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The setlist problem



I found this in a 1979 interview with Pete.  Apparently there was as much
concern then with stale setlists as there was last year since most every
interview with Who members from this period asks them why they don't vary
their setlists more.  This answer of Pete's seems to me the best, clearest
answer I've read from any of them:

"I think this goes back to that's the way Roger likes it to be. Once we've
got the show in good dynamic shape, it is quite dangerous to change it even
if it's altering just a couple of numbers around. It can make such a hell of
a difference to the feel of the show...It's all very good talking about
these wonderful sort of hypothetical artistic ideas but when you get up
there on the stage, it's mood, it's dynamic...when you get the pulse of the
audience up, if it starts to go down again and you're halfway through a
number you just feel like saying 'OK, OK...We'll put the rest back as it
was, folks!  Sorry!  Sorry we changed around 'Bargain' and 'Behind Blue
Eyes'...y'know, come on, come on, perk up! And it's that fucking clear that
you've made a mistake...just in the order of the songs. And Roger's got this
incredible facility for getting it right. At least three-fourths right first
time and if there's anything wrong with it, getting it right within two
shows. And then you've got no problems, but it's fucking difficult just to
make sure that it does come out right. It's just like anything, it's like
seeing a film that's badly edited; it makes it harder to watch."

-Brian in Atlanta
 The Who This Month!
 Go to: http://members.home.net/cadyb/who.htm