We just got back from another wonderful concert by an iconic artist, which I will talk about in a minute. If you want to skip down to that part to see whose concert we attended, you can click here. An Iconic Performance. Just kidding. I don’t know how to embed that kind of code into this text. You’ll just have to plow through the whole article to get down to that part. Thanks for being a good sport about it.
I was running this recent concert through my head, trying to remember exactly which songs were played and in what order. Luckily, I have found handy tools online that will often give me information on concert setlists to help to jog my memory. One of those tools is the website setlist.fm. On that website I can search for the artist’s current tour breakdown to see what songs they typically play. Helps me prepare for what I am going to experience. And, I can look afterwards at my specific concert to confirm what I did, in fact, hear. I use that tool a lot.
After experiencing yet another concert, I started thinking about the tradition of the concert Encore. Those extra songs at the end of a performance. It’s a rather odd tradition, dontcha think? Let me walk you through it.
The Band performs song after song after song. To wrap things up, they perform a relatively big, enthusiastic number that has The Audience completely engaged. At the end of that song, The Band shouts “Thank you!” and waves as they exit the stage. The Audience, with a burst of energy, claps, and screams, and whistles, and stomps around to show their appreciation for the music. A few seconds or minutes tick by, then The Band returns to the stage to perform a few extra songs to feed off the energy in the room and bring everything to a rousing conclusion. That about sums it up.
I started researching and thinking way too much about this entity called The Encore, and far be it from me to keep those thoughts to myself…....
According to Oxford Language, the English word Encore was derived from 18th century French roots, meaning “Still, Again.” All the modern day meanings are tied to "a repeated or additional performance of an item at the end of a concert, as called for by an audience."
In The Audience, I have always felt it my responsibility to secure The Encore. After all, if we together don’t make enough noise to show our appreciation to The Band, then they may not return to the stage. That might be it, it’s all over. But, is that true? Isn’t today's Encore already planned? Isn’t it part of the show? Isn’t it just a staged formality to get to the final, sometimes the biggest, songs? Have you ever attended a concert when there was no Encore? Did you feel cheated? No Encore? Why? Because The Audience was lackluster? Or The Band was disengaged? Have you ever shouted out Encore! Encore!?
If you want to learn more about The Encore (who doesn’t?), there is a very interesting piece on the website ennuimagazine.com describing the history and evolution of The Encore. Also, on the site loudwire.com. In a nutshell, the tradition started in the 18th century when The Audience at a concert hall would call it out to request a repeat of a particular song that they had just heard. Obviously, there were no recorded versions of the songs, so they implored the composer and the performers (The Band) to play it again, saying Encore! or Altro Volta! The Encore performance was spontaneous, repeating the previous song. The Band bowed to the wishes of The Audience. Over time, The Audience demands got out of hand, causing some venues to ban Encores to try to bring things more under control and keep performances to a reasonable length.
In more modern times, rock bands reinvigorated the concept of The Encore. Since their fan base was generally rowdy and noisy, it became common for The Audience to scream, and shout, and clap, and stamp their feet, and flail their arms to beg the performers to come back on stage. It usually worked; the more passionate the request, the more likely The Band would return for another song. I remember many times of working myself into a frenzy to make sure that we, The Audience, showed The Band how much we needed them to come back on stage. We knew that our enthusiasm had to shine through, or The Band would head on out of there. It was all up to The Audience. We dictated the terms of the Encore. Eventually, most bands started preparing ahead to have music ready for an Encore, if the situation presented itself. Still, The Encore had the feeling of being somewhat spontaneous and unplanned.
As time went by and today’s concerts became more technical with lighting and special effects, The Encore lost its spontaneity, because everyone on the crew had to be on the same page. And, The Band did not want to be caught without having something prepared and ready to go. The Encore became standard, regardless of the enthusiasm of the crowd. And, apparently, you can blame or thank Bruce Springsteen.
In 1985, Rob & I saw Bruce Springsteen on the “Born In The USA” tour. We still talk about the incredible concert, the unbelievable energy, and the 3 Encores that he did. At the last Encore, half of The Audience had already left, and the house lights were on, but he hit the stage one more time and rocked away. Now, looking it up online, the setlist shows that he performed 29 songs. What? Crazy! Word in the industry is that 1980s Springsteen is to blame for setting the bar high and laying the expectation that The Band will perform a spirited Encore at every gig. So, nowadays, The Band schedules The Encore with a grand finale hit or two to give The Audience what they want.
Interestingly, according to esquire.com, Elvis Presley refused to perform The Encore. He wanted to leave The Audience wanting more, and, understandably, wanted to secure his safe exit from the venue. Thus, the birth of the stage manager’s announcement “Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis has left the building,” which signaled that the concert was over, really. The Beatles, too, ended concerts without an Encore. Our recent Ringo Starr concert confirmed that the end of the show was the end of the show. No Encore for him.
As concerts go, we have seen phenomenal Encores, such as the Tedeschi Trucks/Black Crowes concert where both bands got on stage together, more than a dozen performers. They had a blast giving rocking renditions of “Show Me” and “Turn on Your Love Light.” There was no way to pull off that performance without meticulous coordination. But, it had the feel of spontaneity—like they were giving something extra to The Audience just because they wanted to. And, we were very appreciative. Very appreciative, indeed.
On the other hand, some Encores have been headscratchers, like the Eric Clapton concert where nobody recognized his low-energy Encore song. The only song he added at the end. What was that??? We hoped he might play such-and-so instead? That's how it goes sometimes.
So, last week--An Iconic Performance. Our most recent concert was a stellar show by Blues/R&B/Rock/Country singer and Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt. Bonnie filled the small auditorium with soulful sound. She was energetic and personable. Bonnie put everything into her performance, bellowing out the vocals, ripping the guitar. She provided just the right amount of rasp to deliver the message, heartfelt and gritty. It was a wonderful show. We were thrilled when she sang Rob’s all-time favorite song “Angel From Montgomery,” which sources told me was likely to happen. She brought down the house with her final Encore rendition of the Talking Heads’ song “Burning Down the House.” Man, how I love live music.
Don’t care about music or concerts or performers? Stepping out of the world of music, do you think The Encore has significance at all? Showing others that you appreciate their skills and their actions, asking them to do it again? More, More! Encore!! Or, what if others praise your actions? Could you show appreciation back to them by going above and beyond to give them something extra? More than they expected? Apply the same concept to anything in your life. When you are The Audience, show others that you appreciate their efforts. Applaud them. Show people how much you value their contributions and recognize their outstanding work. When you are The Band, give ‘em what they want, and then some. Give back to others, more than the standard. Raise the bar. Value them because they value you. Maybe we all can do such a good job at those tasks that we hear it shouted from the rooftops, Encore! Encore! Again! Again!
And that's all. Ladies and Gentlemen, Gwen has left the building.