French Tour Set Opener....

[Bear Cage]

JJ has spoken in the past about recognising a large portion of the crowd are not the dedicated fans who know and own everything and come to every tour, or multiple gigs on a tour, but see an occasional Stranglers gig, and are coming based upon what they’ve heard on the radio over the years, most popular tracks off Spotify, etc…
He’s also said if he went to see a band and they did not play their most well known / popular tracks he’d be disappointed.
Therefore, any gig by The Stranglers is always going to include a fair selection of The Stranglers most popular songs, so we will always get a large portion of Grip/LL, Peaches/Buddy, Heroes, SBC, 5m, WOB, Sleazy, Duchess, GB, SLG, ATS, All day, etc…. In any set list. To which they will augment with a selection of recent tracks, and a selection of album tracks to deliver a balanced set list, which should please the vast majority of the audience who are paying for the pleasure of seeing The Stranglers.
Judging by the increasing size of audience over the years, it is something the band must be getting right. So although those of us who go every tour might want them to drop the ‘classics’, we should recognise we’re in the minority and it’s not going to happen.

[evonx]

So although those of us who go every tour might want them to drop the ‘classics’, we should recognise we’re in the minority and it’s not going to happen.

Fact. Still, at times they do something to please the 'family' like the B&W tour, adding songs like Baroque Bordello or Four Horsemen to the set etc.
This set list is fab but they are really 'playing it safe' here. Fair enough. And not unexpected.

[Bear Cage]

So although those of us who go every tour might want them to drop the ‘classics’, we should recognise we’re in the minority and it’s not going to happen.

Fact. Still, at times they do something to please the 'family' like the B&W tour, adding songs like Baroque Bordello or Four Horsemen to the set etc.
This set list is fab but they are really 'playing it safe' here. Fair enough. And not unexpected.

Agree, they augment the classics with a selection to create a balanced set list, which normally includes something very rarely played before, or not played for decades. The set list also normally changes slightly with two or three songs that get swapped in as the tour progresses.
An additional challenge this tour will be Toby, as he’ll be learning many of the song from scratch he may take more time to get up to speed with a more expansive set list (not meant as any criticism of Toby), which may be a reason the current list is ‘safe’.

[jetblacksdad]

Baz has been in the band a heck of a long time

This doesn't really mean an awful lot though, does it? I mean, surely it's WHAT you've done that counts rather than how long you've been doing it for. I'll give you an example: Jason Cooper has been playing drums for The Cure for 26 years, far longer than any other Cure drummer. However, in that time he's only played on four studio albums, and good luck finding ANY Cure fan that considers him to be *the* Cure drummer.

I would argue though that 3 of the 4 albums he has been involved with are very stromng and worthy of The Stranglers name. So whilst your comment has some merit, youi gotta give him some credit. But what I was asking was that folks see it in the round. What The Stranglers are at the moment is something out of the ordinary and they have a good to do. Tie up loose ends perhaps. Thereafter teh debate would be valid.

[theraven1979]

This was always going to be another Greatest Hits tour. For once it would make sense to do so.

Jim

[droopsnoot]

It's this part that I can't quite get my head around, particularly since this is supposed to be THE tribute tour in honour of Dave, right? Allegedly.

It's only the poster of the UK tour that mentions being "In memory of Dave".

[toilerinblack]

Well what has stood out most for me as i hear more tracks from France....Toby!
Stallion's never going to be like the studio version but never the less it was a brave track to take on but again Toby done very well also playing Moon's parts very well!!!!
The entity's still in good hands that will never quite be the same again we all know that but Toby's a nice fella who's done really well for his first outing with the Meninblack in their new chapter as a band... it will get better,tighter as a unit i'm sure of that clearly a lot of nerves which is more than understandable for everybody following Dave and Toby's debut, but all round very good and more than i expected from them to be honest,my only downside was the lack of Dave tribute with no Dave song or if something's, was anything said by the band at all? maybe they felt it hard enough just getting through the first gig with emotions,feeling's and pressure where they did overcome it all and was a nice ending all four together on the stage with Baz kissing Toby's head a very nice touch i felt.

[toilerinblack]

Infact i just watched Heroes with Toby's solo with baz and JJ standing still watching him do the solo he didn't at all seemed phased.... fair play.

[markorbit]

Infact i just watched Heroes with Toby's solo with baz and JJ standing still watching him do the solo he didn't at all seemed phased.... fair play.

He'd almost played a whole gig by then including Walk On By. He'd have felt relatively relaxed by this point I think. I presume he didn't have a shocker so he'd have been happy that his first gig went ok.

[toilerinblack]

Infact i just watched Heroes with Toby's solo with baz and JJ standing still watching him do the solo he didn't at all seemed phased.... fair play.

He'd almost played a whole gig by then including Walk On By. He'd have felt relatively relaxed by this point I think. I presume he didn't have a shocker so he'd have been happy that his first gig went ok.

Well i like most have watched only a few snippets but you know he done really well and i can see him fitting in well with time,yes there will never be another Dave and for sure he's not trying to be,he's come in to help them do a job and obviously has his own style and personality which is good i like what i see of him,Dave will always be remembered and never replaced as such not that anybody in the band is trying to do that.

[toilerinblack]

So we've all seen and heard them live now with Toby and i think the song's have been ok i wouldn't of done Stallion with all that backing track with the live drums just didn't work for me, but that's the beauty of a studio versions with production making it sound as good as you like but as a live track' that's another kettle of fish to attempt doing.For me because it's such amazing and fantastic studio track i would of left it as that as sometimes some of the best studio songs don't always make the best live tracks and this for me was one of them.

[aldinblack]

So we've all seen and heard them live now with Toby and i think the song's have been ok i wouldn't of done Stallion with all that backing track with the live drums just didn't work for me, but that's the beauty of a studio versions with production making it sound as good as you like but as a live track' that's another kettle of fish to attempt doing.For me because it's such amazing and fantastic studio track i would of left it as that as sometimes some of the best studio songs don't always make the best live tracks and this for me was one of them.

interesting, how much of it was live?

Obviously the operatic sounds and other bits were not, but the guitar and bass, as well as drums, would've been played live surely?