IMAGI-BLOG
Death to the Encore?
Submitted by imaginary liz on August 15, 2007.
John Moe recently interviewed John Roderick (The Long Winters), Sebastian Bach (Skid Row), and Jim Anderson (sound engineer at the Crocodile) to find out what the encore is all about and if it, as a common practice, should be continued. Their points are well stated, as well as pretty darn funny.
Is it time for a Post Modern Encore Deconstructionalist Revolution?
Go listen to this recent episode of the public radio show "Weekend America" to find out... and let us know what you think.
Personally, I think all those guys are on to something. The encore should be a 1 in 10 occurrence that should reward the band, audience, and brilliance of the night... not just a way for the band to have 10 minutes to wear us down while they shotgun beers and power trip.
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greggoir said on August 15, 2007:
The weirdest encore I ever saw was A Perfect Circle, where the band stayed onstage, they turned all the lights on the stage off, and the band just stood there in the dark for five minutes.
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imaginary liz said on August 15, 2007:
I love that Perfect Circle vision... so...
I've turned all the lights off, and I've been standing here in the dark for about five minutes. Hmm... I think the audience has already filed out.
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toby said on August 16, 2007:
the encore is kinda silly in its current contrived state. the other end of the spectrum is Gedge, who clearly states at the end every wedding present/cinerama show that they don't do encores.
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Levi said on August 16, 2007:
I like the idea of playing an insanely long set, and just wearing down the audience to the point where no one could possibly want an encore; and then playing a few more songs before quitting.
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Clayton said on August 16, 2007:
I've noticed though, that some bands now tend towards a 2nd encore for those "special" nights where the chemistry is just right. I figured that these days, the first encore is simply a quick toilet break for the band.
I've been to some shows where the crowd didn't deserve an encore, yet the band came back anyhow - that's when it stands out to me as odd. And others (Sigur Ros springs to mind) where the atmosphere was electric and the crowd cheered ecstatically for 5-10 minutes, and the band didn't come back on; but i kind of respect that.
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Reviews
imaginary dana said on August 15, 2007:
Dude, I am so down for the Post Modern Encore Deconstructionalist Revolution. Bring it!