Mardoch
Defender of the Universe
I've seen KSE as a headliner, twice, and both times I only got about 40-45 minutes. IMO, that's the time range at which you should be pissed. An hour and 20 isn't bad at all.
Is a 1H20 set "acceptable" for a headlining band (regular show, not on a festival)?
- Thread starter labrekk
- Start date
I've seen a headliner do 45 minutes but they were supporting one and a half albums. Most bands don't headline with only a 20 song catalog and 12 actual live songs.
Volbeat's set was just fine. Missing Garden's Tale but they don't have the bassist for his vocal part on this tour. Minimal wasted time by skipping all the solos and wankery and they even threw in a quick 10 seconds of Ace of Spades when they were waiting on something.
Premonition was the support for Blind Guardian and Symphony X. Not a bad band, but not a band you'd pay good money to see do a headlining set and then some. I'll never understand why they were the ones to step up and not Blind Guardian. Blind Guardian had the back catalog to do a long show, Premonition didn't.
nomisofsiman
Member
I still have an issue with this from time to time, but honestly with a band like Volbeat, I didn't have any issues with it for a couple of reasons.
1. As mentioned, their songs are fairly short.
2. To piggyback on the previous, they do play A LOT of songs.
3. They do only have four albums.
Now, if a much older band with a huge catalog did something like this I might have an issue.
1. As mentioned, their songs are fairly short.
2. To piggyback on the previous, they do play A LOT of songs.
3. They do only have four albums.
Now, if a much older band with a huge catalog did something like this I might have an issue.
TENTH DREAMER DECEIVER
Halcyon Way Sufferer
- Jan 7, 2002
- 3,859
- 3
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In 1988, I saw Alice Cooper with Motörhead. Lemmy was onstage for an hour. Cooper around 55 minutes. Felt ripped off.
Is that the case in the US? I have never seen a headliner playing a show less than 2 hours in my life. And believe me I have seen many shows all across Europe. I would say the shortest headliner set out here is at least 2 hours long.
dcowboys311
Member
dcowboys311
Member
Right but as has been mentioned earlier, there are drastic differences in energy level of a thrash metal show and a prog metal show. It takes a lot more out of you to be windmilling and headbanging for 2.5 straight hours than standing still for that same time period.
I think another difference probably has to do with the fact that you have a lot longer drive times in the US than you do in Europe for the most part.
skyrefuge
Member
I've seen three shows in Europe. Two of them, The Gathering (a band with 8 albums and no openers) and Disillusion, played for less than two hours. Both seemed like a totally normal and satisfying length to me, and I heard no jeers from the audiences. The third was a special case since it was Iced Earth essentially playing their whole discography over two nights.
So is it just my tremendous (un)luck that in 3 attempts, I stumbled into the only two sub-2-hour shows in European history?
Neil
AeonicSlumber
srs
- Aug 14, 2008
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I don't know. When The Gathering played here, they were on stage for more than 2 hours. Blaze was here two weeks ago. He played for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Before that I saw Pain of Salvation for 2 and half hours. Same with Riverside. Same with Nevermore last summer. Same with Jon Oliva's Pain or Evergrey. Like I said, I'm thinking as I type this but I'm hard pressed to name a band that plays less than 2 hours let alone an hour and 5 minutes. That is laughable. Maybe it's because they're so fucking blown away by the Turkish audience's reception...
nomisofsiman
Member
You're not alone. I read the title and was thinking wtf is this thread about? I had no clue but I was thinking more of the water type of H20.
Damn, I didn't think about that (and I work in the chemistry field!). My thread title sucks...
LOL.
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
haha, nope! I was thinking "hmmm. Water....music...Metalocalypse....'Save the master! Save the master!'"
As for 2-hour headlining sets, I'd say they are much rarer in extreme metal than elsewhere. As Dcowboys311 observed, there's a huge energy difference between, say, a 2-hour Dream Theater set* and a typical extreme/death/thrash band playing for 2 hours.
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* excepting the drummer, of course
skyrefuge
Member
More random set-length thoughts based on current experience!
I admit I'm just a simple fan and not a performer, but I don't think "intensity" has a lot to do with it. At least not from the perspective that the band gets physically tired and can't play any more. The audience getting physically tired might be a different story.
On Sunday I saw Femi Kuti, and watched him and his 13-piece band play for an hour and 40 minutes. He has three female dancers/backup singers, and they spend the entire show shakin' it like you wouldn't believe. Given the amount of calories they must burn during a performance, it's really amazing that they manage to maintain the bellies that they have! I had to leave early, but reports say he played for over two hours, which is what I expected from a band in that style. So if they can perform that long, I bet some guitarist in a death metal band could too if he really wanted to. I never really see anyone staggering offstage in complete exhaustion.
I had to leave early because I went to see Dillinger Escape Plan. It was not only the second show I was seeing in one night, it was the second show DEP was *playing* in one night. Earlier in the evening they had opened for Deftones, and now they were playing a headlining show on their own. DEP are some of the most intense performers you'll ever see (items that made it surfing out on top of the crowd included a guitarist, a singer, a box fan, and, most frighteningly, a huge equipment crate). But still they were here playing a second show in a night, and fatigue seemed to be a total non-issue. They played for about 70 minutes, which felt just about right for the audience (many of whom had also been at their earlier show).
Another band I've seen play multiple shows in a night is Gogol Bordello, and while a different style, they perform with a similar intensity as DEP, though over a longer timeframe, usually playing for well over two hours. So it seems that physical ability is not really the factor that limits some bands to 90 minutes.
Finally, the next night, I saw Federico Aubele, playing a show billed as "An Evening With...Federico Aubele". I've been conditioned to believe that this means an extended headlining set. His new record is German-influenced dub and very laid-back, and that was the style of all the songs he played. I figured "ok, he's playing his new album, and then he'll take a break and come back and play a set of his older tango stuff". But nope, he came back and did one more song and that was it, about 85 minutes.
This is the only Nevermore show in Turkey I could find, and it said they played only 12 songs! So you must be talking about a different show?
Though in general, I guess that bands might play longer sets in Turkey since it's often a "special" trip there and there is enough pent-up demand from the audience to enjoy a longer set. But if they bands returned every year, people would start getting bored just like they do in more popular touring locations.
Neil
I admit I'm just a simple fan and not a performer, but I don't think "intensity" has a lot to do with it. At least not from the perspective that the band gets physically tired and can't play any more. The audience getting physically tired might be a different story.
On Sunday I saw Femi Kuti, and watched him and his 13-piece band play for an hour and 40 minutes. He has three female dancers/backup singers, and they spend the entire show shakin' it like you wouldn't believe. Given the amount of calories they must burn during a performance, it's really amazing that they manage to maintain the bellies that they have! I had to leave early, but reports say he played for over two hours, which is what I expected from a band in that style. So if they can perform that long, I bet some guitarist in a death metal band could too if he really wanted to. I never really see anyone staggering offstage in complete exhaustion.
I had to leave early because I went to see Dillinger Escape Plan. It was not only the second show I was seeing in one night, it was the second show DEP was *playing* in one night. Earlier in the evening they had opened for Deftones, and now they were playing a headlining show on their own. DEP are some of the most intense performers you'll ever see (items that made it surfing out on top of the crowd included a guitarist, a singer, a box fan, and, most frighteningly, a huge equipment crate). But still they were here playing a second show in a night, and fatigue seemed to be a total non-issue. They played for about 70 minutes, which felt just about right for the audience (many of whom had also been at their earlier show).
Another band I've seen play multiple shows in a night is Gogol Bordello, and while a different style, they perform with a similar intensity as DEP, though over a longer timeframe, usually playing for well over two hours. So it seems that physical ability is not really the factor that limits some bands to 90 minutes.
Finally, the next night, I saw Federico Aubele, playing a show billed as "An Evening With...Federico Aubele". I've been conditioned to believe that this means an extended headlining set. His new record is German-influenced dub and very laid-back, and that was the style of all the songs he played. I figured "ok, he's playing his new album, and then he'll take a break and come back and play a set of his older tango stuff". But nope, he came back and did one more song and that was it, about 85 minutes.
This is the only Nevermore show in Turkey I could find, and it said they played only 12 songs! So you must be talking about a different show?
Though in general, I guess that bands might play longer sets in Turkey since it's often a "special" trip there and there is enough pent-up demand from the audience to enjoy a longer set. But if they bands returned every year, people would start getting bored just like they do in more popular touring locations.
Neil
Jasonic
Doom On!
The funny thing is most here have failed to mention the simple fact that set lengths are often controlled by the curfew of the town in which the venue lives and operates.
TribunalRecords
Record Label(s)/Vocalist
Not sure where the complaint lies? it's not about time it's about amount of songs to me. nearly 20 songs is GREAT for headliner.
TribunalRecords
Record Label(s)/Vocalist
that was long set, i remember the early days of 30 minutes and the entire 30 minutes you were ducking and trying not to get hit with their instruments or kids whizzing by! Damn, they were one of the most intense live bands EVER back then. i am sure it's kind of the same but the new material doesn't lend itself to that it seems.
this set from Hellfest US was nuts. firebreathing and all! just wait until the 1:00 mark for the mayhem to begin.
Drummer is Chris Penne now in Coheed.
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