Psycho/Drones General Tour Discussion Thread

[jessebasi]

Good crowd in Toronto, at least where I was (in that CE video, top left GA section, right up against the barrier). Lots of jumping. No crazy moshing, just good fun.

 

Exactly where I was standing. That was a fun spot to be.

[Jobby]

First time posting here.. long time lurker!

 

Just wanted to say that I was in the front row in Toronto, and I could see Matt's face when he said that opening line. He was kinda smiling, almost as if it was a joke. He didn't seem very upset/snarky/pissed off about playing it. I don't think it's worth it to get that upset about it.

Crowd loved it, band looked like they enjoyed it too.

 

Good crowd in Toronto, at least where I was (in that CE video, top left GA section, right up against the barrier). Lots of jumping. No crazy moshing, just good fun.

Great night! Just as good as 2013, 2010 and 2007!

 

I don't think people were implying he was saying it in a harsh way. It's just that, in the context of him 'apologising' for playing old/obscure songs for a few years now, it shows Matt's attitude towards crafting setlists in that every song needs to be a well-known big hit directed towards the more casual fans. I'm not usually a fan of picking apart everything the band says but this shit is getting pretty silly now.

 

I wonder what caused it to start, they never seemed to give a shit during the 2000s (bar the start of TR Tour).

[ryanp16]

 

I wonder what caused it to start, they never seemed to give a shit during the 2000s (bar the start of TR Tour).

 

My favourite example of them being cool with whatever was one of the final gigs of the BHAR era, Gran Rex possibly.

 

Dude in crowd: "Space Dementia!"

Matt: "Huh? Okay, we'll play that one next."

[LarzKe]

The crowds are the way they are in the US because of Madness. It is that simple. While standing in line in the grocery store today Madness came on the easy listening station they play. The woman behind the register literally told me how much she loved the band who sings it but couldn't remember their name. They released that song to go after the general public (aka cash grab) and they got it. Now they have no right to complain that the crowds are calm when their most famous song here is considered easy listening. They veered away from their sound to get a wider audience base. Well, they got it and now they have to figure out how to work it out. Pissing off fans who have been around for a long time is probably not the way to go.

 

On a different note while demoing some skis this week while the bindings were being set PiB came on in the store and every employee along with some other patrons knew it immediately by the feedback. People do know your older songs Muse. Maybe you could use the concerts as a way to introduce fans to some of your older stuff. Don't apologize for it, make it exciting. Instead of "none of you know it, please bear with me" try something like "here is an older one a ton of our fans love, get ready to rock." Huge difference there. One makes the crowd want to go to the bathroom, the other piques their interest. Kind of like if I cook dinner for someone. I don't apologizer and tell them it sucks as I hand them the plate. No matter how good it is they are expecting it to suck.

[Museman8989]

The crowds are the way they are in the US because of Madness. It is that simple. While standing in line in the grocery store today Madness came on the easy listening station they play. The woman behind the register literally told me how much she loved the band who sings it but couldn't remember their name. They released that song to go after the general public (aka cash grab) and they got it. Now they have no right to complain that the crowds are calm when their most famous song here is considered easy listening. They veered away from their sound to get a wider audience base. Well, they got it and now they have to figure out how to work it out. Pissing off fans who have been around for a long time is probably not the way to go.

 

On a different note while demoing some skis this week while the bindings were being set PiB came on in the store and every employee along with some other patrons knew it immediately by the feedback. People do know your older songs Muse. Maybe you could use the concerts as a way to introduce fans to some of your older stuff. Don't apologize for it, make it exciting. Instead of "none of you know it, please bear with me" try something like "here is an older one a ton of our fans love, get ready to rock." Huge difference there. One makes the crowd want to go to the bathroom, the other piques their interest. Kind of like if I cook dinner for someone. I don't apologizer and tell them it sucks as I hand them the plate. No matter how good it is they are expecting it to suck.

 

i agree the way they introduce a song like that can go a long way. but matt is by no means a smooth talker, so he'd actually have to practice that type of thing

[ryanp16]

Suppose it'd be better than Dom introducing it.

 

"This next one's called Madness!"

*Dead Star starts*

[frozenbanana]

Suppose it'd be better than Dom introducing it.

 

"This next one's called Madness!"

*Dead Star starts*

 

So long as it's not the other way round I'd be fine with that

[JessicaSarahS]

So long as it's not the other way round I'd be fine with that

 

Yeah, I'd just walk out if that happened.

[Green Mamba]

As a previous casual, would you have rather have heard just the hits, or just any high energy song?

 

I do go to a lot of shows not knowing the music, but they tend to be in the cheaper range. I save the arena shows for bands that I'm a big fan of.

 

I went to quite a few gigs last year where I was a casual, Warpaint, Of Monsters & Men, Opeth, etc, I certainly didn't know every song, but I don't think I would have paid £80/$80 for them, they were all quite cheap £15-35.

 

I really don't get those willing to pay that much if they don't know the material that well, unless it's been on pure hype or recommendation.

[serpentsatellite]

Don't apologize for it, make it exciting. Instead of "none of you know it, please bear with me" try something like "here is an older one a ton of our fans love, get ready to rock." Huge difference there. One makes the crowd want to go to the bathroom, the other piques their interest. Kind of like if I cook dinner for someone. I don't apologizer and tell them it sucks as I hand them the plate. No matter how good it is they are expecting it to suck.

 

Even if he means it in a more self-deprecating way, and not negatively, you're completely right about this.

This is actually one of the biggest things we teach our employees at work - if you start your pitch or any interaction with a client with a negative, even if it's meant in a good way, that's what your client will be expecting or looking for.

Never say "um... we might be out of that, but let me check!" or "I'm not sure if I can make that happen, but let me try."

The employee often uses it in an attempt to preemptively stave off potential disappointment, but it creates a negative impression for the person you're dealing with, even if everything ends up going well, and at worst, makes the person think you were hesitant to help them in the first place.

 

I wouldn't like to think Matt's so thin skinned after 20 years of being a rockstar that he's loathe to play damn good songs to a crowd that hasn't heard them before.

 

And anyways, that mom in line who loves Madness probably hasn't even listened to T2L... let alone Drones. Supremacy, The Handler, and Citizen Erased are probably all the same to her.

Don't penalize the fans who truly care about the band.

[alibros]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff-1YIZ5a5k

 

at 3:40: didn't realise they had a new sponsor!

[Alexander DeLarge]

Right now they're playing every hit they've ever had in the United States plus like 4-5 songs from the current album. Psycho is definitely a big hit, Mercy which will be played until the end of time and Dead Inside

 

Assuming they drop The Globalist (which is two songs in their mind), I'd say to expect 18 songs next tour, 15 of which are considered staples at this rate with the remaining three being the current album they're touring.

 

It's not looking good unless they take a 180 and just say "fuck it, we can play a good gig without playing 90% of this stuff"

[serpentsatellite]

Well, if they follow through with releasing songs one at a time, they'd only need to play the most recent 2-3 of the new ones; they can just happily assume everyone already forgot about the earlier ones.

[Alexander DeLarge]

Well, if they follow through with releasing songs one at a time, they'd only need to play the most recent 2-3 of the new ones; they can just happily assume everyone already forgot about the earlier ones.

 

Nah, interview from yesterday has Matt talking about the next album again.

[serpentsatellite]

Well, then they better not release too many singles from it, because we know they're not going to play more than 17 songs... :'(

[Jobby]

Regarding next tour, I expect Psycho, Dead Inside and Mercy to stay as staples. The Handler and Reapers will either be rotated in on occasion or dropped. Globalist, Revolt and Defector (lol) gone too, I reckon.

 

Those 3 + Uprising, Madness, Supermassive, Starlight, Knights, Hysteria, Resistance / UD, piano slot (USOE / Feeling Good) + 5-7 new songs. Bliss, Map, Citizen, Stockholm in semi-rare rotation. Roughly 18 songs.

 

Personally, I don't see how hard it'd be to do a real 'career-spanning set' and just pick like this:

 

1 from Showbiz - Sunburn, Muscle Museum (am I the only one who thinks it's a bit weird that they 100% ignore this album? like, yeah, it's old but Sunburn and MM are fairly entry-level shit)

2/3 from OOS - PIB, Bliss, New Born, CE

2/3 from Absolution - Apocalypse Please, Hysteria, TIRO, Stockholm

3 from Black Holes - Starlight, Supermassive, Map, Knights

2 from Resistance - Uprising, Resistance, UD, USOE

1 from T2L - Madness, Supremacy, Animals

3 from Drones - Dead Inside, Psycho, Mercy

5-7 from LP 8

 

wait a minute, that's 20-22 songs lmao what am I thinking

Edited January 19, 2016 by Jobby

[serpentsatellite]

I want Mercy to stay around so desperately that it'll be dropped and forgotten for sure.

[Corkscrewed]

Well, then they better not release too many singles from it, because we know they're not going to play more than 17 songs... :'(

 

Just one of these days, I'd like Muse to crack 2 hrs. In the U.S. Consistently. Is that too much to ask??? lol

[Mozza]

Just one of these days, I'd like Muse to crack 2 hrs. In the U.S. Consistently. Is that too much to ask??? lol

 

They could add in loads of jams and take forever between songs. That's how they stretched 18 songs to fill 2 hours in London in 2009

[Regilistic]

Yeah that's pretty much how Muse make their time quota. Jams, riffs and taking like two minutes between every song/fiddling around before the song.

 

Seriously, there's like a two minute gap between the end of Starlight and the piano section. It's ridiculous.

[Alexander DeLarge]

They could add in loads of jams and take forever between songs. That's how they stretched 18 songs to fill 2 hours in London in 2009

 

I remember people laughing at the prospect of Muse doing a 2 hour set first night of the Mexican shows, I told them "I have faith they'll pull it off in some form or another". A periscope was running straight through, and by the time everything was done, it was like an hour and fifty eight minutes and we started cracking up because they managed to do a 2 hour set with 17 songs by artificially stretching it out with riffs/jams/playback.

[Zepp]

I really hope Mercy meets the same fate as Follow Me next tour.

[joshmario87]

Long time reader first time writer.

 

Man there is too much negativity in this place.

 

remember before the tour and people were worrying about matt's fitness? well he seems to be running around a hell of a lot on the footage so far ha.

 

you forget how static a lot of front men are.

[Zepp]

His vocals have indeed improved from what I've heard.

[Alexander DeLarge]

do you go around interviewing every single casual fan before the show? starlight isn't going anywhere, you need to get over it.

 

Considering I've done plenty of shows in seats/general admission (in the front where people are coming up to chat and hang out all day) this tour, I'd like to think I have a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about here. The only people that are blown away are the first timers. Everyone loves the stage production but people are generally unhappy with the setlists. I've heard various complaints but "Vegas show vibe" "greatest hits tour" and "legacy act" are the things I've heard most.

 

They're doing less dates in every city on this continent. That alone should give you a pretty good idea of a decline in ticket sales. Look at the released box office numbers. The crowds are dead and it seems like the general audience knows very little outside of the singles. There's a reason for that and it's because the pop radio audience simply isn't returning tour after tour to see Madness/Starlight for $80. If they were, there would be more of a demand than what we saw in cities where they used to have no problems.

 

The pop radio "I only know the singles" audience isn't sustainable. The "I'll see them once a tour" are starting to get annoyed hearing over half of the set two-three tours in a row and the hardcore audience is sick of getting the same set night after night. How long will they be able to ride out that "best live band" title from 2008 (while it was still accurate)?