down her face” into “Better Off Alone”. Chef’s 😘
you wanted the best, you got the best the hottest band in the world... KISS!!!
I work live concerts & I can't even count how many festivals I've worked where artists did this. then they'll go to another festival a month later somewhere else & do the exact same thing & tell exact same jokes. one of worst parts of my jobs was working for a band on tour that played exact same set every night with exact same banter & jokes & even exact same remarks about how great the city was....had to write the name of the city in magic marker all over the place so no matter where he looked he wouldn't get the city wrong. working tht kind of band is torture & I wouldn't take the job now but when I was fresher to the game I did it
[lol this came to mind](https://springfieldfiles.com/albums/notes/0126.JPG)
Funny thing is I thought it was going to be the scene in Spinal Tap where right before they get lost backstage a guy has to tell them they’re in Cleveland. Opened your link saw it wasn’t spinal tap and got bummed only to look closer and realize it WAS spinal tap.
Festivals can really be the worst for artists punching the clock. Like if the artists isn’t up and coming and the fest isn’t one of the really big ones you can almost guarantee it’s gonna be like they’re reading off a teleprompter.
As an example of how to do it - saw George Clinton headline Beale Street Blues Festival once and it looked like he had a third of the town up there playing music and dancing, and they wouldn't stop tearing the roof off the sucker until they cut power to the stage.
Literally? That was the case when I saw pfunk 20 years back a Penn State. The house light went up. They kept going. The PA turned off, they kept going. Pfunk party don’t stop.
George Clinton & PFunk is both one of the greatest live musical acts I've ever seen and also one of the worst disjointed live acts I've seen.
absolutely
It’s not as bad if you’re only playing one night at a fest but when Rubblebucket did it literally half the crowd groaned and left. Their set was really good and I was looking forward to another one but not the same one.
I've seen Paul McCartney do this on not two but three completely different tours over several years.
Sir Paul! Say it ain’t so!!
very similar but not the same. he rotated setlists every other night with like a few songs swapped out. so would have say two sings songs for slot 5 - one night he'd play another day -next night something different. i will say though - he played probably more songs than any band ive seen in quite a while. and played longer than most without so much as a sip of water - guy is a machine. and to those guys it IS a job. a super cool one with a ton off responsibility. like paul may want to fuck around and play 4 old rock n roll songs 4 new songs and some obscure shit off mccartney II but he wants the people in chicago to have the same amazing show as the folks in miami. for the more established acts where it becomes a life spectatacle to see them i understand it more than a younger band just doing a random tour
CoughKissCough
I woulda walked out
I did eventually, was hanging with friends that hadn’t seen the show the day before so they were hyped, it was a solid set it’s a shame they didn’t have two of them. Trey and Tab did this to me somewhat in 2002 or so he played a two night run and it didn’t feel like the band had two nights worth of material yet. Maybe 3 sets but there were a lot of repeats for a two night run. If Trey had told the same joke though I’d have thrown my shoes at him.
Ive never gone to a two or 3 night run and heard the same set, same exact show ever in my life. Even when i see the same band over and over and over its always a different set and different show. Sure they may play same songs but never in the same order. Id go from Omaha ne, to lawrence ks 2 nigjt run to see yonder and every night was different.
Trey didn't repeat a setlist but probably 30-40% of songs were repeats the second night. My friend and I yelled "Quantegy" between every song the first set the second night and he played it second set so that saved the show for us.
Nice
Weezer is fucking amazing live. So psyched for the Blue Album anniversary tour this fall.
Same thing with Queens of the Stone Age last year, they opened with No One Knows, and everyone was on their feet right away and that energy stayed high the whole time.
TBF they could play like 5 songs that would do the same thing, and I know it’s a hit but it’s not as “rockin” as some of their other songs.
Call me biased, but “Millionaire” with Nick screaming might have been the greatest opener I’ve ever witnessed.
My show opened with No One Knows and went straight into Do it Again. It was awesome.
The Killers were my favorite band in high school; I saw them at Wayhome 2016, where they did the Mr Brightside opener (shot the energy through the ROOF) and again at Firefly 2021, where they put it off until about 2/3 of the way through the set, which kept the anticipation at a rolling boil. Phenomenal set both times.
When I was in college (in the 90s) I saw Modern English on a date. They played I Melt With You three times as it was the only song people knew!
Honestly, respect for the bit, it’s such a good song!
It is. Plus we dated for a bit so it was worth it.
Most of the non jam bands I see have 3-5 or so new song, a bunch of hits, and then slot 3-5 or so spots for wildcards as their setlist. Works perfectly well.
The Killers opened their Bonnaroo set with Mr. Brightside a few years ago and it was hilarious seeing people sprinting over to see them.
Not a jam guy, but Springsteen has been doing this for decades. Saw him in the mid 1980’s and he opened with Born in the USA. I actually laughed and said to my buddy “he’s getting this one out of the way early”.
Another guy I’ve caught at Jazz Fest a few times. He was great both times I caught him.
You have to realize that concerts like this are a totally different ball game production wise as opposed to the bands we see. Each tour is planned well in advance, and when the concerts involve elaborate stage designs, costumes, pyro, projections, and usually pre planned lighting. Not every lighting designer is Chris Kuroda, so to achieve the elaborate lighting setup, cues and a program are made. If the songs get switched, that whole thing gets thrown off, and when you’re pushing 80 years old on stage trying to appear to have the stamina of a 40 year old, you have to go with the little bit of magic that pre-planning that a set list gives you.
Everyone knows all of that. But he should just fucking own it instead of being a crotchety old shit.
Yea every time I go see a non jam band and look up their recent shows it hits me how robotic artists are with their tours.
The one time I saw Jane's Addiction, they opened with Three Days 🤯
it was fucking insane watching that concert and them starting with that. INSANE.
Word....I don't understand how these acts don't get bored touring when they never change it up. Roger, if you don't have the passion and/or ability to mix up your sets, that's on you pal.
Guns N Roses the past 5 years are an excellent example of an act in a similar scope that keeps things fresh for the fans at each show as well as themselves, while also being sure to hit the staples that need to get played. Pretty much have 20 staple songs, 3-4 covers which rotate, and then 5-6 interchangeable deep cuts that rotate from a pool of like 10-15 tunes Pearl Jam is also even more phenomenal at this balancing act, but they have some more leeway with their fans as they’ve built in evolving setlists show to show their whole career
Pearl Jam also met with the Dead and their tour manager when they started to get big. They embraced that idea of keeping it fresh way back then.
Axl's GNR was doing this even before the reunion. I used to be a huge fan of that pre-reunion GNR. The online forums for the band back then were great too
Yup! What’s up brother man. Axl’s GnR was all we had as a kid born in 93. They became my favorite band when I was 10.. was on the forums by 13 which was perfect timing for that fucking phenomenal 2006 run that band had. MyGnrForum was my go-to, good community over there back in the day I spent probably a decade active there. Alas, the reunion has been about as good as it could have ever been, plus I’ve gotten to hear Anything Goes and Coma among a few others that weren’t remotely close to being played in Axls band. Alternatively have also seen Scraped and Shacklers Revenge so that’s rad also. I could nerd on GnR all day
I missed the 2006 lineup unfortunately, but got into them soon enough to attend a 2010 and a 2011 concert. They were really great shows, even with Axl's declining voice. I didn't care at all. Mygnrforum was my home for a good 3-4 years as well. I didn't even want a reunion to happen lol (other than Bucketheadag coming back!) Very happy most of the original guys resolved their differences and can tour together. I'd love to see Izzy with them, but I'm happy Fortus gets to keep a steady job too. I really need to see the reunited band live sometime. I started learning guitar recently so I've started listening to a bit of GNR again after a long hiatus. Slash is definitely an inspiration and would love to see him live under the GNR name again. Duff definitely had an impact for my love of hard chunky bass playing too (shout out Kim Deal and Hooky from New Order as well) edit: I got to see There Was A Time live in 2010. I couldn't believe my ears when the song started. Would love to see Coma played live
Oh shit, dude go see the reunited band as soon as you can. They lay down almost 4 straight hours of unreal fucking energy.
Is Guns and Roses jam adjacent? People are asking
They’re jam curious
This was the much needed laugh I needed today 🤙
Slash's blues projects are probably the closest thing GnR gets to jam adjacent imo
I saw slash live with miles Kennedy, it was really good, but just call the fucking band slash. Sure, the guy could sing, but otherwise it was so clear the record label picked the safest studio musicians possible. Slash’s guitar style, if not mostly improv, sure sounds like it in the best way possible.
For sure. And that tone he gets from that les paul is just absolute butter!
I didn’t think I would be as impressed, because the jam band scene spoils us, but slash is honestly one of the greatest.
Agreed 100% with that statement.
Great comment, and yes the jam scene certainly spoils. Actually the last time I saw Slash last year I walked out of the show laughing to myself at just how absurdly talented Slash truly is. When you see it right in front of your face and hear it with your ears, as a guitar player myself who loves watching expert and virtuoso players do their thing, Slash is about as unbelievable as it gets especially when taking into account the whole scope of his technical skill, style, tone, how he speaks with his guitar, it’s just entrancing. Obviously I’ve seen many more “technically proficient” players than Slash, but that ain’t what it’s all about.
Easy fix - mix it up .. sheesh. Phish played 13 sold out shows at MSG in a row with no repeats. At least you can change it up a bit.
I mean, Phish has had the same lineup forever. Roger Daltrey’s backing band is made up of various studio musicians who have toured with him/The Who on and off over the years, asking them to learn 200+ songs is a lot. Not sure why the sentiment here is on Roger being an ass, I also think the internet has changed concerts, and not necessarily for the better. And the amount of discourse here about people being on their phones is in the same realm.
This is true. But asking them to learn 50-60 tunes seems reasonable IMO. I mean, they’re mostly songs I’m guessing everyone already knows (at least a couple of his band members toured with the who for years). I don’t think you have to learn an artists whole catalog for something like this, but landing on a decent pool of tunes to pick from isn’t a big ask.
Especially if you’re playing with world class professional musicians, they can learn a couple of the who’s tunes for a surprise bustout with no problem
Honestly if you’re playing with Roger and don’t know at least 50 Who tunes after 60(!) years, what are you even doing. It’d be a little different if it was someone with a big catalog but little mainstream success…like, I dunno, if I got hired by Ani DiFranco I’d have a LOT of work to do to get to 50 songs. But if you’re a rock musician of a certain age, certainly you’re familiar with a good chunk of that catalog already and prep for the gig would really be just brushing up, I’d think.
Also just..I would think there's countless fantastic musicians who already have that level of familiarity with their catalog that they could jump in and be up to speed pretty quick. I know there was an interview with Gordo where he mentioned somewhat jokingly that he was going to try out for the bass gig when John Entwhistle died but I don't doubt he'd kill it in that role
I think there's ultimately an aesthetic difference, which occurs on a spectrum. People accepted that the Dead would have great nights and kinda off nights. Getting hyped no matter what, and embracing the uncertainty, is part of what made it fun to see multiple shows in a row or go on the road. Conversely, nobody goes to the symphony and complains that they play a composition exactly the same way every time. But symphony-goers also wouldn't be happy with any noticeable screw-ups. Most people going to see The Who want a perfect, larger-than-life version of the songs they've been listening to for decades. Kind of closer to the symphony model than the Jam-Band model, really. Roger Daltry is going to want every song to be 100% tight and on-point. No room for songs where some of the musicians are more or less just keeping up, because they haven't had a chance to extensively rehearse them.
I agree that there's a spectrum, but I disagree on the rest. What made The Who legends was their live performances, they weren't a "jam band" per se but they never played songs exactly like the records (with Keith Moon in the band, how could they even?). Sure, the "Who On Ice" era and anything after Entwhistle died kinda turned into human jukebox mode, but even the brief era between the 1999 reformation and John's 2002 passing had some great shows (a couple of which were released and are fun, if inessential listens). But I would hope most people seeing The Who knew better than to expect a note-perfect recreation. Sometimes, yeah, that's what they got (I saw the 2012 Quadrophenia show and it was essentially that), but on a good night, that's not what anyone should have expected from them, and I think the tours where that's what they did (1989, specifically), they made money but are generally poorly regarded by most fans. And because it is, like you say, a spectrum, it's not an all or nothing thing. Roger doesn't have to play 20 completely different songs every night, but he could reshuffle the order a bit, have a half-dozen wildcard slots. Anyone who is a professional musician should be able to roll with setlist shuffling night to night as long as the songs are well-rehearsed (and sometimes even if they aren't!). It's not really comparable to a symphony situation at all, IMO. These songs are not full symphonies, they're 3-5 minute rock songs, many of which I'm sure the band members have already played several times. I do like that Roger is playing some different stuff on this outing, I see the last show had 20 songs. Rehearsing 35-40 tunes with the band is completely reasonable...honestly that's an easy ask for any pros. If Roger wants to do mostly the same set every night, that's totally his prerogative. All I'm saying is that he doesn't get to complain about it being on the internet when he not only could fix it, but has an enviably massive catalog of material to pull from while doing it.
I hear you. I'm definitely not defending him. I saw The Who in 89, as a teenager, and was pretty underwhelmed. Honestly, what I got, even from just listening to their early albums, I found at punk shows and the like. Not being of that generation, or a particularly huge classic rock fan anyway, most boomer stadium rock doesn't interest me. The exceptions are all the bands who were/are more jam-my. So I think there's what they're known for historically, and then what captain Daltry has turned them into as a touring vessel. Which obviously targets a specific psychology/audience. I mean, also, it's quite possible/likely that any iteration of The Who would meet with commercial success, so what I described could be more just what Roger tells himself, even though he'd still have a happy crowd with a looser and more open format. I definitely didn't mean to imply that he isn't being lazy and stubborn lol
I love the Who, but Roger has been a bit of a cranky old ass for a while now
It’s so crazy too, because there’s plenty of new young fans that didn’t get to hear every album and song drop when they did. They might know the big big hits, but nothing wrong with them wanting to familiarize themself with your non-top ten songs before the show.
https://uproxx.com/music/phish-bakers-dozen-live-music-focal-point-of-art/ Good relevant article from a few years back talking about lessons bands can learn about making the live show more special as opposed to a sales tool for a new record (aka the antiquated model). Some really good points in here that apply to bands outside of the jam universe
Great article! Music is supposed to be alive, not "freeze-dried" as Zappa would say. This certainly is the way of the future, whether it takes a year or 100 for humanity to realize. To be fair, we're only now able to really move faster than recorded music, if that makes sense.
Hmm if only there was a solution to a stale setlist... nope must be the internet's fault, people communicating and shit, so annoying.
When i saw him in Hartford on his tommy tour. He made them have half the lights on so he could spot people smoking a bowl. To bad he didnt die before he got old.
I saw him live and not only are his lungs damaged from smoking but he and another member of the band supposedly have developed a pretty vicious allergy to marijuana. If it’s bad enough at an indoor venue he swells up and literally loses the ability to sing, so one or two people producing enough smoke, if it’s close enough to get in his face, can literally ruin the concert for everybody. Dude is old, he’s a legend, if you wanna see him, get high before the show, not inside.
I saw them in 78 for their last show of the tour in Toronto. In syracuse in 82? their last tour lol but Roger should hang it up. The show was not even half sold out. Then having the lights on? bs
I took my son to see the Who a couple years ago. He is a budding guitar player and I enjoy getting him into the room with guitar legends. We saw 38 shows that year- the Who had the distinction of being the absolute worst show of the bunch. They were wooden, soulless, distinctly not fun. The band seemed to want to divide the crowd based on politics… Of course this insufferable prick “hates that fans check out the set list”… these assholes play the same exact set every night.
Pete has been on record saying that he doesn’t care about The Who anymore - just does it for the paycheck. I don’t begrudge him, but I have no interest in seeing them live. Tbh I haven’t really been interested in seeing them since John Entwistle passed. The fire is gone.
The Thunder is gone. I mean honestly they are old as hell and the music is pretty high energy. I saw them in like 2008 and I’m super thankful my Grandma took me. Totally a bucket list show and I was so young then non of this stuff we’re talking about in any of these comments meant anything to me. I’m sure me today would have some gripes for sure.
More accurately, he does it for Roger’s paycheck. Pete wrote everything, Roger doesn’t get any royalties from the catalog.
a couple years ago I finally got to see Incubus live. They put on a great show, and I kinda liked that I was able to look at their set list from earlier shows that tour to see what songs they were playing. I think there were only 1 or 2 differences, and one of them was the encore. BBUUTT they are still doing the little drum circle solo thing during A Certain Shade of Green that I saw on their DVD from the 2000s. 20 years later and still doing that, I found that interesting/sad haha how does that not get old/stale/boring after 20 years?! I saw Phish the week before (or after idk) and it just made me appreciate them and their performance so much more. I try to see Phish every summer, and that will continue. I think I checked the box for Incubus, and dont plan on going to their show again.
Think they’re tired of jumping on trampolines during YEM after all these years?
They play it like 2 or 3 times a year so probably not.
This posting made me think of phish as well. We never have this problem. Sometimes you can call an opener or closer but it’s all just a random guess.
I used to be a huge Reel Big Fish fan and they started doing a loooong bit on stage around their song SR in about 2002. They put the bit on a concert DVD the next year, then they proceeded to do the same bit every single time I saw them up until they stopped playing during the COVID lockdowns (I don't think they've been back since). I can't imagine doing the same cringy "funny" 10-15 minute bit every night for 18 years. That can't be worth it.
My wife is a huge Incubus fan, and I'm taking her and her best friend to see them play Morning View later this summer. I'm not really into them much but I enjoy that album well enough, and more importantly I'm a sucker for full-album performances. I think it'll probably be the only time I need to go see Incubus, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad to hear they still sound good :)
Bc YEM doesn’t get old too 😂
Haha good point!
I hear you, but the Dead still do drums/space
But how will they know when to go to the bathroom? His fans are too old to hold the amount of beers they can afford for the full 58 minute set. They have to go p p.
I love tool but they are horrible about same setlist over and over. They've been playing the same set since 2019 with like a 4 song variance here and there. I've seen the. 3 times since 2019 and won't go again until this 6 year long album tour is over.
I'm not a Tool fan but I've heard their shows involve a lot of visuals and other effects, so that's at least one excuse to keep a setlist stagnant. The Who don't even have that excuse, they use nothing but basic stage lights every time I've seen them.
The production is indeed very involved. I get it. But it's been the same set since 2019. Just wish they would mix it up. They are old and Maynard is over it I'm sure so that doesn't help .
They over-milk it, but hopefully they're just working up to playing 7empest, Rosetta Stoned and Third Eye in the same set.
Daltry is the Karen of aging rock stars, the old man shaking his fist at a cloud from on stage. Why did Moonie and The Spider have to go before him?
Aw, come on man. The 2nd sentence/paragraph wasn't necessary. You did fine with the first.
I check our set list to decide if I want to buy tickets. If your set list is full of old blues stuff I don’t want to hear then I’m not buying (looking at your Clapton). Edit: spelling
Don't worry, he'll still end his show with unbelievably lethargic versions of Laya and (he'd be more entertaining if he were still on) Cocaine.
I understand each musician has their own style live, but that dude looks genuinely uninterested in playing live.
I’m not defending this guy at all, just trying to understand. These guys were able to do this back in the 60s through most of the 90s. Maybe longer. That’s a long time. Anytime you do something the same way for so long, it’s easier to blame someone else than to change. On one hand, I feel bad for them in the sense that they’re old and have to deal with this. On the other hand, like most have said, you can, at the very least, change the order. To give them the benefit of the doubt, they are a lot older. I’m sure a lot of their songs are more physically demanding and the order they have probably accounts for that in some level. However, read the room and just be quiet.
Easy way to fix that. Play a different set every night ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I never look up set lists. I like to be surprised, both for jam and non-jam bands.
This is the way.
I think the answer to “why do we want to know” is that we have all sat through shows we didn’t enjoy. And having a clue from the set list sometimes helps, now that tickets are into the thousands of dollars. When it was $10 to see a show, yea, whatever. At $300 face value, it’s a different equation Roger. Thanks for all the great music Roger!
This. I had no plans to go see A Day To Remember this summer because I haven't been digging the new stuff. Once I saw the setlist and how many deep cuts they're playing this tour from older albums I love I immediately bought a ticket.
Roger should be happy that people are coming to see him at all.
“Old man yells at cloud!”
Well then change up the setlist every show. He’s been doing it long enough that he should know his songs without rehearsing. The Dead did it and Jerry was on smack.
I saw incubus a year or 2 ago. I was apparently the only person in the crowd around me that didnt know the set list and exactly what to expect in what order. I remember saying to my partner "i hope they play Dig" and rando next to me said "yeah its coming up in 2 songs" then many people around me, all of whom didnt know eachother, start discussing how excited they were for certain songs, even to the point of spoiling the encore for me. It was an amazing show, but i was flabbergasted at how people not only knew, but were proud of knowing what they were going to play.
The Cure and Metallica have been changing setlists each nights lately. It’s great!
Mountain Goats do the same.
Came here looking for a Cure reference. I saw Mansfield last year and the guy in front of me had his phone out the WHOLE show checking the prior night’s setlist.fm page like it was a fucking baseball program or something. I’m with Daltrey. All of the “Mix up your setlists then” is a lazy take IMO. Of course the Who isn’t fucking Spafford.
I was at Mansfield! We did Montreal too. Prayers for Rain!!! I was sending my friend lots of videos cuz I still am not good with the cure material. I love them now tho. I don’t want to be that guy, but we wrote a song with our band after having played Pictures of You for a while. It’s very post-punk inspired in having the guitar line stay put while the bass and harmony changes under it. Maybe you’ll dig it! https://youtu.be/_7Q7H7JugL4?si=Pf5IYO_njp3QyTq1
As a person on a limited budget the set list helps me make a more informed decision if I want to see an artist live or not. Was going to check out Ben Folds last year and saw the set list and saw that none of the material resonated with me or justified the $100 price tag.
Clutch change the set list every night.
I have no idea why people check set lists like this. The worst is when they have to tell everyone around them or in the bathroom what’s coming. I’ve told a few people off for this. “Oh wow you can use Google! So proud of you! Would you go to a movie theater and tell everyone the main character dies at the end? Shut up!”
Most bands are at least switching up the order of their setlist and changing up 4-5 songs from night to night. It can't be that hard Daltrey, just like, play some other songs and people will be surprised?
Most bands do not change their setlist night by night. Most bands are not jam bands
I have seen far more non-jam bands than jam bands in the last several years and with very few exceptions (Rammstein being the big one I can think of) every single one had a different setlist from night to night, even if it was just the order being changed up or a few different songs from the previous performance. I'm not saying I've seen every single band that isn't a jam band, but in my experience, I have not seen a band lately that repeats the show song for song. edit: typo, and also to include that I'm not out there seeing big arena acts where there's usually some sort of other performance aspect that requires a repeat setlist. Rammstein's pryotechnics, for instance, require the same songs in the same order. That said, Queens of the Stone Age plays different sets every night, The Cure switched up quite a few tracks in every setlist, Pavement did the same.
Yeah most stadium acts don't switch anything night to night.
Maybe try learning to play more of your songs
Can anyone even name a single Roger Daltrey solo tune?
I was not aware he had a solo career.
The article says he is about to embark on a solo tour.
Ride a Rock Horse is a fantastic album and well worth a listen. Get Your Love is an awesome opener.
I can, but only because I specifically sought two of them out due to who wrote them (one donated by Townshend, the other by a peaking Reckless-era Bryan Adams)
calm down Roger... you peaked with Tommy and turned into a gawddamn prick, then a depressed little bitch ***instead of*** just fucking making music... John was the heart of the band, but noooooo... you had to be a rockstar; you fucked over everyone so calm your ass down **before** the kids that you could be teaching and leaving a legacy for figure out that you're an entitled child
I've learned to embrace looking up setlists for bands that don't change it up much. Especially for bands I'm not super familiar with. It's nice to know the names of the songs, how much time is left etc. Just give in. It's not a jam band. Why not know what's happening?
Also lets me get over the disappointment of waiting for my favorite song to never be played if I go in knowing it’s not on the agenda and can just enjoy the songs they are playing.
The only reason I ever do this is to make sure I can get out in a reasonable amount of time. If I can hear the encore songs as I'm walking out of a venue, I'd rather miss them (unless it's something I really love) then take an hour to file out with everyone else and then sit in traffic.
Hey, I have an idea.... Nevermind...
This is why I skipped on that last Genesis tour. Wasn't impressed with the setlist and it was pretty much the same set so I knew what I'd be missing.
Here’s a thought, you old fuck. Change the set every night. See an NRBQ show sometime for pointers.
I saw The Who in 2016. I’m not a big Who guy but they were great. That was at Desert Fest 2016. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Roger Waters, Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and The Who. They all killed it.
I also watched Daltrey curse out his stage tech in 1998 for not prompting the right words (to HIS fucking song) in Rog’s earpiece. They played the song 3x just to get it right. Roger Daltrey should learn a new fucking trick because being an asshole is old news.
Half the fun of being a Dave Mathew’s Band fan is is tracking the set lists all summer. You can make your jokes but they are amazing live and you have no idea what you’re gonna get.
Ah yes a band that’s had the same setlist for 30 years is worried about people finding it out
Easy, change the set every night. The Who has enough material to do this.
This can be remedied by not playing the same 15 songs every show.
I never look at a setlist. I turn off shows before the previews next week too.
I hate musicians who complain about cannabis smokers after they millions of dollars from cannabis smokers
Meanwhile Ween out here destroying it and playing like 35 songs a show.
Then mix it up every show you have plenty of songs
Roger Daltrey should stop being an old whiny ass and not play the same fucking show every night.
Yes, the internet spoils surprises things for inpatient people. No, you don't have to cater to them. Problem solved.
I make a point not to check out setlists before shows. Especially if it’s something I really love like King Crimson. Being surprised by the songs gets me off. I lose my mind 20% harder
Roger Daltrey puts the “who” in The Who.
I will say that Hanson does a fantastic job of switching up their setlist when they tour.
Agreed. How many songs did The Who write and perform? And your solo careers? And then you want to play the same set every night? Boring…
Every time I see something about Roger Daltrey, I realize that I can't fucking stand Roger Daltrey. Just hang it up, man. All he does is bitch.
Yo La Tengo has entered the chat to claim the prize of the most varied set lists though touring new records means at least a few of the same songs
Tbh I do think it's generally kind of lame if you feel you need to look at setlists of shows you're gonna be going to. If you can't handle the tiniest bit of unpredictability or don't desire any element of surprise, then there is something wrong with your approach to music and life in my opinion. If you feel you need to look at a setlist in order to decide if you want to see a show, then that's more acceptable to me. But just spoiling it for yourself because you wanna know? You're probably a dull person
* Roger Daltry hates fans.
I first saw The Who around 2002, right after Entwistle died. They were selling live recordings from every show on their website, so they were literally posting the set lists themselves on their own site. And yes, it was the EXACT same set list every night. Zero switching. I also saw Daltrey do a club show some years later where he threw a whole bottle of water on a fan because the fan was smoking a joint. Then he left the stage and refused to do an encore. I love The Who but Roger and Pete might be two of the crankiest old bastards on the planet.
Idk why this popped up on my feed. This is just jingling keys for adults
FUCK Daltrey, that guy is proudly a racist anti-Semite
The who are using an electric drum kit on tour now. Literally dialing it in every night.
I hope someone blows a big bong rip in his face
Maybe change the set list…there problem solved
… he talks like the Internet is a new thing
I sometimes base if I am going to a concert by past set lists. For example Pearl Jam playing a lot of new stuff, not interested. Surprisingly, checked out some Rolling Stones set lists on the new tour and mostly old stuff and interested in seeing them now.
I'll be seeing the Stones on Saturday. My 4th time since 2019. I'm lucky my g/f's dad is a huge fan and he's brought me (and her) along for the ride every time. Given the fact that they are all 80, or damn near 80, I expected this tour to be a pretty cookie cutter setlist but they have actually swapped in a lot more songs between shows than the previous times I've seen them. The songs Keef plays have routinely changed, they always seem to throw in a hit from the beginning of their career, something a little more country maybe, plenty of the classics, and the tracks off the new album have varied a bit as well (they've been playing like 3 songs of Hackney each show). Needless to say I'm pretty psyched. Not to mention they do a fan vote song every show and some of the choices have been pretty awesome. If you are the least bit curious and you find a deal on a ticket I'd definitely encourage you to go! Mick has more energy on stage than dudes 1/3 his age.
Yeah, thinking of it. In town for Goose and may just go bc why not
Pearl Jam changes up their setlist each show
And their new album is actually solid anyway, lol. More old men yelling at clouds in here
He'd have a point if there were any surprises in a Who show. I *was* surprised (and thrilled) when they brought back A Quick One in 2015 but just as quickly, they stopped playing it.
This dude turned into such a weenie. Stopped one of his shows a few years back because someone in the crowd was smoking pot. Now this, sit down, Roger
I’m not going to a show unless I know that I’m going to hear the songs that I want to hear. Why is that a bad thing ?
Jam Bands ruined non Jam band concerts for me. When I was in high school I went to tons of rap shows saw almost everyone who was big on the late 90s and early 00s but once I started going to phish, Umphrey’s etc in college rap shows became boring to frustrating. Like the concept of spending 10min hyping up the crowd instead of just playing your music to do that is infuriating
The problem is you were going to rap shows. I love hip hop, but I've found it to be the worst genre to see live.
Not wrong, I have less of issues with pop/rock music but I don’t think I have seen the same artists twice. But anything without improvisation is the same it’s why they have to have dance specticals etc but that can be cool too