Did they/Will they vary the set list?

[Spec A!]

As we keep getting closer to the kick off of our collective dream come true, I wonder about what they will play. This is one thing I don't know about The Police in concert- did they vary the setlist from show to show as a band like Dave Matthews does? Or do they stick to the same set list night after night, in the same order?

Not that I'm lucky (or wealthy) enough to be able to see them more than once so it doesn't matter. Shit it wouldn't matter if they played the same stuff the same way every night anyways- I'd listen over and over and over. However I wonder what they will do, and if they would play some songs on certain dates that they wouldn't on others.

Thoughts?

[aceface]

[quote="Spec A!"]This is one thing I don't know about The Police in concert- did they vary the setlist from show to show as a band like Dave Matthews does? Or do they stick to the same set list night after night, in the same order?[/quote]

Based on the Police concerts I've heard, the setlist doesn't vary much from night to night. It did vary somewhat from tour to tour. And this has carried over to Sting's performing habits as well. And since he's the one who got the reunion going (his manager is now their manager, his website company now does their website, etc.), I can only assume that the setlist won't vary too much from night to night. I imagine that there will be certain songs that can and will come and go from night to night, but that they will fall in roughly the same spot in the setlist.

I seem to recall a recent interview with Stew, in which he said this was a matter of practicality. Unions and noise restrictions placed a limit on how long the show could go, so the setlist had to be created in response to this. Another big factor was the lighting. Even if it's subtle, the lighting has to be worked out in an efficient way for the show. If the setlist changes from night to night, it would be hard to keep the lighting at a "superstar show" level.

[DirtyMartini]

Plus, Sting seems to be a bit of an (forgive me, SC) old lady when it comes to sticking to a routine.

On the plus side, it means that The Boys' performance will get tighter and tighter with every show, particularly with song transitions, etc.

On the minus side, there is the repetition factor.

The weird thing will be that historically the setlist would inevitably revolve around a particular album with other goodies/staples thrown in. In this case though, . . .

As persuasive as Stewart may be, I don't see him managing to turning Stingo onto the full-blown Oysterhead mentality. But since they've got so much material to work with, it'd be pretty damn cool to see, say, a few revolving setlists.

[hollo]

I believe the police will play five songs off zenyatta monodatta making a mockery of the police's view that it was their weakest album.

I am talking man in a suitcase, de do do do, don't stand so close to me 86, voice/running down.

[Spec A!]

Driven to Tears???? They HAVE to play that one (for me please!!).

[Grant]

[quote="DirtyMartini"]
On the plus side, it means that The Boys' performance will get tighter and tighter with every show, particularly with song transitions, etc.
[/quote]


I don't know if that's a plus side or not. The Police weren't always the tightest band (intonation, vocals, tempo variations.) The Police were the greatest band of their time (IMHO), ESPECIALLY when they were exploring. They all play great. I don't care if they don't stop at the same nanosecond. I want to see and feel and hear the energy that made me start to love the rock.

cheers- Grant

[Grant]

[quote="hollo"]I believe the police will play five songs off zenyatta monodatta making a mockery of the police's view that it was their weakest album.

I am talking man in a suitcase, de do do do, don't stand so close to me 86, voice/running down.[/quote]


1) no way
2) yes
3) god i hope not
4,5) already seen, so a good bet.

How about 5 from outlandos?
1) Next to you
2) Roxanne 2007 (not really from outlandos.... ok in a way)
3) can't stand losing you
4) hole in my life
5) so lonely

How about 5 from Regatta?
1) message in a bottle (sure thing)
2) regatta d'blanc (sure thing)
3) deathwish (on the setlist?)
4) bring on the night
5) bed's too big

How about 2 from Ghost?
1) every little thing
2) demolition man

How about some B-sides?
1) low life
2) I burn for you
3) murder by numbers

Then there's the synchronicity stuff

[Greg Moonspank]

I think that 50% of the set will remain the same on a nightly basis. The other 50% will rotate in and out. OYSTERHEAD RULES.

[DirtyMartini]

[quote="Grant"]I don't know if that's a plus side or not. The Police weren't always the tightest band (intonation, vocals, tempo variations.) The Police were the greatest band of their time (IMHO), ESPECIALLY when they were exploring. They all play great. I don't care if they don't stop at the same nanosecond. I want to see and feel and hear the energy that made me start to love the rock. [/quote]

Yeah, agreed. I like the spontaneity of The Boys live. I think they do their best work live (which is saying something considering the high quality of the albums). Although historically they've prided themselves on a certain level of professional perfection, so I can understand the thinking.

I was thinking about this last night, and now I'm conflicted.

How many times have I seen, say, MacBeth performed? I've never complained that the script is the same each time because the script is brilliant and every performance is different. Every night, an actor -- or more specifically, a GOOD actor -- will bring in new ideas, go in different directions, hit on different nuances, etc. Even though the form follows the same pattern, the performance is never the same way twice.

So then why wouldn't the same hold true for The Police's performances? On the one hand, I'd like a variety of setlists because I want to see as much material as possible. On the other hand, I know that even if they follow the same overall list, the performance will always be different by the simple fact that the material is brilliant and these guys are excellent at what they do.

Of course, I'm still willing to lobby for a cover of "Hit Me, Baby, One More Time."

[Police Boy]

I think based on the large number of songs that were on the Vancouver rehearsal set lists, there is a good chance that set lists will vary. I personally expect a core set of songs to appear nightly (ie. Roxanne, Can't Stand Losing You, MIAB, EBYT, etc.) and others like Hole In My Life, Driven To Tears, Bed's Too Big, etc. to be the ones that drop in and out of the set.

Having said that, certain songs may unexpectedly go over better than others as the tour progresses in terms of crowd response and how much the boys enjoy playing them. In the end, no matter what is played, we will be satisfied given the fact that this was all a dream a few months ago...

[jedsoon]

Hey... they gotta rotate Once Upon A Daydream in there somewhere!