Death to the Encore!

[Flyn]

Weekend American on NPR just did a story titled "Death to the Encore!", where they interviewed John about his anti-encore thoughts, played a good chunk of Long Winters music in the background, and then had Sebastian Bach come on and say, "I agree with that other guy". Discuss.

[Liesbeth]

sorry, I got distracted by Fire Island, Ark.

[berkstin]

If only more bands would subscribe to this practice. I've been to a lot of shows and 90+% of them have had encores, and MAYBE 5% of them were genuine encores, where the band was genuinely done and the crowd demanded more (the Frames at the Great American a year or 2 ago comes to mind...)

[kyle_s9]

bring back the intermission

[No You Are]

And it can work the other way around, too. I was at a Killers show a few years back at a small spot in Iowa... it was a really wierd crowd - booked before they were well known, but the show was right as Mr. Brightside had hit MTV, so there were a lot of young teen types packing the place.

They played for 45 minutes or whatever, then left the stage but the house lights stayed down, etc. However, since the kids didn't know what was going on, they all left. After about 10 minutes, they had mostly cleared out and the house lights came up and ended it.

So because they were expecting to do the encore cliche, we got gyped outta music.

Play your songs, however many you want, then leave the stage and we can go home. That way, if the show really kicks ass and you do a real encore, it is a cool moment we will all remember.

[Liesbeth]

For sure, I will never remember the second encore we - the audience - once got the Triffids to do, and this was after the lights went up and the house music had started.

In favour of the encore, though, I gotta say I also kinda like clapping and yelling for a band I loved and knowing that they know that everyone knows they will come back, but still it's cool to clap and holler and have this conspiracy going. It gives me some strange kind of bonding feeling. Only works with bands I really like though.

[icapants]

I'm in favor of the encore as long as it's real. I hate that it's just expected. I don't even bother making any noise anymore. There's no point, they'll come back regardless.

[flowerdead12]

i remember E (of eels) after everyone hooted and hollared for an encore they came back out and he deadpans: we were gonna come back out anyway! but thanks. most setlists already have the encore planned although in the eels ive been to shows where because of the crowd being shitty or whatever you dont get the "encore" at all so I guess real or not you can still get cheated out of a couple tunes!

[kyle_s9]

yeah haha ^
when i saw ben gibbard he was like, "Don't worry this isn't the real last song, i'm gunna go stand behind that door for a minute, than i'll come back and play somemore."
sometimes the encore makes sense, sometimes it doesn't, but i like them most of the time.

[sour29]

Encores serve one really excellent purpose that no one has mentioned yet: an excellent opportunity to switch mini discs without missing a note of performance or syllable of banter.

[banjo]

Generally I like encores, but I like them when you feel like they're meant to be there. I'm not such a fan of a band that plays a short set, only to have two encores. I actually liked that about the eels. I get the feeling E decides pretty quick if they're coming back out or not, and goes through with it.

I don't like it when a band saves that song they know people really want to hear for the encore. I like to think that the encore should have some of those songs that never made it big but have always been fan favourites.

I suppose it's a horses for courses thing though. Massive 80s-drugged-up-and-bloated-on-a-toilet-seat rock shows want encores, whereas intelligent indie pop/rock probably doesn't need them so much.

[No You Are]

I've started putting encores in my everyday life.

Like last night I was talking to my Mom on the phone, but right in the middle of the conversation I hung up. I then called her back 3 minutes later.

"Thanks for picking up the phone again, Mom, you've been great. I guess I have a few more things I can say."

[sour29]

Hahaha. That's awesome.

[Harvey Winters]

Sean at Maxwell's: Ok, the pretend curtain has closed, we're downstairs getting handies, aaaaaaaand THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT WONDERFUL APPLAUSE!!!!