It's MK last big tour, and he looks like uncomfortable physically. A setlist set on stone could be a tool to cope with the long tour he has to do. He'll be safe with it and probably that would produce great versions to the middle/end of the tour as it's so played that it's perfect.
I think that having some songs in rotations, beside the "Going Home / Piper" one would have been great, playing one day "Bacon" and the next "Back on the dance floor", it would have been just one rotation that with repetition would had been safe.
We are just on 5th concert but in Madrid I was under the impression that this is going to be it until the end.
And that's not bad. This tour have some great surprises like "Once upon a time", "Heart full of holes", "Silvertown blues" that makes this set, even it's static, great and different, despite the come back of "Bore with Bonaparte", Danny's bodhran and the brass section doesn't turn it into something better, but they do it with "Paraguay" which sounds so great with trumpet, percussion and the latin piano thing...
Great answer and totally agree...
+1. Lots of interesting points there and I agree.
Another thing I might add though is that they are on a break of a couple of days so they can visit more wineries or perhaps rehearse a couple of songs. We'll find out soon I suppose.
I remember talking with Steve Phillips at one of his regular Tuesday night gigs. We talked about the NHB and Steve said what a great band it was. Steve said he had a list of songs as long as his arm but Mark just wanted to play the same stuff every night. Steve’s view was it needs to be fun for the artiste and therefore the audience will enjoy on that, but he said Mark is a perfectionist and would rather stick with the same songs, perfecting his output, so everyone gets the best experience he can deliver.
Stepping back, both Steve and Mark are correct. If you go to the theatre, Local Hero for example, they don’t randomly throw in another song. It’s all about giving 100% to the performance. Mark this tour has really changed the set list, he’ll now work at it to deliver the best he can (regardless of any separate and unconfirmed concerns related to his health).
Personally I think we’ve 1-2 further surprises to come. Gradually and sporadically. I hope WAM makes a return. If it doesn’t at Newcastle then there’s a fair chance it won’t again.
Have to say I’m very much looking forward to my gigs at Leeds, RAH and Manchester. But selfishly, as I’m attending more than one show, I’d “like” a bit of variation...
