Thanks to the Internet and my inability to stop snooping around on it, every concert I have attended in the last few years has little to no element of surprise. I remember going to concerts with my friends and fellow rock and roll enthusiasts back in the days before cyberspace. We would spend hours speculating about what the opening number would be, what surprises might occur on the set list and what would be played for the finishing songs and encore.
Now-a-days is a different story. It’s no one’s fault but my own, but every time I go to a concert I know the complete set list and often in the order it will occur. Thanks to YouTube I even know those great little concert surprises, such as a certain song played acoustically or an extended solo. In some ways, it can provide a little more excitement to the show. Before I saw Def Leppard this past summer I checked out the show’s intro on YouTube on a few occasions. It looked great and it built up some great anticipation leading up to seeing it up close and personal. I also knew the set list from start to finish. Although, it was a predicable set list anyway, there would have been a few surprises in there. I would have never guessed they would have played Switch 625, an instrumental song from the High N’ Dry album. I love this song and although I was excited knowing it was coming, it would have also been a great surprise.
So I have resolved that for the next few concerts I attend, I am not seeking out any set lists or any YouTube footage, just as an experiment, to see which experience I enjoy more. I’ll let you know how it works out…if I can keep this promise to myself.
What do you think? Would you prefer/enjoy knowing the details going in or would you rather have the element of surprise?
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6 comments:
Absolutely with you on this one. I now make a point of avoiding gig reviews, youtube posts etc before a show.
I'm off to see Y&T this week hopefully and just want to be pleased and surprised as each classic hits me (and be at the bar for Lipstick & Leather!).
Mind you, I could have saved myself a couple of hours if I'd seen the Def Leppard set for the last tour. Over here we didn't get Switch, only Heartbreak. Sadly we didn't get the personally hoped for expose to other High N Dry and Pyromania favourites - just the predictable hits from Pyro, Hysteria and a couple of so-so tracks from the recent album. "2 Steps Behind" was a welcome inclusion though...
I agree with preferring to be surprised by what happens, it just makes the experience more interesting. Usually, I do pick up on the general buzz of something just from poking around online but try to stay away from the details. After the fact I'll go back and check setlists, the last few shows I've been to I've found the bands switched things up from place to place which is nice.
Its really removes the surprise element when you get an idea of all the songs in a concert. Instrumental songs i believe need to have a level of expectancy in the audience. I found some interesting info on instrumental songs on
instrumentalsongs.org
I'm a sucker for this too... I'm always looking up the setlists for upcoming shows. However, I'm not doing that for a concert I'm seeing on Wed. (Weezer.) It should make things a bit more interesting and exciting.
Rock of Ages, Y&T!! I haven't head of them in a while...how was the show??
Mike, I agree, it's good to pick up and some buzz about the show and I think to maybe have a few sneak peeks. But still leave enough unknown to keep it mysterious going in.
Joy, thanks fot the link. I have always been a fan of good insturmental songs.
Jeff, hope you enjoyed Weezer. How was it?
The concert was pretty good. I saw them at Madison Square Garden, which I personally didn't like. I perfer my concerts to be in more intimate settings, but aside from the venue, they put on a good show.
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