well now that was a live first.

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so there we are at the franz f gig in manchester, only to show up just that bit too early and have to stand through support act 'fiery furnaces'. they played all the songs without stopping once for breath, applause *anything* until the end. all songs, in a row megamix style, for half an hour and no breaks. the audience seemed to approve. for the first 3 songs it was as if they were playing 1 long song with different 'movements' ala paranoid android or whatever. but no. they did the whole gig, with many different songs with no gaps. there was music constantly playing throughout.

has this been done before? it was a first for me certainly.
apologies if this has been covered before on a fiery furnaces thread or something.

― piscesboy, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

It seems like they're honing, for maximum impact. I read a live review of them today that said (something like) "238 songs in 30 minutes". I'm glad that the audience approved, because I've noticed a lot of people - and noticeably reviews and the like - that seem to feel more negative with respect to this pure concentrated music burst.

And for a support slot, they sure crammed a lot of songs in there, eh?

Going early was probably the best thing you could have done for that show.

― John Cei Douglas (John Cei Douglas), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

I love that shit. I've seen brass bands do it for a whole set, where the last beat of the tune turns into the first beat of the next tune, off and running. Hotness.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I've seen (and played in) bands doing this. One band I did this in, I would have sampled bits of random things (looney tunes closing credits theme, dialogue from hardcore scary movies, etc) to use as in-between pieces to give the guitar/bass a moment to tune up.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Jimmy Shand in the house!

― Mr Mime (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know about the Fiery Furnaces, but it has certainly been done before.

We had a gig in Aberdeen just over a year ago where - between Philip Jeck, Molam Lao, and Jah Wobble/Deep Space - there wasn’t a single gap. I think it was about three hours.

― coco, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I believe Animal Collective does this as well. Doesn't everyone prefer it? Who likes to watch people tune and wander around stage?

― Marky Mark, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Going on the one time I saw Animal Collective, I would

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Soul Asylum circa 1990 when they were one of the best live bands around.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Intriguing. It'll be a fine day when all live performers abandon the farce known as an "encore" - i.e., the band pretends to leave, the audience pretends to want more songs & the band pretends to be flattered, blah blah. Why can't these performers just come out, start the show, and immediately tell the audience that there will be no encores, then play every song they already intended to play? Then we can all leave the building sooner. Another good idea: Play your big hit song FIRST! That'll separate the true fans from the hangers-out. Plus, Cobain-types who grow to loathe their Big Hit 'cause they fear they've sold out will be happy to get it out of the way early. Everybody wins.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

animal cllective are awful! saw em on friday, i was trapped into listening by waiting at the bar, so i couldnt flee. arre they big in ILX territory then?

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I say take the early Wire route and avoid at all costs playing anything you've ever released.

― coco, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I say take the early Wire route and avoid at all costs playing anything you've ever released.

Another Animal Collective technique (although they play one or two from the new one live, I'm told.)

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

It'll be a fine day when all live performers abandon the farce known as an "encore"

I can't second this assertion enough. I want the show to be over so I can get home, thanks.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

animal cllective are awful! saw em on friday, i was trapped into listening by waiting at the bar, so i couldnt flee. arre they big in ILX territory then?

Mercifully, their records aren't very much like that (assuming you saw them in guitar/drum idiot savant mode)

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Plus no and should play for more than 30 minutes. Ever. Except maybe Orbital.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I wholeheartedly approve of this approach, especially for an opening band with something to put across: nothing kills momentum like stopping for applause that's going to be merely tepid, anyway.

― briania, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Last summer, The Buzzcocks (opening for Pearl Jam) stopped to count off only. And for songs with vocal pickups, like "Love You More," not even to count off. Brilliant.

Encores are such a pretentious pain, particularly at concerts where I've got 50 minutes or so to write a review and have to spend five of it listening to the audience "plead" with their heroes to do more.

My question: When The Darkness went into one of their slower songs (I don't remember which) last month, the bass player pulled out a lighter and waved it around. Is that a first, for someone on stage to do this?

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 15:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I was actually pretty into Animal Collective when I saw them live -- lots of wordless moaning and repetitive guitar strumming -- but can't say it made me interested in buying their albums (although dleone's Pfork review came pretty close).

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Animal Collective - reverb and delay = "PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN"

― hstencil (hstencil), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Husker Du came close with microscopic gaps and Sugar also, which is where Soul Asylum probably got it from. If memory serves Bark Psychosis were pretty good at that and Levitation theoretically never stopped because they employed drones and sound effects between songs. Magma?

― mzui, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 15:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, encores are bullshit. Except when it's a very small club show and it's clearly "we're done and would like to go home now, but if you really want us to play another song that badly then put $20 in the tip bucket, K?"

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Myonga has some good points. It's embarassing when you've got 20 people clapping and the band comes back, presumably due to the overwhelming adulation.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 15:49 (twenty-one years ago)

When The Darkness went into one of their slower songs (I don't remember which) last month, the bass player pulled out a lighter and waved it around. Is that a first, for someone on stage to do this?

extreme "more than words" video to thread.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Whomever said that no band should play for more than 30 minutes is totally OTM.

― NA (Nick A.), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

The only people who should play encores are the bands that don't plan their encores ahead of time.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 16:05 (twenty-one years ago)

RAMONES, PEOPLE

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 16:23 (twenty-one years ago)

(at least re: the nonstop song medley as concert M.O.)

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 16:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The Liars made a point of foregoing the encore when I saw them recently. Tall Goon said something to the effect of "OK, so this is the part we're supposed to pretend we're leaving, we go backstage, you clap a lot, and then we come back....but we were planning to anyway... Kinda stupid, so, um, we'll just stay onstage and play a few more songs, OK?".

― Collardio Gelatinous (collardio), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Should that be "forgoing"?

― Collardio Gelatinous (collardio), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Best band to ever handle the encores was the Melvins a couple of years back. They finish their main set and then just stand there, unmoving, staring straight ahead, for five minutes while everyone cheered. And then they played the encore and left.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

did the tall goon in the liars get that patter out of the back of a textbook from an entertainment 101 class?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

but more to the point, do people actually clap a lot when the liars leave the stage?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I did like that the Bad Plus walked off and then basically instantaneously walked back on to do two more songs.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

BRITISH PEOPLE ARE STUPID TONS OF ACTUALLY GOOD BANDS DO THIS.

― GET TO THA' (PRICE) CHOPPA!!!!!!!! ROFFLE!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:19 (twenty-one years ago)

every band I've ever been in has done this. It's all about time.
Plus, Ned is OTM. Melvins love aggresive audience suspence tricks!

― sexyDancer, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:24 (twenty-one years ago)

DO YOU GUYS LIKE FAXED HEAD?

― GET TO THA' (PRICE) CHOPPA!!!!!!!! ROFFLE!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

JW-

We discussed them here:
What is the shape of punk to come?

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I PLAYED THAT SORT OF COVER OF "CALIFORNIA LOVE" LAST NIGHT THEY DO WHEN I MADE OUT WITH SOME GIRL. AWESOME!!!!!!!!

― GET TO THA' (PRICE) CHOPPA!!!!!!!! ROFFLE!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 17:33 (twenty-one years ago)

eleven months pass...

do the fiery furnaces still play every show like this?
it must be exhausting.

― piscesboy, Monday, 11 April 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

Did you see Fiery Furnaces, Webster Hall, last night, anyone see this show? ?

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 11 April 2005 12:51 (twenty years ago)

Every jam band ever to thread.

― cdwill, Monday, 11 April 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)

RAMONES, PEOPLE

-- Nate in ST.P (n***p*****550...), May 4th, 2004.

Right on. When I saw them live they played for just under an hour and were not playing music for about 2 minutes of that hour, tops. At least 20 seonds of those two minutes were the scattered 1-2-3-4!'s, and the remainder was sublime Joey Ramone stage banter along the lines of "A funny thing happened to me on the way over here tonight...THE KKK TOOK MY BABY AWAY!"

I love the Ramones.

― Ash (ashbyman), Monday, 11 April 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

The Furnaces go beyond not pausing between songs - they dramatically reconfigure the songs - ie., they'll play one verse of Song A, then segue into the chorus of Song B, then play the first line of Song C, then back to the bridge of Song A but sung over the chords of Song D, etc., etc.

― o. nate (onate), Monday, 11 April 2005 20:02 (twenty years ago)

Didn't the Meat Puppets do the no pause thing back in the day, when they pressured themselves to perform every song they ever knew every live show, so their song performances would be practically 78 RPM live?

― donut debonair (donut), Monday, 11 April 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

enough threads on this crap band! enough!

― breezy, Monday, 11 April 2005 20:11 (twenty years ago)

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