Is Jimmy "mailing it in"?

[Frank4]

Let's not forget too that we're spoiled. Through this forum and others and Radio Margaritaville live concert broadcasts, we get to listen to and over-analyze each and every concert. I can't think of ANY OTHER ARTIST that still tours as much, year-after-year AND allows this amount of FREE show experiences to EVERY CONCERT.

Very well said...I am not looking for anything mind blowing when I go see JB anymore. I look for a good time and some laughs at a show. And that is what I get.

[nutmeg]

OK I'll be the first to admit this. I really like some of the Yellow Album songs and would miss them if they weren't played. Come Monday is still one of my all time favorites.

We got Manana this year

Just because he kindly lets us listen on the internet to all his shows without paying a dime, we are able to hear the concerts over and over. With most artists, that doesn't happen. And frankly I don't care that they are the same songs over and over. I enjoy the ones I like, tune out the ones I don't, and look forward to the next concert.

[TwelveVoltMan]

OK I'll be the first to admit this. I really like some of the Yellow Album songs and would miss them if they weren't played. Come Monday is still one of my all time favorites.

I know what you mean...

I was SHOCKED that Jimmy did not play 'Why Don't We Get Drunk' this year.

[ejr]

I guess I have a somewhat different take on what "mailing it in" is.

To me, mailing it in relates much more to the performance than to the song selection. Jimmy is playing what he wants to play, and he is trying to appeal to a large audience, and we need to remember that most of the audience does not go to multiple shows, and does not listen to the broadcasts on RM-this is their one and only show of the year, or maybe for several years, so it is all good for them.

And yes, most artists play roughly the same setlist every concert. That is one of the things that was so special about The Dead, and why fans would take notes during concerts, so they could let others know what was played that particular night.

But to my, mailing it in relates to the energy and effort put into the performance. I have seen a couple of Jimmy's shows that were pretty flat, where he really seemed to be going through the motions. You can certainly tell that when you are in the audience, and it often comes through when just listening.

While I wish there was more variety in the setlist this year, he does seem to be energized and having a great time on stage, so no, I do not think he is mailing it in.

[Dr.Corona]

If Jimmy was "mailing it in" he wouldn't be out there getting guys like Jake, Landreth, Fingers, Ilo, & JOE FREAKIN' PERRY to sit in on his shows. These are some serious talents who add to the show that COULD be carried on without them if he was really "mailing it in".
Plus, from a setlist standpoint....here's what I saw last year:
DTE Energy Music Center - Clarkston, MI
Hot Hot Hot
01 Homemade Music
02 The Tiki Bar Is Open (with Sonny)
03 Fruitcakes
04 Pencil Thin Mustache
05 Miss You So Badly
06 It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
07 Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes (with Jake)
08 Cowboy In The Jungle
09 Brown Eyed Girl
10 Cheeseburger In Paradise
11 One Particular Harbour
12 Come Monday
13 While My Guitar Gently Weeps (just Jake and Robert)
14 Uss Zydecoldsmobile (Sonny, joined by Jimmy)
15 Scarlet Begonias (with Sonny and Jake)
16 Son Of A Son Of A Sailor (with Fingers Taylor)
17 The City (intro by Mac)
18 Volcano
19 Makin' Music For Money (featuring Nadirah and Sonny)
20 School Boy Heart
21 A Pirate Looks At Forty (with Fingers Taylor)
22 Far Side Of The World
23 Southern Cross
24 Margaritaville
First Encore:
25 Fins
26 Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
Second Encore:
27 Tin Cup Chalice (just Jimmy)
And here's what I am expecting this year:
Star Spangled Banner Featuring Jake and Robert
Hot Hot Hot
01 Lage Nom Ai
02 Stars On The Water
03 Summerzcool
04 It's Five O'clock Somewhere
05 Manana
06 Conky Tonkin with Nadirah
07 Changes In Latitudes Changes In Attitudes
08 Volcano featuring Ilo Ferreira
09 Cheeseburger In Paradise
10 Come Monday with the Beach Band
11 Son Of A Son Of A Sailor
12 Brown Eyed Girl
Margaritvision special annoucement with Walter Cronkite
13 One Particular Harbour
14 A Lot to Drink About (Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw Verse)
One Love Video with Jimmy, Jake and Robert
15 My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don't Love Jesus with Jake
16 Pencil Thin Mustache
17 Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit
18 Last Mango In Paris
19 Home Again featuring Ilo Ferreira
20 I Feel Like Goin’ Surfing in a Hurricane
21 Southern Cross
22 Gypsies In The Palace
23 A Pirate Looks At Forty with Jake
24 Margaritaville with the lost verse with Joe Perry (Yes Joe Perry from Aerosmith)
25 Fins
First Encore
26 Scarlet begonias with Jake
27 Yellow Submarine
Second Encore
28 He Went To Paris

That's a nice change from the previous year in my book!
My 2 pennies.

[HD18JBGuy]

Some people claim that there's a Jimmy to blame, but I know, it's our own damn fault.

To quote John Winger: "We’re mutants, there’s something wrong with us, there’s something very, very wrong with us. Something seriously wrong with us."

In other words, each show should be for the people who are in attendance at that show only. Not for the people who listen on RM, and not for the people who check out the setlist after each show. There are plenty of us on BN who go to multiple shows a year, and / or listen to them regularly, but that's not who Jimmy and the band are catering to when they're on stage. I'd bet for most of the people in attendance, it's a once-a-year event at most, and for many it's their first time, and none of them have any idea that their setlist is similar to others on the tour.

They do throw in some gems along the way though, so no, I don't think he's mailing it in. I think some people just expect too much.

You pretty much said what I was thinking too.

Fans like us are certainly a minority at the shows. The majority are those that go to a JB show once a year or every other year and want to hear "Hamburger in Paradise", "Pinacolodaville", and "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Hump". They probably can't identify too many more songs other than the "Yellow Album" stuff, and that is fine. After all, those are the songs that made him so popular. It's nut jobs like us that really get into the lesser heard songs and learn to love and appreciate those.

That being said, I am usually fine with the setlist. I do agree and wish that he would change it up a little more from show to show, but I won't complain too much. We did get Stars on the Water and Manana, which are two nice additions this year.

Yellow Submarine anyone?

[fabduo]

OK I'll be the first to admit this. I really like some of the Yellow Album songs and would miss them if they weren't played. Come Monday is still one of my all time favorites.

I know what you mean...

I was SHOCKED that Jimmy did not play 'Why Don't We Get Drunk' this year.

He kinda eliminated that one last year -I don't miss it at all
Please do not eliminate A Pirate Looks at Forty!!!!

[TwelveVoltMan]

OK I'll be the first to admit this. I really like some of the Yellow Album songs and would miss them if they weren't played. Come Monday is still one of my all time favorites.

I know what you mean...

I was SHOCKED that Jimmy did not play 'Why Don't We Get Drunk' this year.

He kinda eliminated that one last year -I don't miss it at all

I know he did...But I would rather hear that song any day over Yellow Submarine.

[alphabits]

Jimmy's mailing it in?
Did he send it via USPS? UPS? Fedex?
Because I don't think I've received "it" yet.
Just checked my mailbox and "it" wasn't there.
UPS and Fedex deliver later in the day so maybe they have "it".
How much do you suppose the shipping charge is for "it".
Geez, I hope he didn't send it COD.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

To answer the question, no, I don't think Jimmy is mailing it in. And I agree with an earlier post: to me, "mailing it in" refers to the performance, not the set list.

Now, to address the ongoing Yellow Album controversy, people should take a look at the *54* page Irvine set list thread from April 2006: http://buffettnews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=47462. By most accounts, the show *rocked*. I listened on RM that night and would put it among the best shows I've heard. After all the positive comments someone noted that JB played the Yellow Album that night. The ENTIRE Yellow Album. IMHO, SYKBH gets a bad rap it doesn't deserve. It's an album full of great songs.

[HD18JBGuy]

To answer the question, no, I don't think Jimmy is mailing it in. And I agree with an earlier post: to me, "mailing it in" refers to the performance, not the set list.

Now, to address the ongoing Yellow Album controversy, people should take a look at the *54* page Irvine set list thread from April 2006: http://buffettnews.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=47462. By most accounts, the show *rocked*. I listened on RM that night and would put it among the best shows I've heard. After all the positive comments someone noted that JB played the Yellow Album that night. The ENTIRE Yellow Album. IMHO, SYKBH gets a bad rap it doesn't deserve. It's an album full of great songs.

I agree with you completely. I think it is the recurring nature of the songs that people get annoyed with, being that they get played so much. For some people that go to a lot of shows every year, some might think they are over played and would prefer to hear variety.

That is my stance. I don't dislike any of the "Yellow Album" songs, I have just heard them so often that I would prefer to hear something different. That's all.

On the flip side, I think it would be pretty disappointing for a "casual fan", who makes up the majority of ticket sales at the big shows, to not hear most of the Yellow Album songs. Kind of like going to a Lynard Skynard concert and not hearing "Freebird" and "Sweet Home Alabama". That would just s***.

[MacPhin]

i went back and looked at the set list for GW for that year and i recall that being a great concert. The fact that he did the SYKBH with some new ones ( Werewolves of London and Dixie Chicken )was awesome! i went nuts that concert. some guy in his early 20's couldn't believe how much of a "danc'in fool i was at my age!" i replied that :this is noth'in!!"

i like most sets but could do without WDWGDS or cheesseburger but i realize he has to play them. it gives me time for a bathroom, drink or swag buying break.

[RinglingRingling]

OK I'll be the first to admit this. I really like some of the Yellow Album songs and would miss them if they weren't played. Come Monday is still one of my all time favorites.

I know what you mean...

I was SHOCKED that Jimmy did not play 'Why Don't We Get Drunk' this year.

He kinda eliminated that one last year -I don't miss it at all

I know he did...But I would rather hear that song any day over Yellow Submarine.

that and the cover of Rocky Raccoon.

We talked about this a bit in Cinci on Thurs. The idea that floated over several beers and rum and tequila: "If there is one venue where Jimmy could afford to say, 'this year, we are going deep in the catalogue. No half-a$$ed covers like "Rainy Day Woman", or "Yellow Submarine", or "Southern Cross". No more than 3 yellow-album songs, and if the folks who climbed on the bandwagon after Alan Jackson plucked me from relative obscurity don't like it.. they can get over it. And buy more of my albums' it is Cinci."

Last year's show there was incredible. This year, it was mostly fail. It started well, but after the intermission tape of "One Love" that extended itself as the first song of the second set, it was mostly, "feh".

Thinking that while the tailgates are still fun with the air of a "family reunion, costume barbeques; All the black sheep, family outcasts, and a freak or two ", the concerts are almost anti-climactic.

[dchspoptart]

Not every band does this... I've been to 3 Dave Matthews Band concerts this year and had 3 different set lists (different songs, different order, etc.) for each show. Just sayin'...

[HD18JBGuy]

Not every band does this... I've been to 3 Dave Matthews Band concerts this year and had 3 different set lists (different songs, different order, etc.) for each show. Just sayin'...

I am a big DM fan as well and I agree with you...it is nice to see so much change from show to show from an artist. I have gone to back to back DMB shows at Alpine and got treated to a completely different setlist. It will be interesting to see what, if anything changes for JB from 8/8 to 8/15 in Illinois.

We need to remember though that JB also has 20 years on DM and probably has trouble remembering old stuff he hasn't done in a while. As much as he butchers some of the same songs he plays all summer long, can you imagine if he needed to do a whole new set list every couple of days. Train wreck!

[surfpirate]

I'd simply love it if he'd keep the same generic set lists we come to know/love/hate but would sing them many of them more "70s style" ........... no SALT-SALT-SALT ....... and *sing* the song ... don't *SHOUT* out specific words in the lyrics ("ran into a CHUM with a bottle of RUM".

Sure ... switch a few lyrics around to make local crowd pleasing references .... but for the love of (insert your preferred deity here) ....... stay true to the original album version I originally fell in love with and not the SHOUTING/TALKING concert versions of late.

[Seas in my veins]

I'm easy, I could careless what he plays. He is getting me to travel, meet new people and have a damn good time tailgating. The concerts are just the icing on the cake

[dchspoptart]

Not every band does this... I've been to 3 Dave Matthews Band concerts this year and had 3 different set lists (different songs, different order, etc.) for each show. Just sayin'...

I am a big DM fan as well and I agree with you...it is nice to see so much change from show to show from an artist. I have gone to back to back DMB shows at Alpine and got treated to a completely different setlist. It will be interesting to see what, if anything changes for JB from 8/8 to 8/15 in Illinois.

We need to remember though that JB also has 20 years on DM and probably has trouble remembering old stuff he hasn't done in a while. As much as he butchers some of the same songs he plays all summer long, can you imagine if he needed to do a whole new set list every couple of days. Train wreck!

Definitely true. I realize that Jimmy's got a few years on Dave and crew, but it would be nice if there were more variety between concerts... Or at least change positions of songs...

[TwelveVoltMan]

Not every band does this... I've been to 3 Dave Matthews Band concerts this year and had 3 different set lists (different songs, different order, etc.) for each show. Just sayin'...

I am a big DM fan as well and I agree with you...it is nice to see so much change from show to show from an artist. I have gone to back to back DMB shows at Alpine and got treated to a completely different setlist. It will be interesting to see what, if anything changes for JB from 8/8 to 8/15 in Illinois.

We need to remember though that JB also has 20 years on DM and probably has trouble remembering old stuff he hasn't done in a while. As much as he butchers some of the same songs he plays all summer long, can you imagine if he needed to do a whole new set list every couple of days. Train wreck!

Dave has like 8 albums, he is not changing it up that much and IMO changing the order of the songs doesn't matter much. It's still the same songs in the set list.

Dave does change it up more than Jimmy when he plays 2 nights in a row. I will give him that. However he plays a very similar set list at all the one night stops.

[buffettbride]

Not only is he mailing it in, sometimes he doesn't even include the postage.