setlists had become diverse with Dickey in the band in the back half of the 1990s too. And even before that they mixed it up some.

The late 1990s ABB would rotate 3 setlists (with some minor variations) and things like that. Warren took it to a whole other level upon his return to the band.

It would be pretty boring going 45 years with very little setlist diversity. In my opinion, Warren saved the band from itself... twice.

i'm not even sure what that means. the setlist in 1979 was not the same at all as the one in 1970. warren wasn't there then.

I guess what I mean is the wheels fell off after "Win, Lose or Draw" and the 1979 comeback only lasted 3 or 4 years and included their two worst albums by far. The original members were not necessarily great a keeping things in a functional situation. Things finally got back on track in 1989 going forward with some new members that worked out - Warren, Woody, and then Marc. Then, when Warren came back in '01, they went from a band with a 25 song repertoire to a band with a 75 song repertoire. All of the later additions deserve A LOT of credit for helping to keep the ABB going (Oteil, Jack, Derek, Jimmy), but Warren probably had the biggest footprint. That's all.

setlists had become diverse with Dickey in the band in the back half of the 1990s too. And even before that they mixed it up some.

The late 1990s ABB would rotate 3 setlists (with some minor variations) and things like that. Warren took it to a whole other level upon his return to the band.

It would be pretty boring going 45 years with very little setlist diversity. In my opinion, Warren saved the band from itself... twice.

i'm not even sure what that means. the setlist in 1979 was not the same at all as the one in 1970. warren wasn't there then.

I guess what I mean is the wheels fell off after "Win, Lose or Draw" and the 1979 comeback only lasted 3 or 4 years and included their two worst albums by far. The original members were not necessarily great a keeping things in a functional situation. Things finally got back on track in 1989 going forward with some new members that worked out - Warren, Woody, and then Marc. Then, when Warren came back in '01, they went from a band with a 25 song repertoire to a band with a 75 song repertoire. All of the later additions deserve A LOT of credit for helping to keep the ABB going (Oteil, Jack, Derek, Jimmy), but Warren probably had the biggest footprint. That's all.

Not trying to beat this to death but....new tunes will add to a setlist. The ABB put out new material after 1989 (that was quite good) and Dickey Betts was the author of some of the best of it (Seven Turns, BWIAB, etc). So it was a natural. Warren was a great add- no doubt about it. But he did not save the band. He did help quite a bit after Betts was ousted; however i was not impressed with a lot of Haynes material for the ABB. I just thought it suited the Mule.

Betts caught a lot of unnecessary heat about the setlist thing. Shucks, even the good ole' Grateful Dead got pretty predictable after 1976 (Just look at the 1977 setlists).

setlists had become diverse with Dickey in the band in the back half of the 1990s too. And even before that they mixed it up some.

The late 1990s ABB would rotate 3 setlists (with some minor variations) and things like that. Warren took it to a whole other level upon his return to the band.

It would be pretty boring going 45 years with very little setlist diversity. In my opinion, Warren saved the band from itself... twice.

i'm not even sure what that means. the setlist in 1979 was not the same at all as the one in 1970. warren wasn't there then.

I guess what I mean is the wheels fell off after "Win, Lose or Draw" and the 1979 comeback only lasted 3 or 4 years and included their two worst albums by far. The original members were not necessarily great a keeping things in a functional situation. Things finally got back on track in 1989 going forward with some new members that worked out - Warren, Woody, and then Marc. Then, when Warren came back in '01, they went from a band with a 25 song repertoire to a band with a 75 song repertoire. All of the later additions deserve A LOT of credit for helping to keep the ABB going (Oteil, Jack, Derek, Jimmy), but Warren probably had the biggest footprint. That's all.

Agreed. I doubt they would have lasted as long as they did without Warren. Nothing against the other guys you mentioned but in my opinion it was mostly Warren.

Not trying to beat this to death but....new tunes will add to a setlist. The ABB put out new material after 1989 (that was quite good) and Dickey Betts was the author of some of the best of it (Seven Turns, BWIAB, etc). So it was a natural. Warren was a great add- no doubt about it. But he did not save the band. He did help quite a bit after Betts was ousted; however i was not impressed with a lot of Haynes material for the ABB. I just thought it suited the Mule.

Betts caught a lot of unnecessary heat about the setlist thing. Shucks, even the good ole' Grateful Dead got pretty predictable after 1976 (Just look at the 1977 setlists).

I can understand that but I have to give Warren credit for (at least to me) deciding which material suited the ABB and which was more appropriate for Mule.

setlists had become diverse with Dickey in the band in the back half of the 1990s too. And even before that they mixed it up some.

The late 1990s ABB would rotate 3 setlists (with some minor variations) and things like that. Warren took it to a whole other level upon his return to the band.

It would be pretty boring going 45 years with very little setlist diversity. In my opinion, Warren saved the band from itself... twice.

i'm not even sure what that means. the setlist in 1979 was not the same at all as the one in 1970. warren wasn't there then.

I guess what I mean is the wheels fell off after "Win, Lose or Draw" and the 1979 comeback only lasted 3 or 4 years and included their two worst albums by far. The original members were not necessarily great a keeping things in a functional situation. Things finally got back on track in 1989 going forward with some new members that worked out - Warren, Woody, and then Marc. Then, when Warren came back in '01, they went from a band with a 25 song repertoire to a band with a 75 song repertoire. All of the later additions deserve A LOT of credit for helping to keep the ABB going (Oteil, Jack, Derek, Jimmy), but Warren probably had the biggest footprint. That's all.

i posted earlier from 1995-2000 with dickey the band was up to about a 40 song list of tunes they were playing to pool from. the 25 song repertoire ended in the early 80's. from 1989-1995 they were up to around 30 and then 1995-2000 about 40. then warren came back and they went to about 60 by 2003 which outside of the bands new material most of the other stuff was covers and not deep cuts from the band.

"i posted earlier from 1995-2000 with dickey the band was up to about a 40 song list of tunes they were playing to pool from. the 25 song repertoire ended in the early 80's. from 1989-1995 they were up to around 30 and then 1995-2000 about 40. then warren came back and they went to about 60 by 2003 which outside of the bands new material most of the other stuff was covers and not deep cuts from the band. "

True but the band after 2003 was much more improvisational, adding fresh segments to songs like NLTRW, BHW, and Rockin Horse, interesting guests, and songs associated with Duane (D&D material, Johnny Jenkins, etc.). 1996 was the high water mark for improvisation for the ABB in the 1990s. Set lists became quite stale 1997-99 which to a certain degree is understandable because of line up changes. Still a 5 min NLTRW as the closer every night became quite tedious.

"i posted earlier from 1995-2000 with dickey the band was up to about a 40 song list of tunes they were playing to pool from. the 25 song repertoire ended in the early 80's. from 1989-1995 they were up to around 30 and then 1995-2000 about 40. then warren came back and they went to about 60 by 2003 which outside of the bands new material most of the other stuff was covers and not deep cuts from the band. "

True but the band after 2003 was much more improvisational, adding fresh segments to songs like NLTRW, BHW, and Rockin Horse, interesting guests, and songs associated with Duane (D&D material, Johnny Jenkins, etc.). 1996 was the high water mark for improvisation for the ABB in the 1990s. Set lists became quite stale 1997-99 which to a certain degree is understandable because of line up changes. Still a 5 min NLTRW as the closer every night became quite tedious.

After 2001, it was pretty hard to do deep-cuts from the early albums through "Brothers and Sisters" because all of those songs were in regular rotation except Please Call Home, Pony Boy, and Jelly Jelly. Not much between "Brothers and Sisters" and "Seven Turns" was considered worth bringing back out (except Can't Lose What You Never Had which is a cover). Some of the 1989 - 1994 stuff was brought out every now and again ( ...Devil's Sea, Kind of Bird, End of the Line, Good Clean Fun) but never seemed to stick around. I feel like Gambler's Roll fit the deep-cut mold. The March 2014 Beacon Run had some deep-cut action going on even Oteil singing Seven Turns. It is too bad that some of the other Dickey songs were gone like High Falls and Back Where It All Begins.

I agree that some of the covers were a little out of place (Dazed and Confused, for instance), but I think it was a great idea to start doing the Duane-related covers... same with the Otis Redding covers due to Jaimoe having toured with him. Doing Blues covers is literally what the band has always done and most of the ones they brought in during the last ten years or so were awesome.

For me, not knowing what is coming next at a show adds to the fun. The last line-up did the best job of that.

After 2001, it was pretty hard to do deep-cuts from the early albums through "Brothers and Sisters" because all of those songs were in regular rotation except Please Call Home, Pony Boy, and Jelly Jelly. Not much between "Brothers and Sisters" and "Seven Turns" was considered worth bringing back out (except Can't Lose What You Never Had which is a cover). Some of the 1989 - 1994 stuff was brought out every now and again ( ...Devil's Sea, Kind of Bird, End of the Line, Good Clean Fun) but never seemed to stick around. I feel like Gambler's Roll fit the deep-cut mold. The March 2014 Beacon Run had some deep-cut action going on even Oteil singing Seven Turns. It is too bad that some of the other Dickey songs were gone like High Falls and Back Where It All Begins.

I agree that some of the covers were a little out of place (Dazed and Confused, for instance), but I think it was a great idea to start doing the Duane-related covers... same with the Otis Redding covers due to Jaimoe having toured with him. Doing Blues covers is literally what the band has always done and most of the ones they brought in during the last ten years or so were awesome.

For me, not knowing what is coming next at a show adds to the fun. The last line-up did the best job of that.

The Fox Box shows were what got me back into the band after taking some time off after 2000. I recall seeing "Gilded Splinters" on the set list and just having to hear Butch pounding out that beat again. Pretty sure they played every song off of their first 4 albums on that run in some form. And I agree regarding the blues covers - the "Forty Four Blues" from the Fox Box is one of my favorite moments from those shows.

Some people complained about the more popular covers, but I thought they mostly had a purpose and fit right in - "Into the Mystic" was reportedly Bill Graham's favorite song and fit but not sure why "And It Stoned Me" was also in the rotation. The Aretha version of "The Weight" always fit, but not sure why The Band's "Dixie" was played other than the Allman Brothers are from the south (though it did sound good with horns and Gregg singing it at the Beacon). Agree with "Dazed & Confused", I know they briefly quoted it in some 1970-era versions of "Mountain Jam", but it always sounded out of place when they worked up the whole song. "Blind Willie McTell" was a great choice too.

After 2001, it was pretty hard to do deep-cuts from the early albums through "Brothers and Sisters" because all of those songs were in regular rotation except Please Call Home, Pony Boy, and Jelly Jelly. Not much between "Brothers and Sisters" and "Seven Turns" was considered worth bringing back out (except Can't Lose What You Never Had which is a cover). Some of the 1989 - 1994 stuff was brought out every now and again ( ...Devil's Sea, Kind of Bird, End of the Line, Good Clean Fun) but never seemed to stick around. I feel like Gambler's Roll fit the deep-cut mold. The March 2014 Beacon Run had some deep-cut action going on even Oteil singing Seven Turns. It is too bad that some of the other Dickey songs were gone like High Falls and Back Where It All Begins.

I agree that some of the covers were a little out of place (Dazed and Confused, for instance), but I think it was a great idea to start doing the Duane-related covers... same with the Otis Redding covers due to Jaimoe having toured with him. Doing Blues covers is literally what the band has always done and most of the ones they brought in during the last ten years or so were awesome.

For me, not knowing what is coming next at a show adds to the fun. The last line-up did the best job of that.

The Fox Box shows were what got me back into the band after taking some time off after 2000. I recall seeing "Gilded Splinters" on the set list and just having to hear Butch pounding out that beat again. Pretty sure they played every song off of their first 4 albums on that run in some form. And I agree regarding the blues covers - the "Forty Four Blues" from the Fox Box is one of my favorite moments from those shows.

Some people complained about the more popular covers, but I thought they mostly had a purpose and fit right in - "Into the Mystic" was reportedly Bill Graham's favorite song and fit but not sure why "And It Stoned Me" was also in the rotation. The Aretha version of "The Weight" always fit, but not sure why The Band's "Dixie" was played other than the Allman Brothers are from the south (though it did sound good with horns and Gregg singing it at the Beacon). Agree with "Dazed & Confused", I know they briefly quoted it in some 1970-era versions of "Mountain Jam", but it always sounded out of place when they worked up the whole song. "Blind Willie McTell" was a great choice too.

"Blind Willie Mctell" was so good when they did it. "Highway 61", "...Train to Cry", and "Don't Think Twice..." were also pretty awesome. There is less of connection to anything with the ABB, but nobody really needs an excuse to cover Dylan. "Down Along the Cove" had the Duane connection.

Casual fans are at best a necessary evil, and it is unfortunate that the band had to be aware of / cater to some of what has been discussed above. I know exactly why I went to ABB shows, and it wasn't to see Midnight Rider or Melissa every time. It's hard to make me forget what planet I am on in a three minute song.

I guess my point is: "If you have a short attention span, maybe an ABB show isn't for you."

Nice post....right there with you.

It would be interesting to see a poll of people that attended ABB shows ,oh lets say over the last 10-12 yrs, that are casual to the hardcore. My guess it's gonna lean more towards the hardcore.

I remember ,I think it was maybe 2004 or 06, I was at an ABB show and a few guys came down by me about half way through the show. It looked like they just walked off the golf course and had a few drinks.
One leaned over and ask me which one was Dickey Betts. Could not resist, and pointed to Otiel. 😉

Some bands for the last few decades is all they play are hits that cater to a certain demographic in the crowd which are probably the majority.

Here is an example.
I enjoy John Mellencamp live, but he is so much more than his 80's hits, and that is a good part of his setlist.
We went and saw him a few months ago....same old show. Really was not expecting anything different ,but anyways. Probably won't be back to see him for awhile. I feel some of his strongest material is from the last 12-15 yrs. Would kill to hear a show of that stuff.....but it ain't gonna happen.

Govt Mule? Probably no such thing as a casual fan out there.

On the topic of setlists ,casual ,and hardcore fans.....
I am a huge Deep Purple and UFO fan. Maybe at one time they could have been considered a band that would play the classics ,hits for the most part and that would cater to the majority of the crowd which probably were the casual fan years ago.

I doubt there are any casual fans going to see those two bands in this current era . I think they have gotten a little better with their setlists as far as mixing in different songs. But for awhile, I was thinking why?? Why the same old material? I doubt they are winning new fans at this point, so why not go more deep,rotate some of those deep gems in for the hardcore folks? I would be thrilled to death of they would drop in at least 3-5 deep ones. I won't be going to the beer stand at that point and I am sure others won't be either.

I remember attending many ABB shows in the early to mid 90's..Warren and Woody era. All were great, no doubt but the sets were getting pretty repeatitive. In 1997 I was them with Jack and Otiel and during that show in Indy and there 2-3 songs that I have not heard in concert before or it had been awhile and it was a treat.

Totally agree with you about Mule. It took me a bit to get them but I have loved them for years. Don't think there are too many casual fans.

Regarding UFO, I've never heard of them. What are their classics?

What!?!?! You don't know who the mighty UFO!?!? Blasphemy!!!!!

Just kidding 😛 😉 Matt and a few others summed them up pretty good.. I am a HUGE fan and can hook you up with about anything and everything them and MSG.

It was mentioned, but Strangers In The Night is highly regarded as one of the best live rock albums out there. That would be a good place to start.

From the Paul Chapman era a good compilation would be Best Of The Rest. His time in the band is looked over , but I like it just as much as the Schenker stuff.

Vinnie Moore is in the band now. They still put out quality material.There last release was two years ago and it was a cover compilation called The Salentino Cuts. I think Phil Moog is very underrated singer and I feel he gives one of his best vocal performance on that cd. They are currently on they're last tour.Phil is calling it a day.

Michael Schenkers 2nd release,MSG, is probably my favorite hard rock albums . That thing is so solid top to bottom, not a bad track. Live At Budokan would be a good one from him to start with.

One of my top UFO tracks

"i posted earlier from 1995-2000 with dickey the band was up to about a 40 song list of tunes they were playing to pool from. the 25 song repertoire ended in the early 80's. from 1989-1995 they were up to around 30 and then 1995-2000 about 40. then warren came back and they went to about 60 by 2003 which outside of the bands new material most of the other stuff was covers and not deep cuts from the band. "

True but the band after 2003 was much more improvisational, adding fresh segments to songs like NLTRW, BHW, and Rockin Horse, interesting guests, and songs associated with Duane (D&D material, Johnny Jenkins, etc.). 1996 was the high water mark for improvisation for the ABB in the 1990s. Set lists became quite stale 1997-99 which to a certain degree is understandable because of line up changes. Still a 5 min NLTRW as the closer every night became quite tedious.

After 2001, it was pretty hard to do deep-cuts from the early albums through "Brothers and Sisters" because all of those songs were in regular rotation except Please Call Home, Pony Boy, and Jelly Jelly. Not much between "Brothers and Sisters" and "Seven Turns" was considered worth bringing back out (except Can't Lose What You Never Had which is a cover). Some of the 1989 - 1994 stuff was brought out every now and again ( ...Devil's Sea, Kind of Bird, End of the Line, Good Clean Fun) but never seemed to stick around. I feel like Gambler's Roll fit the deep-cut mold. The March 2014 Beacon Run had some deep-cut action going on even Oteil singing Seven Turns. It is too bad that some of the other Dickey songs were gone like High Falls and Back Where It All Begins.

I agree that some of the covers were a little out of place (Dazed and Confused, for instance), but I think it was a great idea to start doing the Duane-related covers... same with the Otis Redding covers due to Jaimoe having toured with him. Doing Blues covers is literally what the band has always done and most of the ones they brought in during the last ten years or so were awesome.

For me, not knowing what is coming next at a show adds to the fun. The last line-up did the best job of that.

either way i think most people hit the nail on the head that outside of the grateful dead most bands changed very few of the songs in a setlist until the 1990's. the stones, the ABB, etc started rotating setlists in the 90's but prior to that changed very little. even alice cooper who has a show with props and timed out, etc talks about how by the mid 90's fans always ask about changing the setlist and show while a touring is going on

Casual fans are at best a necessary evil, and it is unfortunate that the band had to be aware of / cater to some of what has been discussed above. I know exactly why I went to ABB shows, and it wasn't to see Midnight Rider or Melissa every time. It's hard to make me forget what planet I am on in a three minute song.

I guess my point is: "If you have a short attention span, maybe an ABB show isn't for you."

Nice post....right there with you.

It would be interesting to see a poll of people that attended ABB shows ,oh lets say over the last 10-12 yrs, that are casual to the hardcore. My guess it's gonna lean more towards the hardcore.

I remember ,I think it was maybe 2004 or 06, I was at an ABB show and a few guys came down by me about half way through the show. It looked like they just walked off the golf course and had a few drinks.
One leaned over and ask me which one was Dickey Betts. Could not resist, and pointed to Otiel. 😉

Some bands for the last few decades is all they play are hits that cater to a certain demographic in the crowd which are probably the majority.

Here is an example.
I enjoy John Mellencamp live, but he is so much more than his 80's hits, and that is a good part of his setlist.
We went and saw him a few months ago....same old show. Really was not expecting anything different ,but anyways. Probably won't be back to see him for awhile. I feel some of his strongest material is from the last 12-15 yrs. Would kill to hear a show of that stuff.....but it ain't gonna happen.

Govt Mule? Probably no such thing as a casual fan out there.

On the topic of setlists ,casual ,and hardcore fans.....
I am a huge Deep Purple and UFO fan. Maybe at one time they could have been considered a band that would play the classics ,hits for the most part and that would cater to the majority of the crowd which probably were the casual fan years ago.

I doubt there are any casual fans going to see those two bands in this current era . I think they have gotten a little better with their setlists as far as mixing in different songs. But for awhile, I was thinking why?? Why the same old material? I doubt they are winning new fans at this point, so why not go more deep,rotate some of those deep gems in for the hardcore folks? I would be thrilled to death of they would drop in at least 3-5 deep ones. I won't be going to the beer stand at that point and I am sure others won't be either.

I remember attending many ABB shows in the early to mid 90's..Warren and Woody era. All were great, no doubt but the sets were getting pretty repeatitive. In 1997 I was them with Jack and Otiel and during that show in Indy and there 2-3 songs that I have not heard in concert before or it had been awhile and it was a treat.

Totally agree with you about Mule. It took me a bit to get them but I have loved them for years. Don't think there are too many casual fans.

Regarding UFO, I've never heard of them. What are their classics?

What!?!?! You don't know who the mighty UFO!?!? Blasphemy!!!!!

Just kidding 😛 😉 Matt and a few others summed them up pretty good.. I am a HUGE fan and can hook you up with about anything and everything them and MSG.

It was mentioned, but Strangers In The Night is highly regarded as one of the best live rock albums out there. That would be a good place to start.

From the Paul Chapman era a good compilation would be Best Of The Rest. His time in the band is looked over , but I like it just as much as the Schenker stuff.

Vinnie Moore is in the band now. They still put out quality material.There last release was two years ago and it was a cover compilation called The Salentino Cuts. I think Phil Moog is very underrated singer and I feel he gives one of his best vocal performance on that cd. They are currently on they're last tour.Phil is calling it a day.

Michael Schenkers 2nd release,MSG, is probably my favorite hard rock albums . That thing is so solid top to bottom, not a bad track. Live At Budokan would be a good one from him to start with.

One of my top UFO tracks

they are such an underrated band. it was nice a few weeks ago that UFO was blaring before iron maiden came onstage . sure iron maiden picked them to be over the sound system on purpose

I was reading about UFO on Allmusic today, and one reviewer argued that UFO's Phill Mogg was a clear influence on Iron Maiden's Paul Dianno.

Casual fans are at best a necessary evil, and it is unfortunate that the band had to be aware of / cater to some of what has been discussed above. I know exactly why I went to ABB shows, and it wasn't to see Midnight Rider or Melissa every time. It's hard to make me forget what planet I am on in a three minute song.

I guess my point is: "If you have a short attention span, maybe an ABB show isn't for you."

Nice post....right there with you.

It would be interesting to see a poll of people that attended ABB shows ,oh lets say over the last 10-12 yrs, that are casual to the hardcore. My guess it's gonna lean more towards the hardcore.

I remember ,I think it was maybe 2004 or 06, I was at an ABB show and a few guys came down by me about half way through the show. It looked like they just walked off the golf course and had a few drinks.
One leaned over and ask me which one was Dickey Betts. Could not resist, and pointed to Otiel. 😉

Some bands for the last few decades is all they play are hits that cater to a certain demographic in the crowd which are probably the majority.

Here is an example.
I enjoy John Mellencamp live, but he is so much more than his 80's hits, and that is a good part of his setlist.
We went and saw him a few months ago....same old show. Really was not expecting anything different ,but anyways. Probably won't be back to see him for awhile. I feel some of his strongest material is from the last 12-15 yrs. Would kill to hear a show of that stuff.....but it ain't gonna happen.

Govt Mule? Probably no such thing as a casual fan out there.

On the topic of setlists ,casual ,and hardcore fans.....
I am a huge Deep Purple and UFO fan. Maybe at one time they could have been considered a band that would play the classics ,hits for the most part and that would cater to the majority of the crowd which probably were the casual fan years ago.

I doubt there are any casual fans going to see those two bands in this current era . I think they have gotten a little better with their setlists as far as mixing in different songs. But for awhile, I was thinking why?? Why the same old material? I doubt they are winning new fans at this point, so why not go more deep,rotate some of those deep gems in for the hardcore folks? I would be thrilled to death of they would drop in at least 3-5 deep ones. I won't be going to the beer stand at that point and I am sure others won't be either.

I remember attending many ABB shows in the early to mid 90's..Warren and Woody era. All were great, no doubt but the sets were getting pretty repeatitive. In 1997 I was them with Jack and Otiel and during that show in Indy and there 2-3 songs that I have not heard in concert before or it had been awhile and it was a treat.

Totally agree with you about Mule. It took me a bit to get them but I have loved them for years. Don't think there are too many casual fans.

Regarding UFO, I've never heard of them. What are their classics?

What!?!?! You don't know who the mighty UFO!?!? Blasphemy!!!!!

Just kidding 😛 😉 Matt and a few others summed them up pretty good.. I am a HUGE fan and can hook you up with about anything and everything them and MSG.

It was mentioned, but Strangers In The Night is highly regarded as one of the best live rock albums out there. That would be a good place to start.

From the Paul Chapman era a good compilation would be Best Of The Rest. His time in the band is looked over , but I like it just as much as the Schenker stuff.

Vinnie Moore is in the band now. They still put out quality material.There last release was two years ago and it was a cover compilation called The Salentino Cuts. I think Phil Moog is very underrated singer and I feel he gives one of his best vocal performance on that cd. They are currently on they're last tour.Phil is calling it a day.

Michael Schenkers 2nd release,MSG, is probably my favorite hard rock albums . That thing is so solid top to bottom, not a bad track. Live At Budokan would be a good one from him to start with.

One of my top UFO tracks

they are such an underrated band. it was nice a few weeks ago that UFO was blaring before iron maiden came onstage . sure iron maiden picked them to be over the sound system on purpose

I think Steve and the band are big fans

Steve Harris On Why Iron Maiden Opens Shows With UFO Music

http://www.vh1.com/video-clips/jlf59m/that-metal-show-steve-harris-on-why-iron-maiden-opens-shows-with-ufo-music

[Edited on 8/13/2019 by jszfunk]

Casual fans are at best a necessary evil, and it is unfortunate that the band had to be aware of / cater to some of what has been discussed above. I know exactly why I went to ABB shows, and it wasn't to see Midnight Rider or Melissa every time. It's hard to make me forget what planet I am on in a three minute song.

I guess my point is: "If you have a short attention span, maybe an ABB show isn't for you."

Nice post....right there with you.

It would be interesting to see a poll of people that attended ABB shows ,oh lets say over the last 10-12 yrs, that are casual to the hardcore. My guess it's gonna lean more towards the hardcore.

I remember ,I think it was maybe 2004 or 06, I was at an ABB show and a few guys came down by me about half way through the show. It looked like they just walked off the golf course and had a few drinks.
One leaned over and ask me which one was Dickey Betts. Could not resist, and pointed to Otiel. 😉

Some bands for the last few decades is all they play are hits that cater to a certain demographic in the crowd which are probably the majority.

Here is an example.
I enjoy John Mellencamp live, but he is so much more than his 80's hits, and that is a good part of his setlist.
We went and saw him a few months ago....same old show. Really was not expecting anything different ,but anyways. Probably won't be back to see him for awhile. I feel some of his strongest material is from the last 12-15 yrs. Would kill to hear a show of that stuff.....but it ain't gonna happen.

Govt Mule? Probably no such thing as a casual fan out there.

On the topic of setlists ,casual ,and hardcore fans.....
I am a huge Deep Purple and UFO fan. Maybe at one time they could have been considered a band that would play the classics ,hits for the most part and that would cater to the majority of the crowd which probably were the casual fan years ago.

I doubt there are any casual fans going to see those two bands in this current era . I think they have gotten a little better with their setlists as far as mixing in different songs. But for awhile, I was thinking why?? Why the same old material? I doubt they are winning new fans at this point, so why not go more deep,rotate some of those deep gems in for the hardcore folks? I would be thrilled to death of they would drop in at least 3-5 deep ones. I won't be going to the beer stand at that point and I am sure others won't be either.

I remember attending many ABB shows in the early to mid 90's..Warren and Woody era. All were great, no doubt but the sets were getting pretty repeatitive. In 1997 I was them with Jack and Otiel and during that show in Indy and there 2-3 songs that I have not heard in concert before or it had been awhile and it was a treat.

Totally agree with you about Mule. It took me a bit to get them but I have loved them for years. Don't think there are too many casual fans.

Regarding UFO, I've never heard of them. What are their classics?

What!?!?! You don't know who the mighty UFO!?!? Blasphemy!!!!!

Just kidding 😛 😉 Matt and a few others summed them up pretty good.. I am a HUGE fan and can hook you up with about anything and everything them and MSG.

It was mentioned, but Strangers In The Night is highly regarded as one of the best live rock albums out there. That would be a good place to start.

From the Paul Chapman era a good compilation would be Best Of The Rest. His time in the band is looked over , but I like it just as much as the Schenker stuff.

Vinnie Moore is in the band now. They still put out quality material.There last release was two years ago and it was a cover compilation called The Salentino Cuts. I think Phil Moog is very underrated singer and I feel he gives one of his best vocal performance on that cd. They are currently on they're last tour.Phil is calling it a day.

Michael Schenkers 2nd release,MSG, is probably my favorite hard rock albums . That thing is so solid top to bottom, not a bad track. Live At Budokan would be a good one from him to start with.

One of my top UFO tracks

they are such an underrated band. it was nice a few weeks ago that UFO was blaring before iron maiden came onstage . sure iron maiden picked them to be over the sound system on purpose

I think Steve and the band are big fans

Steve Harris On Why Iron Maiden Opens Shows With UFO Music

http://www.vh1.com/video-clips/jlf59m/that-metal-show-steve-harris-on-why-iron-maiden-opens-shows-with-ufo-music

Steve's daughter does a cover
Lauren Harris - Natural Thing

Iron Maiden- Doctor Doctor

[Edited on 8/13/2019 by jszfunk]

yup i knew they covered UFO too

Gov't Mule has lost the spark over the last 4 or 5ve years----since Farmer passed!?!?!?---and latest live set proves it.

Wow. Your opinion but I disagree. They have always mixed things up and I have seen them several times in the time frame you mention. I really don't think they have lost it or anything.

Casual fans are at best a necessary evil, and it is unfortunate that the band had to be aware of / cater to some of what has been discussed above. I know exactly why I went to ABB shows, and it wasn't to see Midnight Rider or Melissa every time. It's hard to make me forget what planet I am on in a three minute song.

I guess my point is: "If you have a short attention span, maybe an ABB show isn't for you."

Nice post....right there with you.

It would be interesting to see a poll of people that attended ABB shows ,oh lets say over the last 10-12 yrs, that are casual to the hardcore. My guess it's gonna lean more towards the hardcore.

I remember ,I think it was maybe 2004 or 06, I was at an ABB show and a few guys came down by me about half way through the show. It looked like they just walked off the golf course and had a few drinks.
One leaned over and ask me which one was Dickey Betts. Could not resist, and pointed to Otiel. 😉

Some bands for the last few decades is all they play are hits that cater to a certain demographic in the crowd which are probably the majority.

Here is an example.
I enjoy John Mellencamp live, but he is so much more than his 80's hits, and that is a good part of his setlist.
We went and saw him a few months ago....same old show. Really was not expecting anything different ,but anyways. Probably won't be back to see him for awhile. I feel some of his strongest material is from the last 12-15 yrs. Would kill to hear a show of that stuff.....but it ain't gonna happen.

Govt Mule? Probably no such thing as a casual fan out there.

On the topic of setlists ,casual ,and hardcore fans.....
I am a huge Deep Purple and UFO fan. Maybe at one time they could have been considered a band that would play the classics ,hits for the most part and that would cater to the majority of the crowd which probably were the casual fan years ago.

I doubt there are any casual fans going to see those two bands in this current era . I think they have gotten a little better with their setlists as far as mixing in different songs. But for awhile, I was thinking why?? Why the same old material? I doubt they are winning new fans at this point, so why not go more deep,rotate some of those deep gems in for the hardcore folks? I would be thrilled to death of they would drop in at least 3-5 deep ones. I won't be going to the beer stand at that point and I am sure others won't be either.

I remember attending many ABB shows in the early to mid 90's..Warren and Woody era. All were great, no doubt but the sets were getting pretty repeatitive. In 1997 I was them with Jack and Otiel and during that show in Indy and there 2-3 songs that I have not heard in concert before or it had been awhile and it was a treat.

Totally agree with you about Mule. It took me a bit to get them but I have loved them for years. Don't think there are too many casual fans.

Regarding UFO, I've never heard of them. What are their classics?

What!?!?! You don't know who the mighty UFO!?!? Blasphemy!!!!!

Just kidding 😛 😉 Matt and a few others summed them up pretty good.. I am a HUGE fan and can hook you up with about anything and everything them and MSG.

It was mentioned, but Strangers In The Night is highly regarded as one of the best live rock albums out there. That would be a good place to start.

From the Paul Chapman era a good compilation would be Best Of The Rest. His time in the band is looked over , but I like it just as much as the Schenker stuff.

Vinnie Moore is in the band now. They still put out quality material.There last release was two years ago and it was a cover compilation called The Salentino Cuts. I think Phil Moog is very underrated singer and I feel he gives one of his best vocal performance on that cd. They are currently on they're last tour.Phil is calling it a day.

Michael Schenkers 2nd release,MSG, is probably my favorite hard rock albums . That thing is so solid top to bottom, not a bad track. Live At Budokan would be a good one from him to start with.

One of my top UFO tracks

MSG. What is the connection to Madison Square Garden? 😛

And I might take you up on some shows.

My brother made up the set list, and it didn’t change very much from night to night. He liked it that way. We’d swap out a song or two, but we pretty much kept the same songs. The thing was, we’d never play them the same way twice.

-GA

My brother made up the set list, and it didn’t change very much from night to night. He liked it that way. We’d swap out a song or two, but we pretty much kept the same songs. The thing was, we’d never play them the same way twice.

-GA

Home Run....thanks for posting that.