I get the feeling The Who frontman Roger Daltrey is one of those older folks whose knee jerk reaction to anything and everything is to bemoan how awful it is. Of the Statler and Waldorf variety, but with more cursing and less charm. He’s said some offensively asinine things about Brexit and Hillary Clinton, and now, while in the midst of a nine-day North American tour, Daltrey is taking aim at the internet. Not for spreading disinformation, but rather for spreading accurate information of a live show’s setlist ahead of the concert. He’s trying to get through that the setlist is not for fans to know beforehand if they want to have an amazing journey; he’s had enough and isn’t gonna take it! At least according to Daltrey:
Rock icon Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who, doesn’t want you checking the setlist before the show.
“There’s no surprises left with concerts these days, ‘cause everybody wants to see the setlist,” he told Billboard. “I’m f–king sick of it.”
Setlists are often posted on social media and websites such as Setlist.fm. Many fans often know most, if not all, of the songs to expect at a concert as a result.
And Daltrey hates it.
“The Internet’s ruined the live shows for me,” he said. “Who wants to know what’s coming next? People forget about surprises. I can’t stand it.”
Billboard suggested that some fans might just want to know when they can go to the bathroom without missing a favorite song.
“Why not just start to listen to the bloody show in the toilet, then?” he said, although the website noted that he was laughing as he spoke.
Daltrey is kicking off a solo tour of the United States this week, and will likely be unhappy to learn Setlist.fm is already tracking it.
Listen, with the way ticket prices are going, I bet it won’t be long before they actually sell tix for seats in the toilet and charge a bloody fortune. But I realize that’s not Daltrey’s point here. Personally, I don’t like to know the setlist going in, either. Ahead of Lady Gaga’s Chromatica film last month, I mentioned being excited to see which songs she put together from across her catalog. It genuinely didn’t even occur to me that I could look up that info ahead of time, (especially for a tour that happened two years ago; I can be slow sometimes) until seeing Daltrey’s ranting. But that’s my preference, and I would never say a whole system is ruined because another group of people have a different way of enjoying a show. Don’t get me wrong, I’d maintain til the day I die that my way was the best, the greatest, the single smartest manifestation of audiencehood. But I’d keep the superiority complex inside like a decent person. It’s called manners, Roger.
photos credit: Mike Gray / Avalon, Getty and via Instagram
Eh, this is like spoilers. Some people don’t want them under any circumstances because it ruins the experience, and some people enjoy it more if they know what’s coming. Why does he have to assume his experience applies to everyone, although he could have just been joking around.
I never look up a set list before a show. If someone is going to be heartbroken paying for a show and not hearing what they want, they probably should look it up first if they can.
If a set list is available, I’m looking it up. I’m the type of person who is gutted if their favourite song doesn’t get played, and I enjoy the show alot more if I know what to expect.
It’s also an anxiety thing, knowing what’s going to happen and how long the show has to go. I love it when playbills have the song list/credits included too.
Either way, seems like a stupid thing to get upset about, especially considering how expensive tickets are nowadays.
Few years back when I traveled to Las Vegas to make sure I saw my favorite band, I noticed the paper was publishing setlists of all the bands in town. Not only their setlists either, they were publishing the planned encore lists too.
I don’t check the setlist if it’s a band I’m going to see no matter what.
But if I’ve seen them before, or if they are expensive or playing far away and I’m not sure if I’d go, or if I only like a handful of songs, then I usually check the setlist beforehand and make a decision on whether to even go or not based on that.
You’d think that a musician would be more concerned with things like… I don’t know… how young musicians are very unlikely to ever make a living and we are losing music because if it. Or how the abuses of music labels and certain musicians have been unchecked for years. But no. Set lists.
Keep it classy, Roger.
I saw him monday night. He absolutely addressed this issue and talked about how it is impossible to make a living today as a musician. How different it is now from when they were coming up.
His show and his voice were amazing. And at 80 years old!! Keep on rocking Roger.
To me, given the absolute batsh-t prices for tickets in the U.S., it can be helpful to know the setlist for some, as a decision-making tool.
I once saw a very, very popular artist perform live, in the midst if a mini-comeback, pre-Internet. They were the opening act for another beloved, even more iconic act. They’d been a chart topper throughout the 80s and had a catalog of fun songs everyone knew and loved. Alas, the entire set was unfamiliar, full of tracks off their brand new, semi-experimental alt-rock sounding album (which has little to no radio play, so none of us knew the songs). The only classic hit they played was “the” song (their most iconic hit), now rearranged as a…semi-experimental, alt-rock sounding dirge that changed the meaning and feel of the song. It was very on-point for the 90s but all anyone did was talk about how painful the 45 minute or so set was and, to this day, my friends and I use the name of that new album as shorthand for something unwanted and unappealing, foisted upon us aggressively.
Thankfully that was just an opening act and the main show was as epic as promised (and just as thankfully, that artist went back to their roots pretty quickly and now does a nice mix of classic pop and semi-experimental, rocky stuff that still has the heart and soul of their best work as a throughline, creating a nice win-win for all), but I would have been angry and disappointed if I’d paid today’s prices for a headliner who did a personally curated show that didn’t include anything I particularly wanted to hear, nor was willing to pay a premium for to see live. So I get the debate, but I also get why a setlist is helpful for decision making.
Many artists are under the impression people should come to see and experience them alone, and the music (songs) and show itself are secondary. But the truth is, when choosing to spend that much to see an artist live, all three things matter.
A recent example like your experience has been Bob Dylan’s live shows this year. People bought tickets anticipating he’d hit all the highlights since he’s 82 and may not tour much longer, but his shows have been 98 percent music from his latest album with 2-3 cover songs sprinkled in. Needless to say people have not been happy.
Mario, I assume you don’t want to share who the artist was, but I’m really curious. 😀
As for what Dutch said, I understand that artists get sick of the songs they have been playing live for 50 years for 6 months every year, but come on man, that’s what makes all your money. Most gigs will have some hardcore fans who see the artists regularly and would prefer the new material, but the vast majority will be one-time visitors who want to hear the hits.
Yes, they are a very nice person (proven over time) who seems to have learned the lesson from this or maybe just got some bad advice in the midst of their “comeback.” I don’t want to pile on them or open up a debate on their talents, personally. Sorry!
The year was ’96 and the person they opened for was a generational icon, even then. They were (and are) best known as an 80s hitmaker (though they’ve had some real success in another facet of music and some minor, but crowdpleasing acting turns along the way, too.)
I really don’t want to say anymore.
Nobody tell Roger people also live stream concerts to YouTube and Facebook. These kids, and their fancy technology. Get off his concert lawn!
Oh Flamingo, I toyed with including a “get off my lawn!” but couldn’t find the right place. Thanks for bringing it in so well!
Yeah, I don’t want to know the setlist. If I’m paying to see an artist live then I am pretty familiar with their discography. I like the element of surprise. It’s exciting. And it’s always fun when an artist throws in a song they don’t usually play live.
OMG, Kismet, I was Today Old when I learned that people go on the internet to find out a show’s playlist! LOL!! That actually never dawned on me—I’m clearly showing my age. HA!
It feels so good to be seen, doesn’t it? 🙃
Truth is, setlist sharing has been been going on for decades. Roger is entitled to his opinion, but another truth is that “HOW MANY SURPRISES COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE IN A ROGER DALTRY SHOW? Any Who fan knows what he’s going to play, besides, as mentioned above, anyone who doesn’t wish to, doesn’t have to look it up.
I like guessing at set lists. It helps me figure out what songs I can look forward to, accept the disappointment of the ones they won’t play, and know when I can get up for a drink without missing a good song.
Some artists play the exact same songs each show and others mix it up. He sounds like a disgruntled old man who doesn’t want the world to change. Very “get off my lawn!” energy.
Pearl Jam releases their set list after every show and they never play the same set, ever. It’s become a fun little community thing with the fans and they even ask fans to send in their ultimate Pearl Jam set list!
We know when we’ve aged out of society when we begin complaining how things don’t work any longer due to the advancements and evolution of technology and lifestyle.
How it once was worked, allowed this man to earn a fortune.
And these crotchety Boomers should be mentoring youth, and sharing their wealth.
But unfortunately many of us have learned that human beings are mainly selfish as self absorbed.
Especially the 1%
This is why I love going to Pearl Jam shows because they change up their set lists every night. No 2 shows are the same.
I see a lot of live music and look up the setlist before if it’s available. I like to know around when to expect them to play some of my favorite songs so I don’t miss them by going to the bathroom or getting a drink. This doesn’t work for jam bands though since those setlists are different every show, so those are the concerts I go into with no expectations and just enjoy the ride. If people want to see the setlist going into it, why not? Tickets are expensive enough these days that if you’re dropping $150+ on a concert you might as well know if they’re going to play a lot of songs you like, or ones from that one album you can’t stand.