Why refusing deepcuts on the set list?

[Reject False Icons 4,763]

I’m not talking about Gaga but many of the other female pop stars 

My point is that in set lists the same hits get sung, and that accentuates that other songs don’t get a chance with the public and that makes the hits selection always so limited, it’s a vicious circle 

they have a big fandom and we want to listen to the songs that rarely get played and they don’t even put 2 or 3 deep deepcuts on the set list.

Some singers have literally said that they WON’T sing deepcuts, so why’s the clear negativity against those lesser known songs when they already have years of career therefore young people don’t follow them, and they are not gonna lose their audience 

[Bronco 9,532]

The larger the show, the more casual the audience. 
You have to make sure the show is accessible from a sales perspective sadly. 

But also some acts wont sing older songs because they don't relate to them anymore and some go as far as hating songs. 
Like Madonna hating Material Girl or P!nk hating Don't Let Me Get Me (although she's brought it back recently)

[PartySick 156,414]

I think it depends on fanbases and an artist's priorities.

Some artists prefer to play as if casual listeners will be in attendance while others play as if hardcore fans are in the crowd.

I like how Janet Jackson builds her setlists these days. The songs are shorter but they're often tied into each other, each "act" flows as a continuous jam with small breaks in-between them and she fits 30+ songs, hits and deep cuts, into the show. She plays to crowds of 20,000 or less at the moment so I assume she's playing for her fans, not just the public.

Meanwhile, my idol MJ prioritized playing the hits at full length and maybe squeezing in the new material 'cause he knew he'd be drawing in crowds of 100,000 or more with further thousands crowding around the stadium to hear the music. He played to the public, not just his fans.

Gaga strikes a balance between the two where deep cuts like Bloody Mary and Scheiße get moments to shine but the hits are always the show's peak.

[NemoMyName 602]

The setlist is full of MAYHEM deepcuts tho, only DWAS, Disease, Abracadabra are acknowledged by general public

[monstertoronto 9,611]

1 hour ago, NemoMyName said:

The setlist is full of MAYHEM deepcuts tho, only DWAS, Disease, Abracadabra are acknowledged by general public

I think a “deep cut” in this context is a bringing out non-singles from the catalog.  When the tour is supporting a new album (Mayhem ball is supporting Mayhem) the expectation is that it will play as many cuts from the new album as possible to promote the album, not just the singles.  I don’t think playing non-singles from the album being promoted on tour is generally considered doing a deep cut because the tour is expected to promote the new material. A deep cut on tour is a a surprise gift from the past. 

Edited May 19 by monstertoronto

[Lucas 26,008]

6 minutes ago, NemoMyName said:

The setlist is full of MAYHEM deepcuts tho, only DWAS, Disease, Abracadabra are acknowledged by general public

Someone didn't read the OP 

[SpadesToStart 3,404]

I really appreciate how Gaga will always include 1-2 non-single songs from past albums that are personal or fan favorites. I think overall she really values and stands by her catalog.

[candydarling 1,701]

i think it's a great way to showcase your discography. bloody mary became quite a hit so idk if i would consider it a deep cut and she has played scheisse at almost every tour since it was released, she could've had included some other stuff like replay or aura that still fit the theme of the tour.

charli always plays party 4 u at her shows and dedicates it to her fanbase and now it's becoming a hit too. and other songs of hers have become hits years after being released so that tells me people watch her shows and go after her discography. 

playing mainly hits is quite boring imo. people around me in rio really wanted gaga to sing just dance? i argued that it doesnt fit the theme at all and it's the first time she's not performing it (finally!) just for the sake of it

Edited May 19 by candydarling

[Bronco 9,532]

1 hour ago, PartySick said:

Gaga strikes a balance between the two where deep cuts like Bloody Mary and Scheiße get moments to shine but the hits are always the show's peak.

Honestly Schieße gets treated like a single that never was and I love it. 

I wouldn't really consider Bloody Mary a deepcut since it went viral but I do wonder if we'll see it again after this era.

[River 114,147]

I think they just can't remember the lyrics of some songs, or just don't vibe with them well.

Like most of the songs they skip are fillers, they know that, we know that.

Like nobody wants to hear Britney singing E-Mail My Heart ever again lol

[NemoMyName 602]

51 minutes ago, Lucas said:

Someone didn't read the OP 

guilty

[PartySick 156,414]

15 minutes ago, Bronco said:

Honestly Schieße gets treated like a single that never was and I love it. 

I wouldn't really consider Bloody Mary a deepcut since it went viral but I do wonder if we'll see it again after this era.

I wouldn't consider a viral moment to be enough to pull a track out of the "hidden gem" status but these definitions are hyper subjective anyway. But even before the Wednesday and "kill the king" bumps, she added it to the JWT setlist unexpectedly.

Scheiße is obviously one of her personal favorites  

[AsleepOnTheCeiling 6,202]

1 hour ago, PartySick said:

I think it depends on fanbases and an artist's priorities.

Some artists prefer to play as if casual listeners will be in attendance while others play as if hardcore fans are in the crowd.

I like how Janet Jackson builds her setlists these days. The songs are shorter but they're often tied into each other, each "act" flows as a continuous jam with small breaks in-between them and she fits 30+ songs, hits and deep cuts, into the show. She plays to crowds of 20,000 or less at the moment so I assume she's playing for her fans, not just the public.

Meanwhile, my idol MJ prioritized playing the hits at full length and maybe squeezing in the new material 'cause he knew he'd be drawing in crowds of 100,000 or more with further thousands crowding around the stadium to hear the music. He played to the public, not just his fans.

Gaga strikes a balance between the two where deep cuts like Bloody Mary and Scheiße get moments to shine but the hits are always the show's peak.

I feel like TCB was pretty lacking in deep cuts. I went with a friend who is a casual fan and he said "I had fun and I was surprised I knew every song. But I feel bad for you because that means she's skipped on the deepcuts". 

[PartySick 156,414]

Just now, AsleepOnTheCeiling said:

I feel like TCB was pretty lacking in deep cuts. I went with a friend who is a casual fan and he said "I had fun and I was surprised I knew every song. But I feel bad for you because that means she's skipped on the deepcuts". 

Another reason why stadium shows suck. They're geared towards a wider public audience. She did Monster for the first time since 2014 but...I mean, the first nearly 20 minutes of the show consisted of extended versions (relative to the usual live versions) of some of her biggest hits  

The Chromatica Ball wasn't for us, it was for the people who bought tickets. If that makes sense.

[StrawberryBlond 14,685]

I always view it as this: tours supporting an album should be majority songs from that album, that's the whole point. If you want mostly hits, go to a greatest hits tour and if there isn't one, just stream a live greatest hits playlist. Artists really need to get over the whole "you need to play the biggest hits from all your albums or the fans will riot" mindset. If you put in deep cuts, any casual fans will become aware of a great new song and either stream it or even buy the full album in the merch booth afterwards. There's literally no downsides to singing deep cuts, especially to huge crowds. The chance for virality is insane.

If there's one thing I don't like about Lana's live shows it's that she always sings the most random collection of songs, most of which aren't even from the current album she's touring with. There's no rhyme or reason for the choices either, it's just like whatever she felt like that day. I love all the songs, but I prefer a running theme. I think whatever the vibe is for your current album, that's the vibe that should curate your setlist. If you make a dance album, when it comes to old songs, put in any dance songs you've ever made so the entire tour has a concept and put it into a storyline if you can. I swear, artists shows have no purpose behind their choices anymore except Gaga. That's why she remains my fave.