NMA - The antithesis to a greatest hits tour

[Magnus]

I thought about it the other day when I bought tickets to the Levellers tour. Nothing bad about the Levellers, they are super (especially live), but still, imagine that NMA would present a greatest hits tour. It's strange just to think about it :-) I remember when I saw Saxon last time (some year) ago, after two or three songs people were screaming for Crusader and Princess Of The Night, Biff (the lead singer) responded a bit laconic; People, you gotta earn those songs.

For me, when i go see NMA, i want the new stuff. On this tour some of the highlights for me were the opening with Guessing, BDAW and Devil's Bargain and some other quite new songs. It's unique for a band that's been playing for over 30 years, to be able to play new stuff and make many of us (the fans) love it. It's great to hear Family or White Coats, but i find myself just waiting for the shivers i get from March In September and now also Angry Planet (gotta love that song).

[Pol]

Yes this is what makes nma the best band ever Sure i still love to hear some of the older classic's like everyone else.
For me personally i like to think of the newer songs from being anything from carnival onwards There are very few if any bands that have been going as long that can still tour a new album and play nearly all of the songs from it and the crowd will still love it.

[Amandistan]

Greatest hits tours are usually done for bands who care mainly about money. At least from my perspective.

[Master Ray]

I also agree about how I'm more interested in the new stuff when it comes to NMA... but what if the band in question have new stuff that isn't very good and no-one is interested in it?

I remember The Cult a couple of years ago, and I love that band but let's face it, the recent stuff ain't their best.  They overloaded the set with stuff that folks didn't wanna hear... and then Mr Astbury announced he was stopping the gig to show us 'a film I made when I was in Thailand' or some such bollocks, I can't remember his exact words... yet they couldn't be arsed to play 'Lil Devil'!  It was an amusing moment when the newer stuff wasn't going down too well and Astbury said 'we have made some records since 1992, you know?' and someone shouted out 'yeah, but it's all shit...' 

Don't get me started about Smashing Pumpkins a few years ago in Manchester...

Bottom line, for me?  A band should know exactly how good the stuff they are peddling is.  If they're going through the motions with an album that isn't going down too well, accept it and sprinkle the stuff you really want to play with the 'hits'. People will be far more responsive and, who knows, get interested in it?  It's all about a well-thought out set list.

A band does not have the right to exist and to have fans.  Fortunately, I don't think NMA will ever have that problem...

[paul74]

reminds me of maiden when they first played sonisphere a couple of years ago - all of the festival expecting a maiden greatest hits headline set yet they played almost all of their latest final frontier album I think it was - dreadful end to a decent weekend - basically we're maiden and we're playing this totally misunderstanding the festival crowd - which is where NMA get things so right - yes with each new album we expect the new album stuff but it's the fact that they can play any of their previous 200+ songs and the crowd will love it - archway towers last year to give one such example.

I'm off to the leveller's greatest hits gig in many and whilst it will be ok I am not looking forward to it as much as their previous gigs - hope I'm wrong!

[Pol]

For me the cults beyond good and evil is a well decent lp.
I've enjoyed gigs by the damned and slf in recent  years but for most of crowd its a nostalgia trip where the bands only play one or two songs less than 30 years old. I feel a bit sorry for some of these bands. I bet the guy that shouted out the cults new songs were shit hadn't even listened to their newer stuff.

[Guillaume]

I guess NMA will do their Greatest Hits Tour when it will be the time for their Farewell Tour  

[Bill B]

I thought about it the other day when I bought tickets to the Levellers tour. Nothing bad about the Levellers, they are super (especially live), but still, imagine that NMA would present a greatest hits tour. It's strange just to think about it :-) I remember when I saw Saxon last time (some year) ago, after two or three songs people were screaming for Crusader and Princess Of The Night, Biff (the lead singer) responded a bit laconic; People, you gotta earn those songs.

For me, when i go see NMA, i want the new stuff. On this tour some of the highlights for me were the opening with Guessing, BDAW and Devil's Bargain and some other quite new songs. It's unique for a band that's been playing for over 30 years, to be able to play new stuff and make many of us (the fans) love it. It's great to hear Family or White Coats, but i find myself just waiting for the shivers i get from March In September and now also Angry Planet (gotta love that song).

Great post Magnus...with you all the way on everything you say here

[Pazza]

For me the cults beyond good and evil is a well decent lp.
I've enjoyed gigs by the damned and slf in recent  years but for most of crowd its a nostalgia trip where the bands only play one or two songs less than 30 years old. I feel a bit sorry for some of these bands. I bet the guy that shouted out the cults new songs were shit hadn't even listened to their newer stuff.

I do t feel sorry for bands in that position at all, it's like Field of Dreams, if the music's good then the people WILL come to the gigs and wanna hear it, produce weak didactic sh1te and they will only wanna hear the old stuff.

This is what makes NMA unique in my view, no one else is in quite their position nor do they have the interesting energising fan base like you guys out there who follow NMA. That's half the buzz of travelling to a few shows with MMA after all.

[Magnus]

You have all interesting thoughts about this, why some band can't and others can play new stuff, and get it right...But then, some will say that NMA are blessed with very devoted fans, very loyal fans that gives the band freedom to play almost anything, we would still come to see them and love it. I agree to that :-) NMA have very dovoted and loyal fans, but alone it's not enough as an explanation. I think that it's a combination, first of all; the later NMA albums (i agree with Pols definition, newer songs being from Carnival onwards) are good, simple as that. And also the band have been putting together setlists that incorporate the new songs with the old. Like i said before, Guessing/No Rest (played together they make perfect match), this spring it was Stomclouds/No Rest (also great).

Well, cant' wait for December :-)

[Shush]

I think JS has been conscious of avoiding NMA gigs today being like a tribute act to the bands work in past decades. I get the impression that to him, and the band, whatever the current album is, is as relevant as any other they have done, if not more so at its current time. It must also surely be better for the band in terms of writing new material to play live what they have just written.
I think they can do this so well at gigs with the audience response. "Angry Planet" is going to as well received as  say "225" by the crowd in December.

It will be well received by me anyway 

[huwcamden]

Its down to quality songwriting consistency magnus, for most bands it is an arc shape with the pinacle obviously being at the top then it slowly descends, not really the case with nma, the odd dip (carnival?) Then upwards again, it is however the hardcore following that allows this to happen,its mutually beneficial.

[Pazza]

Its down to quality songwriting consistency magnus, for most bands it is an arc shape with the pinacle obviously being at the top then it slowly descends, not really the case with nma, the odd dip (carnival?) Then upwards again, it is however the hardcore following that allows this to happen,its mutually beneficial.

Agree with all but one thing - for me and I know for some others, Carnival is one of the best albums!

[Ava Enturin]

Haha, you can call me a fan girl now, but I think one of the main reasons is authenticity. There is simply no bullshit, and no wish to follow fashion and "produce music" to sell. It´s about making music, and doing something one loves And this is something rare, and real in our weird world full of layers and layers of detached and artificial desires.

And this transpires, on the albums, during the gigs

[huwcamden]

Carnival is a great album, was listening to it whilst driving around central london yesterday, island,fireworks night,bd3 and alot of the res

t top tunes, when i say a slight dip i just mean consistent 9/10 albums drop to a 7.5/10.😅