Encores at music concerts: silly? (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

Does anyone else find the practice of doing encores at concerts silly? I mean, when you're done, get off the stage! There's been a few concerts I've been to where there were no encores, though the crowd was conditioned to expect one or two of them, the light came on, the crowd milled about for a few minutes, and then wised up that the band was not coming back.

 

[Henry C]

I've always found this practice to be weird also. I mean, we did pay money to see these people, so they know that we love them. So why don't they just play the whole set and we won't have to stand there for a few minutes, cheer loudly, and convince them to come back and grace us with a few more songs.

Encore's are almost expected now, so it's part of the concert and not really anything extra.

Henry

 

[Wes]

I think if the band does them correctly they can add excitement to the end of the show. Like Pink Floyd "Delicate sound of Thunder" concert Floyd comes back with an incredible "Run Like Hell" The guitar solo from dim lighting and lasts several min. So yes if done properly I think they can be cool!

Wes

 

[Jon_B]

I had the displeasure of going to a Smashing Pumpkins concert. The show was okay, but when they left the stage and everyone starting screaming for them they came right back out. They did this a couple times. Finally they stayed on the stage and jammed. No lyrics, just music. This went on for what seemed like forever. Finally my friends and I just got up and left.

Jon

 

[Graeme Clark]

Quite silly, especially since most bands seem to do at least two encore "get off the stage and then come back on much to the suprise and delight of everyone" acts, and sometimes 3 if the crowd is good. So why not just do one for effect and a second if the growd is good (or better yet, just stay out longer for the first).

Besides giving them a short rest, it does also allow the band to make another grand entrance, which can be a pretty memorable part of the show, or in the case of a pop act, they can make yet another costume/stage change.

Who started all this silliness?

Please sir, I want some more.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I once saw Jake Thackery (a folk singer, and I mean this nicely, but I doubt if he's known outside the UK) announce at the 'end' of a concert, 'I hate doing encores - you know I'm going to come back on and I know it, so let's cut the pretence; I'm doing two more songs and then that's it, I'm off' (incidentally, if that sounds cynical, I should add that Jake Thackery is a very nice person, the audience was more than satisfied and it was a very good concert).

Again, I have seen a genuine encore (i.e. that really was spontaneous) by Camel [note for younger readers: a prog rock band popular in the 1970s]. It was the last night of their concert tour and they were clearly on a high. They did the 'official' encores and the response was so overwhelming that they came back on and did another hour's worth of their more obscure stuff and some rock and roll standards; no fancy lighting effects or pyrotechnics, just a group of guys playing for their own enjoyment as much as the audience.

However, most encores are so predicatable that yes, it destroys the original idea that it should be a spontaneous thing.

 

[Ike]

What I like is when the Encore is included in the set list...

 

[MikeAW]

The encore is a show business tradition, that has, unfortunately, been trivialized today for a couple of reasons.

1) It's part of band's set list because they reserve one of the biggest hits from the regular set, 2) It's not spontaneous at all, because the performers are afraid the audience won't ask for one.

It's the audiences fault for letting this happen, and expecting more for the money the lay down for concerts these days. So what's a band to do but exploit this black hole, but take advantage of it and give the audience something for really nothing ?

 

[Anthony Stephan]

I also think that they are silly and trite.

Has anyone been to a concert where the band leaves and the audience is only ho-hum about it. The audience even starts to leave.

BUT WAIT! Suddenly the band returns for the encore that no one was chearing for!

I've been there a couple of times. It's so embarrassing.

 

[Derek Miner]

I completely agree with Mike on this one. It's a pet peeve of mine that encores are planned and expected. I even posted some comments on this in a thread in the After Hours Lounge area. (That thread was on audiences applauding at movies, BTW)
I'd just add that the argument about the price of concerts is weak. I would feel okay if I paid $35-$50 for a concert with planned "encores," but I see these fake ones at shows that I pay $10-$20 for. Ridiculous.
The lamest example I saw recently was a Beatles tribute band, Yesterday. They had a piano onstage for the entire show, but did not play it ONCE. Then for the "encore," they played (surprise, surprise) "Hey Jude" on it. What a waste of touring with a piano!

 

[Van Patton]

I'm guessing none of you all have seen Phish live have you? Sometimes there stuff goes for 15 minutes and longer. The show I went to in Nashville was AWESOME!! At the end of the show they brought out Winona and Del Mcurry and Ricky Scaggs and a bunch of other famous bluegrass musicians and started playing an amazing version of Freebird!! Of course 1/2 the crowd was so stoned they prob. didn't know what was going on.

 

[Jeff_P]

I think encores are a waste of time. I know some musicians have a brutal tour schedule but get up there and play for a full 2 hours(if thats how long their stage time is). Don't waste my time with an encore.

Jeff_P

 

[MikeAW]

Another thing that concerns me...entertainers today seem to feel there is some kind of obligation or expectation to like them and reward them...irregardless of what they are offering the audience.

What's up with that ?

Granted you wouldn't be there unless you liked them, but it's this...is arrogance the word here...ambience that makes the entertainment and it's appreciation, forced, expected. For me, it's too heavy to deal with.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

While I agree that the vast majority of encores are staged and somewhat silly, I think they're a harmless ritual. Everyone knows it's gonna happen, but they're part of the game, so what's the beef?

Now clapping at movies - THAT'S something I don't understand! Unless you're at the premiere with the filmmakers in attendance, it doesn't make sense to me...

 

[Jagan Seshadri]

I'd rather have encores than opening acts like the ones at U2's PopMart tour. The screetchy pounding "electronica" that was DJ'ed went on for over an hour. I mean, this was no Chemical Brothers or anything good. This was DJ Screechathump dB+.
I was cheering during the U2 set just because I didn't have to listen to Screechathump anymore. Then I resolved to only see bands in medium-sized venues or smaller (1500 seats or less). Or, put on their CD through the DSP concert mode
-JNS