Quote:
Originally Posted by #41Tom
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodo36
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The difference with the pre-1996 tunes is that they were worked out by all five guys repeatedly before being recorded. They were fleshed out, ideas tested and rejected and improved upon before entering the studio. The crowd reaction in the clubs told them they were going the right way. They haven't had that sort of honest audience reaction since.
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That's really interesting. Do you think that actually played a significant role, listening to the crowd??
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Absolutely. Maybe not in the literal sense of fans telling them what they liked, but when you're playing to a smaller crowd you can gauge their actual reactions and feed off that - and not just go by what they say after.
During a particular passage, do they tend to go hang by the bar more or get more entrenched in their own conversations? If a particular song order doesn't work, you can tell right away. If there's a crowd favorite, it's obvious because there are discernible faces - not thousands of disembodied screams and cheers. You don't go into a gig thinking every single song is going to be a crowd favorite, you're not even thinking like that. It's only after the gig, after the adrenaline fades, when you start to reflect on the show ... you realize what worked and didn't. Maybe you don't talk about it as a group, but at the next rehearsal or before the next gig, someone brings it up. 'That song is fun, but people liked this one better.' 'Yeah, those people on the side kind of stopped paying attention.' 'The solo on X kind of went nowhere, what if we try it this way.' It's all organic.
This is what I think really happened to tunes like "Doobie Thing" and "Get In Line." It's been years since I listened to either, but IIRC the crowd noise on the bootlegs was less applause and more background din than on "Recently" or "Warehouse" or "Granny."