Cross post #2
General Zod said:
Wow. Definitely surprised by your strong reaction. Let me ask you, what could they have done, to make this show meet your expectations?
Simple, they could've made the show billed as something truly special, "special". Here, as you know, was the setlist:
Under The Weeping Moon - Not unique to this performance - but acceptable. The only Orchid track played?
The Night and the Silent Water - Highlight of the evening for me, the perfect example of the type of exclusive song I was looking for at this show. The only Morningrise track played?
The Amen Corner - Not unique. The only My Arms track played? Demon... doesn't count.
White Cluster - Not unique. The only Still Life track played?
The Leper Affinity - and here the show takes an out of control spiral downward. Nice song, but again, far from exclusive. The only Blackwater Park track played?
A Fair Judgment and Deliverance - Nothing special IMO followed by the same old, same old. As much as I enjoy hearing Deliverance, it's been on every setlist they've played since the album came out. Would it have killed them to attempt something like By the Pain I see in Others or even Wreath here?
Windowpane and Closue - Horrible IMO. Having to endure Windowpane at the expense of older classics is one of the unforgivable events of the evening. Also, we have heard the entire Damnation album performed live on a previous North American tour - two songs from this album were simply not necessary at the expense of one track each from the first five albums.
The three Ghost Reveries tracks - not only were they not exclusive to the show, but we get THREE songs from this on a night advertised as celebrating the band's entire history with equal importance.
Encore - a simple bonus, no one, not even the band was expecting, I won't begrudge them this song, even though it was still the same old same old.
The bottom line is that these are the only songs out of EVERY OTHER F*CKING SONG THEY COULD'VE CHOSEN that were exclusive to this show on the current tour:
The Night and the Silent Water
A Fair Judgment
Windowpane
And those three songs are supposed to satisfy what the show was billed to be?? I'm sorry, but this was the night where Opeth should've had the autonomy to pick any song they wanted without worrying about catering to Roadrunner or about playing "fan favorite" type songs. So what if they made mistakes, 3/4 of the fans wouldn't even notice, and I doubt the other 1/4 would've cared.
So, to revisit, what could they directly have done to make this show meet my expectations? Take out at least six of the songs on that joke of a setlist and insert any six of the following songs:
In Mist She Was Standing
The Twilight Is My Robe
The Apostle In Triumph
Advent
Nectar
Black Rose Immortal
April Ethereal
When
Karma
The Moor
Godhead's Lament
Benighted
Moonlapse Vertigo
Face of Melinda
Serenity Painted Death
Dirge for November
The Funeral Portrait
Harvest
Wreath
By the Pain I See In Others
That's 20 songs right there that they could've chosen from to make make the show feel more exclusive and special. I was only asking for six.
This was a night for Opeth to celebrate their history and bond with their longtime fans and supporters (of which I've been as prominent as any and have no problem saying it). I feel alienated, deceived and a little bit betrayed. The new album is not representative of the quality I've come to expect from them and this little stunt serves to solidify my growing displeasure.
I stand by my opinion and feel justified for doing so.
Jason