Let’s discuss any and all music here. Got a new artist who’s rocking your boat that you want to talk about? Post a video! Found out about that unearthed Coltrane album that has the jazz freak in you losing your mind? Lay it out for us! Have a theory about what your favorite band might do for their next album? Let’s hear it! Anything and everything music-related goes here.

This week’s discussion prompt comes courtesy of The Avocado’s very own Pastyjournalist:

setlist.fm

Do you use setlist.fm? And more pertinent to this discussion, do you use it before or after attending shows? I’ll let Pastyjournalist explain in more detail:

Sometimes, I feel like setlist.fm spoils the concert-going experience, because it feels like the equivalent of reading the Wikipedia page of a movie before seeing it. Seeing that a band does the same encore song night after night obviously robs the show of a bit of the spontaneity.

That said… I absolutely went to setlist.fm when Bob Dylan was playing, just because he’s known to radically reinterpret his songs, and given that he played almost all of Rough and Rowdy Ways, it was a good indicator to give that album another listen or five before the show (otherwise, a lot of the material you’re listening to is not going to register). I did the same thing with Bob Mould (went to setlist.fm ), just because of his output. And not surprisingly, the show focused a lot on his last three solo albums.

Overall, if it’s a band I’m decidedly familiar with, and said band may only have 2-3 albums, I tend to avoid setlist.fm , because I already know most of their songs. But if it’s an artist that has a ton of material, I will routinely visit the site, even though I know it will sort of “spoil” the concert…but if I’m paying money for the ticket, I also want to get as much as I can out of the concert in terms of being familiar with what’s (likely) going to be played.

So, what’s your take on it? Do you even OWN a setlist.fm? In any case, do you prefer going into a live concert experience having some idea what to expect, or would you rather be completely surprised? Let us know down below!

As always, any and all music-related posts are welcome. Have fun, and rock out with yr guac out!