Roxy Music Live - S/D

Should we post setlists? I'm kind of hoping it will be a surprise, but understand others may not feel the same way ...

I mean, I'm going to look it up whether it's posted here or not. but I would be shocked if the set list was remarkably different from the last time they toured. there's no new material, obviously. and this is a farewell tour of sorts, so you kind of know what you're going to get.

just look it up on setlist.fm

I got a copy of tonight's setlist... they're just going to jam on "Bitters End" for 75 minutes and then leave the stage one by one.

Encore: "The Paw-Paw Negro Blowtorch".

https://preview.redd.it/v84sdc8ivcy71.png?width=613&format=png&auto=webp&s=24d68106b19d43822c89e2da7539f9492fd1a42f

you kind of know what you're going to get.

I don’t. I’ve never seen them, never seen Ferry, never even looked up past setlists. I’m looking forward to going in not knowing what they’ll play.

One Word: "Sultanesque".

Interesting setlist - a lot of stuff from the two Eno albums, a lot of stuff from Avalon, and only a handful from in-between! I wonder if they're going to change it up with each show?

I was pleased with the Avalon representation but no “Take a Chance With Me” or “True To Life” which I def was hoping to hear tonight

regardless, fantastic show, Bryan can’t hit the high notes anymore but they can all still put on a hell of a show

I’m vicariously checking this thread for reports/set lists, although realizing that some wouldn’t want those lists to spoil their surprise. I do think that, given Ferry’s perfectionism, the sets won’t change much, if at all, on the tour. They’re not The Grateful Dead.

Setlist.fm has Toronto's set list up if you want spoilers.

Cool! Thx

who is playing bass? fingers crossed for Michael Dempsey! (i know this is not real likely)

could it be Neil Jason?

My hubby , producer ,bass player #neiljason arriving in my hometown #toronto ,kicking off the 50th anniversarrytour #roxymusic #bryanferry #scotiabankarena https://t.co/7fzAZthqnk

— Brigitte Zarie (@brigittezarie) September 2, 2022

wow, that's actually pretty cool that it's someone with Roxy history rather than an anonymous session guy - Michael Dempsey wasn't too wild a guess after all!

well, a session guy with Roxy history shall we say

A quick glance confirms it's largely the same setlist as the last time they were here, but there are enough changes/surprises in there that make me excited.

I'd kind of been hoping for the return of Guy Pratt on bass, but I think he's out with Nick Mason.

I was curious to see which Roxy album tracks have never been played live:

Bitters End
Sunset
Triptych
End of the Line
Could It Happen To Me?
Just Another High (!)
My Little Girl
Spin Me Round
The Midnight Hour
No Strange Delight
The Space Between
True to Life

Least-played songs: "Cry Cry Cry" (once), "Running Wild" (twice).

Deservedly.

All of them? I always thought "Just Another High" was an anthem. And I'd much rather hear any of those unplayed ballads than "Jealous Guy" again.

No, "Cry Cry Cry" and "Running Wild."

"Just Another High" *is* an anthem imo, I played it repeatedly through several romantic breakups. It's one of my favorite Roxy songs, and among my favorites by anyone ever.

Yeah, "Just Another High" could make my top ten Roxy tracks. And yeah, it is a great breakup song - it got picked out as one (or as an "anti-love" song) on this Sound Opinions episode called "Love Stinks":

https://www.soundopinions.org/show/11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoQ0TT-uG8

The genius of Roxy Music sounding so ahead of their time is that even as old farts they don't sound like old farts.

I wish I had floor seats - visually that looks f-ing cool

Yeah wow, what a production. And the everyone-take-a-solo section was spot on, down to Eno's synth squawks.

damn they sound awesome.. I'm going to see them in London btw if anyone wants to FAP!

I watched the performance of "More Than This" last night - they've dropped the key nearly an octave from G♭ to A♭, and Ferry could still barely get the notes out. Almost as sad as Gordon Lightfoot.

Yah MTT sounds rough as hell... also they have two drummers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcD-UAMlSB0

I wondered that, but I assume the other guy is mostly a percussionist who spends a lot of time propping up the more muscular parts of Paul Thompson's playing. Like when Pink Floyd reunited and Gary Wallis was supporting Nick Mason.

Just a heads up: Paul Thompson said on a Facebook comment that the setlist will change nightly.

Intriguing!

1. I'm psyched for 9/12, despite a.) I saw BF in 2018 at the Beacon Theatre (a venue like MSG that I would rather never have to go into for the rest of my life) and his voice is blown the fuck out and so it does bug me that for this reason the songs are often in keys that don't sound good to me and b.) if the band plays "Oh yeah" Monday, as he did at the Beacon in 2018, instead of almost any song from Country Life, Stranded or Siren, that will be disappointing, as it is the shittiest hit song they ever had, second only without any qualification to "Cry Cry Cry."

2. Someone at Livenation has mistaken this band for Eric Clapton or Springsteem, in that at no time, not even in 1982, could this band put a reasonable amount of asses in seats at MSG, and thus this individual should be fearing for their job. I got my ticket weds for $103, which is BAD NEWS for Livenation, and my friend in Toronto said that it was less than half full by his reckoning. But Ferry's management has no excuse for not understanding the touring market, as he tours the US every year: apparently, there was a belief that the S/T 50th anniversary and the Avalon 40th were a sufficient pretext for the band doing well at MSG or any other arena in major metropolitan areas in the U.S. Which is fucking insane.

yeah, there were a lot of empty seats on Weds night, I would say 2/3rds at most but I'm prob being generous

Decided to buy tickets yesterday for the DC tonight. Lots of mid-tier seats available for $50 each or so.

Mid-tier tix here still seem kind of pricy. Anything in the 200-level or above is at least $125, plus fees (so, like, more like $200?). Even the nosebleeds are hovering at $85 through Ticketmaster.

I saw Steely Dan once at the United Center here many years back, and it seemed half-full. But then I did the math and couldn't figure out a practical solution. "Half-full" at the United Center is close to 11,000, so to seat that many people would probably require multiple nights at a smaller venue (the places Ferry typically plays, say), which is not really practical for most big touring acts/productions. Of course, a smaller venue could have justified the ticket prices, but I also wonder how much ego is involved here. Then again, for sure Roxy Music is getting/has already gotten paid, so you're right, it's likely Live Nation that's losing out.

Something I am factoring in is that it seems unlikely Ferry will sound *better* several nights into the tour, but I guess you never know.

I checked out of curiosity and by contrast the cheapest seats at MSG are currently $273+ each, with lots of availability.

I'd pay $100 or so if it included fees, but no way would I pay $200 for shitty seats to this. Of course, I can currently get nosebleeds on the secondary market for $50, and I suspect a lot of those seats are just the venue/artist "reselling" tickets themselves.

Nosebleed isn't available for MSG on Ticketmaster; the $273 seats are some of the good seats but that's still an exorbitant amount for most peoples' budgets for the 2022 version of Roxy.

StubHub has nosebleeds in Chicago for $32. Main floor and first section are still around $200, but we're also 10 days out.

Yeah, I think the $32 is before fees (which even secondary market has). So it comes out closer to $50, iirc.

FWIW, it's been reported that they're closing the nosebleeds at some shows and upgrading ticketholders in those sections to lower tiers like the 100 section. So there's a chance that a nosebleed ticket will actually get bumped to a much better seat the day of the show.

Also, I saw Bryan Ferry in 2019 and I thought he was great. He did do "More Than This," but I honestly couldn't remember if he changed the key. I imagine he must have, so I checked - key was actually higher, but what made it work then was that he turned the high parts into a two-part harmony between him and a female vocalist, so Ferry was able to sing lower while the more familiar higher notes were sung by someone else. He still has the back-up singers on this tour so curious as to why he didn't keep that arrangement.

Upgrading at some Roxy shows specifically?

I guess it depends, but in Toronto they closed the 300s and two different ticketholders who bought tickets in that section confirmed they were upgraded to the 100s.

Maybe someone who's more familiar with venue logistics will know for sure, but I imagine they'd rather close down floors and have less to deal with than spreading the audience thinly across a venue.

The first time I saw Roxy Music, on the first reunion tour, they had actually curtained off about a third of the arena. I've seen other shows like that, where they sort of carve out a smaller space.

ugh i don't begrudge others getting their ticket upgraded but i actually paid full price for a 100-level ticket