StarDestroyer.Net BBS

There are a number of bands/singers who, after starting live concerts, chose one or two songs which they will then always play to start and/or finish their concerts. I.E Robbie Williams always opens with "Let Me Entertain You", while Queen finished with "We Are the Champions" and "God Save the Queen".

What are your favourite concert openers and finishers, and is their any perticular reason for them?

I don't know how often Queen opened with One Vision, but having listened to the Live at Wembly CD, I think it makes a great opening song with the low mermering buildup acting almost like a countdown until the guitar kicks in and starts the show.

As far as I know, none of the musicians I listen to have set openers and closers. Most of them open with a song off their latest album and end on one of the fan favourite songs. Actually, now that I think about it, Metallica in recent years has always (afaik) ended with Enter Sandman which is their signature song. And that's all I can really think of, I'll sleep on it and see if I can remember anything else...

I can think of two others which probably do have set finishers. I believe The Who finish with Won't Get Fooled Again, while at the Meatloaf concert I went to he finished with Pardise, I'd do anything and Bat out of Hell. I'm reasonably confident in guessing that at the very least, Bat is his standard finisher.

KISS concerts always start best with either Deuce or Detroit Rock City, although the few tours they kicked the show off with Creatures Of The Night worked quite well too.

Things always have to wrap up with a guitar smashing, confetti snowstorm performance of Rock n' Roll All Nite. Laws of physics be damned, this is what holds the universe together .

Iron Maiden always seem to start with the lead off single from whatever album they're promoting on any given tour, then finish with the rather boring self-titled track from their debut. I've always thought Hallowed Be Thy Name would be a much more dramatic set closer.

Judas Priest shows *must* start with The Hellion/Electric Eye and finish with Living After Midnight. It doesn't matter what else they play in between.

When I saw Alice Cooper a month or so ago, he kicked off with Department Of Youth and finished with School's Out. Would have been much better the other way around if you ask me, but no-one did...

DD

Every Lynyrd Skynyrd concert ends with a 15-or-so minute rendition of Freebird. 'nuff said.

Motorhead finisher with,,, you guessed it, Ace of Spades.

Found it funny when Lemmy asked the crowd "What do you want us to play next?"

and someone shouted "ACE OF SPADES!"

he replied "We'll play that later you fucking idiot, now give a proper answer."

Silverchair regularly opened with "Israel's Son", which is good, because when they played their set, it was the only song of theirs I really wanted to hear live, so after that, I just wandered back out of the mosh pit.