Ambitious Concerts
04-26-10, 10:08 AM
#1
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Ambitious Concerts
One of my favorite bands, Umphrey's McGee, did a very ambitious concert over the weekend called the UMBowl. The concert was broken up into 4 quarters, the first was an acoustic set with every song chosen by those in attendance (they were sent a ballot a few weeks ago).
The second quarter was all improve driven by the audience who text in suggestions, then the texts show up on a screen and the band starts playing it (example: mix Tool with Jackson 5, the bands instantly starts going into a metal version of ABC).
The third quarter was a all request electric set, once again chosen by ballot.
Then finally the fourth quarter was a "quarterback" set where the audience voted via text message what they wanted the band to do next based off 3 options that popped up on the screens. So the band would play a song, then about half way into it the options would pop up to vote for them to play a cover of Toto's Africa next, go into a industrial jam or a techno jam. Everybody votes, and they go right into the winner (Africa won that one).
After all of this, the band came back out for an encore (overtime).
The concert went on for 4.5 hours and was broadcast live on-line, very ambitious to try and pull off.
For NYE 99-00, Phish played a 8.5 hour set starting at midnight and going till 8:30 am.
The Flaming Lips did all their Parking lot and Boombox experiments.
What other ambitious concerts can you think of?
The second quarter was all improve driven by the audience who text in suggestions, then the texts show up on a screen and the band starts playing it (example: mix Tool with Jackson 5, the bands instantly starts going into a metal version of ABC).
The third quarter was a all request electric set, once again chosen by ballot.
Then finally the fourth quarter was a "quarterback" set where the audience voted via text message what they wanted the band to do next based off 3 options that popped up on the screens. So the band would play a song, then about half way into it the options would pop up to vote for them to play a cover of Toto's Africa next, go into a industrial jam or a techno jam. Everybody votes, and they go right into the winner (Africa won that one).
After all of this, the band came back out for an encore (overtime).
The concert went on for 4.5 hours and was broadcast live on-line, very ambitious to try and pull off.
For NYE 99-00, Phish played a 8.5 hour set starting at midnight and going till 8:30 am.
The Flaming Lips did all their Parking lot and Boombox experiments.
What other ambitious concerts can you think of?
Last edited by sauce07; 04-26-10 at 10:10 AM.
04-26-10, 02:55 PM
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Re: Ambitious Concerts
ZooTv(outside Broadcast), Popmart and 360 are about as ambitious as they ever got. Some of Michael Jackson's Bad & Dangerous concerts were pretty huge as far as location goes.
04-26-10, 03:43 PM
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Re: Ambitious Concerts
360 is crazy. That stage TOWERS over the top of most outdoor stadiums. I've never seen anything remotely like it.
04-26-10, 06:53 PM
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04-26-10, 11:51 PM
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Re: Ambitious Concerts
Not quite as ambitious as some of the others mentioned here, but in 2003, Pearl Jam played three shows in Boston (technically Mansfield), and over the course of the three concerts they played almost every song in what was at that time their current touring repertoire without repeating....
The three nights were not continuous though...they played shows 1 and 2 back to back, but then played two shows at Camden (Philly) and two shows at MSG in NYC before playing show 3 back again in Boston...they played an extra pre-opening act set at the third show of just their "slower/more mellow" songs to try and make sure to get them all in!
The three nights were not continuous though...they played shows 1 and 2 back to back, but then played two shows at Camden (Philly) and two shows at MSG in NYC before playing show 3 back again in Boston...they played an extra pre-opening act set at the third show of just their "slower/more mellow" songs to try and make sure to get them all in!
04-27-10, 02:34 AM
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Sparks
Like some of the other posts, this relates more to a sequence of concerts than a one-off.
In May-June 2008, Sparks played 21 nights at London's Islington Academy, during which time they worked their way through each of their 21 albums i.e. some 250 songs in total by the end of the run!
Here are two articles on the feat:
In May-June 2008, Sparks played 21 nights at London's Islington Academy, during which time they worked their way through each of their 21 albums i.e. some 250 songs in total by the end of the run!
Here are two articles on the feat:
04-27-10, 11:03 AM
#13
Re: Ambitious Concerts
The 1986 tour where Elvis Costello played like 5 different shows in LA and some other cities. One featured a spinning wheel to select the songs and Tom Waits, Tom Petty and others spun the wheel. Another night he played his country songs with the Confederates. Yet another featured the Attractions and one that featured his new album Blood and Chocolate.
04-27-10, 02:50 PM
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Re: Ambitious Concerts
Before their "break up" in 2004, Phish was planning on doing 13 concerts in a row at Madison Square Garden and calling it the Bakers Dozen tour. Of course a stupid drug habit got in the way of that.
