Dear Alter Bridge, please shake things up live

[chtimixeur]

I've seen many people complain about the recent setlists ebing too Blackbird oriented, so I thought about opening a new thread, in hope that the band may finally take notice.

Here I go :

"Dear Alter Bridge,
you are a great studio band.
But live ? Things could be better...
Why is that ?
Well, you've basically been playing the same setlist for 6 years.
I've got news for you : Blackbird was released in 2007, and you don't have to promote it anymore !
On this recent tour, you've played 8 Blackbird songs each night, while Fortress generally gets 4 or 5 songs tops.

You have recently adressed the speed issues : fans had been complaining about songs being played too fast, and it took you a few years to listen to them. But in the end, it's all good, since you've slowed things down and a become a better live band in the mean time.

So PLEASE get rid of a few Blackbird songs. We've all heard Before Tomorrow Comes, Rise Today and Come to Life too much over the years, and it's time to shake things up a bit, isn't it ?

I'm asking you guys respectfully :
Please take some risks.
Please stop playing it safe each night when you have die hard fans following you on multiple dates.

Your shows will improve, you'll probably have more fun on stage, and I can assure you you'll please your fanbase more than you can imagine.

As you said in Ties That Bind :

The risk is worth the gain
It's worth the sacrifice

Note to TABN members : if you agree with this, just add a reply to this thread. I guess it's the only way the band will take notice.

[Ubik]

Signed, Ubik.

[austinjhnsn]

I agree.

[DonHarry]

so I thought about opening a new thread, in hope that the band may finally take notice.

They don't read the forums, thankfully.

[uctalum01]

so I thought about opening a new thread, in hope that the band may finally take notice.

They don't read the forums, thankfully.

[SHEAKENBAKEN]

so I thought about opening a new thread, in hope that the band may finally take notice.

They don't read the forums, thankfully.

but they all have accounts made for them on the forums Although they haven't logged on since it was made for them . If you have any hopes of them seeing something like this; post it on their FB page or Tweet them a smaller version.

[Will]

facebook is your best bet... or even Twitter.

[Will]

The problem with these request are that for all the people wanting them to drop Blackbird songs there is another group of people who wants to hear them.

[Timotheus]

Signed, Timo.

The problem with these request are that for all the people wanting them to drop Blackbird songs there is another group of people who wants to hear them.

So they have to choose between the group that's excited about the new album and wants to hear the new songs live, or the group that wants them to play an album they've released 6 years ago over and over again (on the promotional tour of the new album)? Seems like an easy choice to me..

It's not like we want them to drop all Blackbird tracks. They're doing 7-8 now.. That can easily become 5-6 or even less. You have to stay relevant as a band in order to survive.

[Andy92]

It's not like we want them to drop all Blackbird tracks. They're doing 7-8 now.. That can easily become 5-6 or even less. You have to stay relevant as a band in order to survive.

While I kind of agree with you, it's not like their recent European crowds have indicated the band is having a hard time bringing people to shows.

[AllC392Was]

Dear Alter Bridge,

You are my favorite band. I will always support everything that you guys do (as a band) until the day y'll break up. But I have some quirks that I think should be resolved… Here they are

1.Ditch Slash
2.Ditch Creed
3.When AB is done touring just focus on Solo stuff
4.Stop play Before Tomorrow Comes… or tomorrow will never come
5.Play Peace is Broken, fans would gravitate towards that song
6.Move back to center stage
7.Play fucking WDTTW and sing the shit out of that high note at the end
8.Hire someone who is better at show lighting.. honestly
9.Come to Georgia on your US tour

Sincerely,
Chris/C3/C3PO/AllC392Was

[Ubik]

I've just found it odd they don't seem to want to really embrace the new material. They talked about how this stuff was written to be played live, yet they've not played the title track all tour long so that they can basically keep a couple more Blackbird tracks in the set. They're now willing to drop Slip to the Void though. Doesn't make much sense to me.

[AllC392Was]

Myles has the final say in what gets played

[Timotheus]

It's not like we want them to drop all Blackbird tracks. They're doing 7-8 now.. That can easily become 5-6 or even less. You have to stay relevant as a band in order to survive.

While I kind of agree with you, it's not like their recent European crowds have indicated the band is having a hard time bringing people to shows.

I think that's 1. because of a really loyal fanbase, 2. Because a lot of people found out about AB quite recently (thanks to Slash/Kings of Chaos/Tremonti/Creed) and 3. Because they've got a reputation of being a good live band.

I bought a ticket to their show in Brussels because they were hyping the new album, saying they couldn't wait to play the new songs and I genuinely believed them.

[RuRo]

While I'd have loved to see more Fortress songs (or a more varied selection of their older songs), this type of condescending, overly critical "letter" will rightfully be ignored if passed on to someone in the band via twitter or whatever. I know that by your standards this is the "toned down" version, but the reality is no one in the band is going to put any stock in something which opens with "but as a live band, things could be better..." In order for someone to listen to criticism and recommendations like that they need to respect you, and there are so many people being criticial of musicians on the internet that I can guarantee they do not respect you enough to do anything but dismiss your criticisms.

I don't think trying to message them on twitter or facebook will change their setlists at all, but if it was possible the only way I could see it working would be by getting a lot of people to agree with a message more like "We love Fortress and would love to see more of it live, please play more of it for us." Something positive, not something negative.

[austinjhnsn]

Yeah that^

[Suvi]

While I'd have loved to see more Fortress songs (or a more varied selection of their older songs), this type of condescending, overly critical "letter" will rightfully be ignored if passed on to someone in the band via twitter or whatever. I know that by your standards this is the "toned down" version, but the reality is no one in the band is going to put any stock in something which opens with "but as a live band, things could be better..." In order for someone to listen to criticism and recommendations like that they need to respect you, and there are so many people being criticial of musicians on the internet that I can guarantee they do not respect you enough to do anything but dismiss your criticisms.

I don't think trying to message them on twitter or facebook will change their setlists at all, but if it was possible the only way I could see it working would be by getting a lot of people to agree with a message more like "We love Fortress and would love to see more of it live, please play more of it for us." Something positive, not something negative.

I agree totally!

[Ubik]

Was a pretty fairly balanced post to my eyes, and the mentioning of the tempo point was a good one - plenty of people have been complaining about that for ages. They've now slowed it down and they're sounding better live than they have in years. People aren't complaining for its own sake, we just think if they addressed this, they would get even better as a live band.

[anguyen92]

I don't think trying to message them on twitter or facebook will change their setlists at all, but if it was possible the only way I could see it working would be by getting a lot of people to agree with a message more like "We love Fortress and would love to see more of it live, please play more of it for us." Something positive, not something negative.

Agreed with this statement. In fact, we are all wanting the band to play the title track so much, but we can't just simply say something along the lines of, "Ditch some Blackbird stuff for the Fortress title track, damnit!!!!" I can say that statement around you guys and all, but I really can't say that to the band's social media outlets. That seems a little too rude and condescending to say.

I, however, would state that, "I think it would be really nice if you guys play the Fortress title track. It's a great song that's a great representation of you guys and if you guys try it out and nail it, it will get over to the live crowd. I guaran-damn-tee it."

[Jim]

Hmm..

I 60% agree with this i suppose. The large amount of Blackbird doesn't bother me so much, as I genuinely love the songs.

In support of this subject; 30 Seconds To Mars released Love, Lust, Faith & Dreams in 2013.. Their setlist looks like -

Birth (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)
Night Of The Hunter (This Is War)
Search And Destroy (This Is War)
Conquistador (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)
Do Or Die (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)
- Depuis Debut (acrobatic performance interlude) (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)
End Of All Days (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)
City Of Angels (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)
- Pyres Of Varanasi (acrobatic performance interlude) (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)

Acoustic Set:
Attack (A Beautiful Lie)
From Yesterday (A Beautiful Lie)
Alibi (This Is War)
Hurricane (This Is War)
The Kill (A Beautiful Lie)

Closer To The Edge (This Is War)
Kings And Queens (This Is War)
The Race (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)
Stay (Rihanna Cover)
Up In The Air (Love Lust Faith And Dreams)

Of the 19 performances (17 songs); 9 of them were from the newest album. In support of it, on the tour promoting it.