My rant about concert setlists

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by ShangriLaTroubl

Well I think you are making an assumption that it's a blatant lack of respect...For instance when I got to a concert of a band that I like, but am not as into as say FM I don't want to hear songs I've never heard...sorry..call it what you want. Had Aerosmith hardly played many hits and a bunch of rarities at the show in 03 when I saw them, I would have been disappointed. The MAJORITY of people at the shows want familiarity...

Once again, as always, this is never an all-or-nothing proposition. It's entirely possible for band to play a concert that includes both a hefty portion of familiar hits and a number of more obscure tracks.

And it does demonstrate a lack of respect to longtime fans for a band to gear its setlists so strongly toward pleasing just the casual fans. It's the die-hards who buy all the albums and keep coming back year after year; showing those fans that you appreciate their support by offering something different is an important gesture.

I happen to have enjoyed the set lists of the FWM and Stevie tours recently...over and over again..show by show...I agree it doesn't hurt to change it up...but you have to realize that probably over half of the paying audience at a Fleetwood Mac show only know the hits.

It's not going to kill them to hear some songs they don't know. A good rock band that puts on good rock concert should be able to play anything at all and energize the crowd through their performance and passion for the music, whether or not the song is a well-known radio hit.

Fleetwood Mac have a lot of hits to choose from. There's no need for them to play all of them every single night. I doubt there are many casual fans who, if they went to a concert that featured "Rhiannon," "Go Your Own Way," "Gypsy" and "The Chain," would feel especially disappointed that they didn't get to hear "Dreams," "Don't Stop," and "Tusk." Lots of folks may be mindless sheep, but most aren't that mindless, and most are able to appreciate a good rock concert that doesn't completely pander to them.