Hungry?

But that's where I think you're wrong. The set list is only up for everyone to see because fans communicate via the internet now. The instant ability to have information allows us to see what the set list is sometimes within an hour of the band leaving the stage, sometimes less. Before the internet, the information wasn't just "out there" for all to see. So, as a fan, I think it's cool that I can follow the band on tour and see the set lists and hear people's experiences... But, there's no surprise. There's no excitement. There's no walking into a show and just being prepared to have a goodtime. If you know previous setlists, you're going in with a prejudice. Your show is either better or worse than another city's show and that absolutely affects how much you enjoy the show - because you have a gauge to compare it to. Before the internet and before it was so easy to share this info, that wasn't the case. It's the standard Catch-22. The internet is a great source of information but sometimees, the information is overload. If you dont' want to be disappointed by the setlist, stop reading other set lists. You're setting yourself up for disappointment. It's inevitable.

But then again, there's much more to a show than the set list. Just by hearing people complain about Keep The Faith (we got the animal jungle noises, we got the 'boom boom', we got Sympathy For The Devil) its obvious that the same songs might be unique depending upon which show you go to. The interaction with the crowd plays a part. The crowd themselves play a part. There's so much more to a concert than a set list - and if you only read the set list, it's like claiming a beautiful home is crap because you don't like the blueprints (regardless of whether you've visted the land upon which it is built, the manner in which its decorated...) It's not rotisserie baseball that relies on stats only.

i see your point but it still doesn't excuse the fact that it is nearly the same setlist that has been played for the last 3 years. i have heard reviews from people not over the internet who don't frequent sites such as this who've said the same things.

"I have heard" - same thing. Internet, text messaging, e-mail, phone conversations... fans are sharing, on a more intense and prolific level, the set lists among each other. I maintain the belief that, as wonderful as an online community of fans CAN be, the flow of information sometimes can ruin an experience. If you didnt' know what other shows were like you wouldn't be disappointed. But now that the information is out there, it going to lead some people to set their expectations to a certain level and when the band doesn't live up to those expectations (or in some cases, declarations that border on demands) they will be disappointed. And there's so much ****ing anger inherent in all this - that's what I don't get. It's so nasty. There's so much other stuff under the surface... but that's another topic for another thesis.

no, these people i'm referring to don't happen to be particularly hardcore fans. they probably still think jon is the band. they go to the gigs based on crossroad and crush alone and don't have contact with other bon jovi fans other than myself. if they say it's all the same, there's problems.

OK, but if they're going to gigs based on CrossRoad and CRUSH only, then they don't know enough Bon Jovi music to complain that Bon Jovi didn't play enough of their catalogue. Which is worse - a fan that only knows 2 albums and complains the band didn't play enough (when a nice chunk of the 2 albums they know have been played, especially over the last 3 years) or the fan who knows everything and complains the band's not mixing it up enough, even though they haven't been to any shows lately but are basing this on setlists they read on line?

exactly why Ive been avoiding set lists since the start of the tour, sure Ive heard people moaning, but Ive not taken any notice of that / or the songs they are moaning about

The way I see it, unless you go to every single concert then why complain?
ie people were complaining about Spanish setlists, but those people werent there, so what effect does it have on them? Their bootlegs will sound the same maybe?

Thank you! You may not like me either but that's my point! What's the point of dissecting set lists if you're not there! And you probably have a good alternative reasoning - people pissed that their bootlegs will all sound the same! Excellent point.

it's also there to see because when you queue up you can hear all the other fans talking about what was played at other shows, often they have setlists with them they've been given from the stage, newspaper reviews tell you of set lists

so it's not just the internet no

No, it's not just the internet but you have to admit - the world before the internet and the world after the internet... it's a drastic change. A fan in Finland would not have access to the newspaper reviews in Germany - and certainly not within the short turnaround time we have now.

Even so, newspapers don't post the full set list - hardly ever. In fact, if we've seen anything from some of the recent reviews, it's obviously they hardly know the songs other than the major hits. Some city reported they did the "classic" song OLDER (it's just, but classic?) and another place reported they did it, when they didn't. These writers are just getting copies of a set list and lifting info off that... A ha! Maybe that's it. Maybe the set lists are just a baiting tactic to filter out the crap music writers. I still think, go to the show, form an opinion. If you're going in with a pre-set disposition, there's too much of a chance that something, anything, will disappoint you if it's not the ideal image of what you want at the perfect Bon Jovi concert you've dreamed of.

i agree before internet things were better yes, but one of the best shows i saw was Oostend and based wholly on the setlist. It was a short show, no screams, jon didn't push himself, but just a few changes to the set and omission of some of the lesser-quality songs made it better

and i knew it was a good show based on the set because i knew how some of the previous shows on the tour (may have been good... but) had very basic sets

w-ton the other night was a basic set and a basic show/performance... may have been in a good mood but that alone doesn't make a show good