Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

The "Fake" Encore


Nail Soup

Recommended Posts

At the end of our set, I lay out on the floor, wherever I can, to recover, and try to breath a little. There's rarely still anyone calling for more when I'm able to sit up or try to talk; most of the chairs have been upturned on the tables and the house lights are on for sweeping up. :$

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

41 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

At the end of our set, I lay out on the floor, wherever I can, to recover, and try to breath a little. There's rarely still anyone calling for more when I'm able to sit up or try to talk; most of the chairs have been upturned on the tables and the house lights are on for sweeping up. :$

Blimey.... are you a magician's beautiful assistant then..?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dislike fake encores.

The last gig I was at, where there was a fake encore, was at a Garbage gig In Edinburgh, about 3 years ago.

It was the first gig of the tour and there were a few hiccups.

After the last song ended and the band left the stage, the crowd clapped unenthusiastically for an encore. Their heart just wasn't in it, andJust as the applause dwindled away to nothing (which didn't take long) and the audience were about to go home for a cup of tea and a digestive, Garbage dragged themselves back onstage.

Neither the band nor the audience really wanted to be there and it all seemed a bit of a chore for both parties.

If you're a band, always leave them wanting more and never outstay your welcome. 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Bowie band I’m in got caught out once with a second encore.

We finished the main set, which wasn’t short by any gig standard and we then went off. It was a cracking gig on home turf and we knew the crowd wouldn’t leave it at that, so we duly came back on after they invited us and did the three song encore we had pencilled in finishing with a rousing Suffragette City to rapturous applause. We left stage again and that’s where we should have left it.

The crowd once again went nuts and the band wanted to go back on for one more. I objected, but was outvoted. I was so busy objecting that I missed the argument about what song we were going to do and before I knew it they were heading back out to perform Five Years which I hadnt played for probably about that long.

We squeaked by, but that final song wasn’t enjoyable. Luckily the audience didn’t care and lapped it up.

For this reason we have since always programmed on one emergency encore song which we rehearse but almost always never use. In fact, I don’t think we’ve ever had to use it since, but it’s always there, never on a set list, but everyone knows what it is.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, gjones said:

I dislike fake encores.

The last gig I was at, where there was a fake encore, was at a Garbage gig In Edinburgh, about 3 years ago.

It was the first gig of the tour and there were a few hiccups.

After the last song ended and the band left the stage, the crowd clapped unenthusiastically for an encore. Their heart just wasn't in it, andJust as the applause dwindled away to nothing (which didn't take long) and the audience were about to go home for a cup of tea and a digestive, Garbage dragged themselves back onstage.

Neither the band nor the audience really wanted to be there and it all seemed a bit of a chore for both parties.

If you're a band, always leave them wanting more and never outstay your welcome. 

 

I saw Garbage back in 1996ish, when they were at their peak, Stupid Girl was still in the charts and on Radio1 several times an hour. They were pretty unenthusiastic even then. Very disappointing after seeing Wildhearts the night before absolutely give it everything in the same venue with quite a few of the same audience. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We kinda take the pss out of the whole thing. Our frontman does something like this: "This is our last song... [Disappointed noises from audience] oh come on, how many gigs have you been to? You know how this works; we finish this song, walk off, cram ourselves into the tiny little area backstage, you yell for more, we come back and do another couple. So yes, this is our errm last song..."

Edited by Rich
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I saw Danny Vaughn a good few years back it was one of those gigs that just had great atmosphere and he actually commented several times about how much fun he was having - seemed totally genuine rather than just the usual patter. In the end he gave the audience a ‘cheer for the option you want’ choice - either pretend it’s the last song then go backstage for a bit and come back on, or just stay on stage and see how many more songs he could get through before the curfew. The loudest cheer, and indeed his own vote, was for the latter option.

Personally it’s not something I enjoy unless I can squeeze a trip to the bog, the bar or the both of ‘em into the time it takes for the act to do their planned theatrics. I accept it happens, though, just like extended crowd participation and drum solos, which I also don’t enjoy and treat as refreshment breaks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure if this counts as a fake encore, but in our 'final' song we noodle while the singer thanks everyone, says where are playing next etc. , then mentions that if hears one voice asking for an encore we'll play another. Which me and the drummer dread as it's a riotous medley of rock'n'roll classics, all 16th notes at the end of a 90 minute set in a pub sweatbox....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Dream Theater a long while ago.  After two hours plus of fretwankerage, they left the stage, returning a few moments later and did an 'encore' that lasted about another hour. 

They might have well as had an intermission so we could have had an ice cream, or something.

Edited by NancyJohnson
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not so much pub gigs but with “name” bands in theatres and the like, I’ve always taken it that while the house lights are down and there’s no music being played over the house PA, the band are going to come back on as soon as they’ve had a drink/done a line/yelled at each other*. Once the house lights go on and somebody starts playing Tina Turner or some other wildly inappropriate track from a Now That’s What I Call Music compilation then it’s over. 


*or whatever it is that they do

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am the MC for the blues rock band and do most of the chat even though I don't sing.  I do something that I nicked from Corduroy when they come to the end of the 2nd set.  Scott (or Ben, or both) says 'Do you want more?' and everyone shouts for more.  He then says, a bit louder 'You want one more?  Audience shouts 'Yes, more!' louder.  He then shouts very loudly 'DO YOU WANT ONE MORE?'  Audience shouts 'MORE' even louder.  Then he says 'OK, no need to go on about it'.  Made me laugh when I first heard it and I do it at most of the gigs - at least those where there are people left at the end :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

Can’t help thinking that there are more important things to take a stand against.

Do them, don’t do them. Does it matter?

We had a brickie round to block in an old doorway and brick it up on the outside.

As he was finishing up at the end of the day, the whole family came out and gave him a standing ovation... and by way of an encore, he fine tuned a few bits of pointing.

That's made up obviously, except the first part.

He's a good guy though. Lives up the road from me. Ex Royal Marines Commando. :ph34r:

  • Haha 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

We had a brickie round to block in an old doorway and brick it up on the outside.

As he was finishing up at the end of the day, the whole family came out and gave him a standing ovation... and by way of an encore, he fine tuned a few bits of pointing.

That's made up obviously, except the first part.

He's a good guy though. Lives up the road from me. Ex Royal Marines Commando. :ph34r:

Pah... Now, if he'd juggled with three or four housebricks...

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Mottlefeeder said:

Back in the 70's, Barkley James Harvest had a hit with 'Mocking bird'. When I saw them at the Hammersmith Odeon, they had a neon tube prop that they only used once, for that song, on their 5th encore - they planned 5 encores?

David

Mockingbird was one of their biggie “must play” songs… a bit dangerous to leave to encore number 5.

Delph is just a few miles from here… nearly ran John Lees over once… he always was a miserable git… probably still is…

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...