Summer 2008 Setlists...

[Evan]

I'm curious about how people feel about this years' sets?

For the past six years I've been making road trips every summer so I can see the band play live and I usually get tickets to about 4 shows a summer. But this is the first year I've really been disappointed with the sets, not so much in the song choice, but in the extreme lack of variety between each night.
The band usually has a certain catalogue every year that they've rehearsed and largely draw upon to make up their sets, but they haven't clung to such a small number of songs in past years the way they have this year.
I went to Toronto, and both nights in SPAC which were three back-to-back(-to-back) shows and I felt like I might as well have just gone to one. They're pretty much had two set lists that they rotate on repeatedly every two nights, and even those two sets have too many similarities in them.
Maybe they just didn't have time to rehearse different songs this year?

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

[hofdaddy]

This is the 2nd year I haven't seen a show or even wanted to see a show. Since 95 I've been going to shows. They need to step it up, badly

[baseballjon9]

ya they've been playing a lot of the same stuff this tour. i guess they r just playing wat they r having fun with...thats all u can ask, i wouldn't want too see them play a song if they r gonna go through the motions due to lack of fun. maybe a big part of it is the absence of butch and leroi? but i went to 2 shows, one in mass and the 2nd night at west palm, and i was satisfied...but the back to back west palm shows, they didnt play the same song twice, so it turned out to be like 38 songs in 2 nights or something...which is awesome. but overall i agree

[Martini]

Unless this new material they're working on is quality, I don't see me paying to see them live anymore.

[Grachi]

i got two pretty different sets from the the pittsburgh show i went to and rothbury... i think only like 2 songs repeated between those two? i'm too lazy to go get both setlists and check, but i remember it being different... anyway, maybe I just got lucky, and as one who usually sticks up for the band I'll say that perhaps they were spending time in the studio working on that new album that they didn't concentrate on having a number of different sets for the summer.

But then again, in my understanding in the past the band never had setlists planned out, and I think Dave even answered a question from that 2005 storytellers where he explained that they just pick setlists by the band getting together and throwing out ideas. If they like the ideas, they keep them, if not they don't. So I think it's kind of an ad-hoc sort of thing before each show they play, assuming they still determine setlists that way. And if the band is still doing it this way, maybe they are just enjoying a chunk of the material they play so it repeats a lot. I mean think about it, if you played the same songs over and over live, and then you came out with some new covers or songs (money, sledgehammer), wouldn't you want to play the newer stuff more often? I think that at least explains the covers and things like that that seem to get repeated almost every night.

edit: same goes for older songs, since they haven't played them in awhile, they probably are more excited to play an oldie that is fresh and fun to them again then two step or ants or something that is consistently played.

[markTR]

WTF are you guys talking about them not bringing out different setlist material for this summer. All the covers, Lover Lay Down, Water/Wine, Sleep to Dream Her, Sugar Will, Some Devil songs full band. I'm not saying they're all gold, but they're at least trying to mix it up

[baseballjon9]

ya there r some exceptions. and im not one to complain about setlists, for me its luck of the draw and if they play my favorite songs, thats awesome, and if they dont, im still very happy with watever they play cuz i love everything basically. and i thought the 2 shows i went to had very good variety....first night in mansfield i got Loving Wings and So Damn Lucky. then in west palm i got rhyme and reason (which i havent heard live at a show before), help myself, pay for what you get, and dreaming tree...so all around i was very satisfied. and i like the covers, i heard both thank you and money at both shows and they look like they r having a lot of fun playing them...especially dave. but if uve been to a lot of shows this summer i can understand if ur tired of hearing all the new stuff and covers...but thats wat happens when u go to a few shows...2 is enough for me

[Evan]

I agree with what you guys are saying in terms of being happy with what they pick, and that they'll play the songs that they want to play. And that's all fine.

And normally, Im not one to bitch about sets. I don't go to shows expecting to hear all of my favorites and nothing else, and I never have. Been I've been to A LOT of shows over the years now, and never have a seen a summer of sets with such a lack of variation night to night.

I saw the interview where Dave said they all just sit and a circle and throw out ideas, I'm just beginning to think that the number of ideas this summer is limited because of lack of rehearsing this summer.
I will never go as far to say that I won't be paying for shows anymore because I look forward to summer tours every single year just so I can justify taking a week off work, jumping in the car and watching them play. But I am disappointed this year for the first time since I became a Dave fan. And again, that's not just because of sets full of songs I'm not crazy about (2005 was FULL of unexciting songs from Stand Up, but atleast they were different night-to-night) and more about a lack of change from one night tot he next.

[GSR]

It could be worse.

[wkpggrvn2001]

They will be 10-15 minutes from where I live some time in the next few weeks and I have no interest in attending.

[Easy E]

you're so fucking badass

[SimsUK]

They will be 80-90 minutes from where I live some time in the next few weeks and I have no interest in attending.

[Donnyboo23]

good for you. what are you going to do instead have raging sex with your guy friend you sick bastard? haha

[SimsUK]

good for you. what are you going to do instead have raging sex with your guy friend you sick bastard? haha

Uh, alright Donny. Your posts suck in general but this is just really offensive.

[Klondog]

good for you. what are you going to do instead have raging sex with your guy friend you sick bastard? haha

Uh, alright Donny. Your posts suck in general but this is just really offensive.

Yeah, agreed. Definitely out of line and not funny. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.