02-09-2007, 10:48 AM
I wonder if the set lists are put together with consideration for the audience who will be attending the shows. For example, an arena tour would seem to draw fans from various levels of commitment, newbies and die-hards. I'd imagine, they are still trying to grow their fanbase every tour, every album.
I'm not saying this as an excuse. I think most true fans go to shows hoping to see songs they haven't heard in a long time or never at all. But the bottom line is that a large portion of the crowds are casual fans who would be disappointed if they didn't hear New Orleans Is Sinking... again.
I was at the Fort York show on the 24th last summer, and since it was released to Hip club members first, they knew that the crowd had a much higher proportion of long-time fans. Thus were able to throw in a more ecclectic mix of tunes. Also, as people have mentioned, the "Evening" tour featured 30 songs a show, so there was plenty of room for the lesser known songs to make an appearance. (That's why the "Live 10" series was such a treasure, and I'm hoping Mav gets 'em restarted here soon!)
Thoughts?
I'm not saying this as an excuse. I think most true fans go to shows hoping to see songs they haven't heard in a long time or never at all. But the bottom line is that a large portion of the crowds are casual fans who would be disappointed if they didn't hear New Orleans Is Sinking... again.
I was at the Fort York show on the 24th last summer, and since it was released to Hip club members first, they knew that the crowd had a much higher proportion of long-time fans. Thus were able to throw in a more ecclectic mix of tunes. Also, as people have mentioned, the "Evening" tour featured 30 songs a show, so there was plenty of room for the lesser known songs to make an appearance. (That's why the "Live 10" series was such a treasure, and I'm hoping Mav gets 'em restarted here soon!)
Thoughts?