Since not all people are inclined to read the comments section, I’m going to post this interview from the Johnstown’s Community Newspaper. Thanks Wally.
“I’m totally myself on stage. It’s me, but it’s an amplified version of me. It is essentially me turned up to 11.”
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“It’s that world of the singer-songwriter falling into a rock and roll capacity — like what Jeff Tweedy has with Wilco. You write a song and then it turns into a much bigger thing.”
Guess this is one reason why I love them both.
TIS failed to capture the live magic that GPN possesses, exudes and was discussed by Grace herself in this article. I know it was “acclaimed” by some critics, but for fans it seemed to fall flat. It appeared to be a weird dichotomy of the band’s material w/a shiny over-produced feel. I don’t think those two elements mix well. Or at least I prefer these cats dirtier. I hope the new album is able demonstrate more of what this band has to offer and why folks catch their shows. Not road testing songs scares me, though. Well, that, and the fact that of the three new tunes I’ve heard, I only liked Medicine. The GPN live thing has ebbed for me too, as their set list doesn’t change much. Ahh…the days of Over Again, Arms Length, Every Mile >> Delta, Long Way To Go, Take It All Away, Belladonna, Joey>> Joy>> Joey, Ragged, Ticket, Dig Deep Down, etc… I wish they would still get sprinkled in w/the newer material.
I’ve always preferred GPN live- sure, I buy the CD’s, but spend lots more on tickets to catch live shows. Over Again is definetly a favorite of mine and I’m waiting to hear that one come back out to play for sure. I did ask Matt about hearing that one again specifically and he did say he’d see about getting that and some of the others back in rotation as Cat and Benny expand their knowledge of the back catalog. Hope it happens . . .
Have had the concert set lists discussion about other artists and I always end up with the same thoughts.
The number of fans who are either lucky enough to make it to multiple shows is small.
Those of us who regularly make use of resources like Archive.org is also relatively small.
What may seem repetitious to some of us is fresh music for many others who may be going to a show for the first time . . or be completely new ears just learning about the band.
Also, like it or not, music has a business element and selling CDs is part of that. The songs played at concerts hopefully encourages album sales and people will be looking for what they heard at their show. Seems to make sense that the set list would reflect the CDs that are still available and can be easily found.
As to TIS . . I love the album . . it was my first introduction to GPN.
NBTW was next and love those songs . . same for Original Soul when got that one. The earlier album is not available so don’t know.
Now I do listen to the live sets from Archive more often . . especially ones of shows I attended. To me that’s just part of the evolution from discovery to “fan.” People I’ve introduced to GPN still start with TIS as a rule.
What’s next ? . . who knows . . but I don’t expect artists as young as these talented musicians to forgo exploring possibilities and I’m curious and excited to see what’s next.
I think those who discovered GPN @ the time TIS came out have a different perspective than those of us who have followed them closely from an earlier point in time (such as myself). Not to say one perspective is right or wrong. They’re just different. Of course set-lists are at least partially about record sales, and I wouldn’t expect them to play all their older material. It just would be nice if their sets were a little more varied. Maybe when they’re big enough to warrant it, they’ll do “An Evening With” tour like MMJ and play their whole damn catalog. That would be cool.