Let's pretend for a moment that encores are a rare treat at concerts. Let's pretend they aren't a boring, overdone, expected part of a band's performance.
Your favorite band is playing, they're putting on a great show, and when the band leaves the stage, the crowd is so riled up that they refuse to leave the venue without a struggle. The band has no choice but to go back on and play a few more songs. The concert becomes a tremendously memorable experience for both the band and the crowd.
Now imagine you were at last night's Sum 41 concert at The Quest in Minneapolis. The opening bands blew ass, the 10-minute Sum 41 movie that opened the band's set was boring and stupid, and when Sum 41 themselves came out, they played like someone was sticking a gun to their heads. It was the last show of their tour, which is typical for Minneapolis, and the band had no energy. They clearly didn't care about being there, and concerts had become so routine for the band that every strained facial expression, shocking gesture, and clever guitar trick seemed scripted.
Sum 41 was 15 feet away from me, yet I was as bored as if I were watching them on TV. They were terrible, and everyone in the venue knew it. So what happens when they come back onstage for an encore, one which no one in the crowd really asked for? What do you do when an encore only adds length to the torture of watching a horrible band, or worse yet, a band that doesn't give a shit?
It's time to do away with standard encores. I'm sick of them. They're not even encores. Bands just pretend their set is done after 45 minutes, when they haven't even played their best two or three songs, and then - surprise! - they come back out and play those songs. Drop the charade. It's stupid.
Of course, this will never happen, because even though true encores should be given sparingly (maybe once or twice a tour), the mere chance of one being needed would require bands to actually create unique material. God forbid! A true encore should involve something different, something no one at the concert was expecting. Perhaps an obscure unreleased song, or a song the band is tweaking for their next album, or a cover song they've learned to do in a unique way.
If the encore doesn't involve any of these things, the band should get the hell off the stage. A band's latest hit song or classic hit song is not an encore, it's expected. A good crowd, a rare encore worthy crowd, deserves something different. A concert is not only a chance to see a band play live, but also a chance to see something you won't see anywhere else. Perhaps if Sum 41 had tested out some new songs during encores on their last tour, their latest album wouldn't have sucked so much. If the crowd reacts, the song is a winner. If people just bob their heads to the beat and don't move, the song needs work. It's the best and easiest way to get honest feedback on new material.
Crowds won't care if standard encores go away. As long as people hear the hit songs they love, few people are going to be pissed about not having an encore. If they do get pissed, then that disappointment will be an eye-opener for them. If you don't cheer loud, you don't get an encore. Be a better crowd next time, and you'll get something extra.
This is a positive change for both sides. Bands won't have to act like poseurs, pretending the concert is over when a standard encore is coming, and I won't have to roll my eyes and check my watch when the standard encore occurs from a lazy or terrible band.
This column is done. There will be no encore. Go home.
