Inspired by something I was going to say in the concerts thread, do people on the board think concert set lists can be spoiled the way movies are?

In my experience, I almost always want to know going in what's on the set list for a tour (barring night to night adjustments and substitutions), and even decide if I'm going to see an artist depending on what's on the list (here's looking at you, Neil and Bob - and boy is that an important comma) But for others, the anticipation of what's coming can be like Christmas morning, as the band ripping into a personal favourite or deep cut nugget brings a lot of joy. But it can also increase the disappointment in the moment when an expected personal favourite isn't played, and leave a bad taste for the show.

The bands I listen to have somewhat predictable setlists, though, so it's not the crapshoot that I know jam artists or more artsy types can bring to their shows. I may not be able to predict the order, but if I'm going to see a band, I can usually list at least 3/4 of the songs (if not the running order) they'll be playing.

As complex light / video / pyro shows, backing tracks and computerized supporting music becomes more of a thing, I am finding that shows are getting a lot more rigid from night to night, as the computer controlling the things around the band locks them on rails; sometimes it even feels like the witty banter is tightly timeblocked. And I do think something ephemeral is lost when the artist has no flexibility at all from one night to the next.

I don't think there's a right or wrong, I'm just curious as to what people's take is on this.

Not only do I not want to know the setlist before going to a show, I also don't like looking at the track list of live albums prior to listening to them.

I especially hate the "perform a classic album live" trend. Take about completely taking all the spontaneity out of a performance. Part of the fun is the running order of songs, how they go from one into the next, matching up things the fan wouldn't anticipate, etc.

I don't know how old you are, but prior to the internet, many, probably most people did not know a musician's set list prior to attending the show.

Either way, knowing or not, has never made a difference to me.

I've had to ask strangers at concerts to stop loudly stating what song comes next. Buffoons.

I prefer to know in advance so I can make an informed decision about whether I want to spend that much money to see it. Knowing the setlist also gives me a chance to re-familiarize myself with any tracks that will be performed but that might not be among my favorites, and more importantly, it helps me to avoid leaving shows ticked off because a song I very much wanted and expected to hear wasn't performed.

Old enough to remember those days; my working assumption for bands prior to setlist.fm being a thing was always that I'd get most or all of their singles, 1/2 the album they were touring to support, a cover or two, and a couple of deeper tracks. And if the artist had an absolute signature song, it would close either the main set, or lead the encore.

Oh, and speaking of age, there's another reason I like to know the set list - I can figure out when to time beer runs. At some of the venues, that can be quite disruptive, and I wouldn't want to miss a song I was there for (for which I was there?) And, sometimes, I've mistimed it, and need to know how many songs are left before the end of the set if I'm at risk of running out of beer.

I often like to be up against the stage at GA shows, and it's hard for me not to look at setlists. But sometimes I'm happy they are easy to find online. Helped me decide to pass on most recent KISS and Stones shows

i always look at previous setlists, it is interesting to see if there are changes in them or if the band just does the same thing night after night.. also, it can give you a pretty good idea about whether you will get your money's worth at a show.

and it is also amazing to see what gets cut at those 90 minute casino shows form the regular setlist.

Sometimes seeing what gets cut can really hurt. On the 2017 Queen + Adam Lambert tour, I was excited to see they were performing one of my favorite Queen songs. Unfortunately due to some trouble starting the Hollywood Bowl show on time, and need to stick within their curfew, they cut Spread Your Wings off the set that night.

I haven't been to a concert in over 10 years but if I was going to one I wouldn't want to know what was going to be played, and especially not the exact order. I would want to be surprised.

I’ve done both, and I prefer not knowing the set list going in. I like the element of surprise, no matter how small it is. When I saw Styx last Friday, they played “Mr. Roboto” for the first encore. I knew they had started playing it again, but even so, those first few seconds when I realized that they were playing it and that I hadn’t heard it live since the Kilroy tour, well, that was just a special little thrill.

And JosephC mentioned the full albums thread - I kind of agree that it takes some of the suspense out if you know the album well enough. But it can still give you that little bit of a thrill. When I saw Rush do “Moving Pictures”, I was thrilled to know going in that I was definitely going to get “YYZ” and especially “Red Barchetta”. I was fully prepared that RB was going to be an emotional moment for me because that’s about my favorite Rush song. And it was very cool. But the song that choked me up was “Camera Eye”, which totally caught me by surprise.

I agree 100% with this. I haven't seen a band live since...wow, maybe it was back in the 1990's? The Ramones, I think. I prefer to be surprised.

Yep; that's the other side of the missing song debate - it's not getting something you're expecting. It can really disappoint. Up thread, Red Barchetta was mentioned, and that was a song I was hoping to get and didn't. Since it's my favourite Rush song, and they're now retired, that's a sore point.

On the full album show thing - I would really hope that the artist has enough time and material to put stuff before after, or during it so the entire set isn't just the album. When I saw Fear Factory do Demanufacture, it was part of a festival, and we just got the album. But U2 did other songs before and after The Joshua Tree, and Rancid went one further - they mixed all of the songs from Out Come the Wolves into their set, but they weren't in album order, and they weren't back to back. They played them all, but in the context of a larger tour set.

I'm hesitating over the announced Black Crowes reunion (it's just the Robinson boys, though), which is a full album tour for Money Maker. They're a great band, but it's been 25 years, and the tickets are pricey.

They are, but there is already discounting for lawn packages, and as last summer proved to me, there are steep discounts for tickets closer to the date for a number of bands that 'should' have done better. Also, when I went to pre-order rather late, there were plenty of decent seats available. This is in Chicago, and oh my, a concert actually on a weekend (usually tours are 'school nights' here in this market).