More from John, 1/11/07

[Johnny Stew]

Regarding the addition of album tracks they've never performed before, he said, "we've tried that before and have been met with deafening silences."

I'm assuming he's talking about audience reaction there. It's a shame that, after 40 years in the business, they don't feel that they could allow themselves the luxury of playing a few more obscure tracks than what the average casual listener would be familiar with.
But I can also see why they'd be concerned about "giving the people what they want," and when it comes to this kind of stuff, "the people" are those casual listeners and not the die-hards. Because, let's face it, die-hards will buy a ticket either way and they're not going to run off to the restrooms in mass numbers everytime the band plays an unfamiliar song.