Disappointments about 2019 live sets

[Ben_j]

My disapoinemts/criticisms:

Spoiler

- WHERE THE FUCK IS THE UNIVERSE SENT ME? What a missed opportunity...
- No Geography sucks. They said they play it differently live but they might as well put the CD and press play, it was exactly the same, not extended or anything. And the visuals are half assed
- Hoops doesn't work as well as I expected with the robots. And they don't play the EBW6 siren...
- Wide Open is still here
- Swoon is still here

[close]

[MIKL]

Spoiler

I still can't believe they followed that epic live version of Eve of Destruction with bloody Saturate, its such a mood killer/downer having that straight after. It should've retired years ago. Glad they got rid of Do it again though. And Hey Boy Hey Girl has earnt its position with the extended jam at the end. Those neon furniture pieces piss me off still though and still racks my brain in what context it serves for the song.

[close]

[Csar]

Even though I do have my own petty cavils with some live moments in their current set, I could probably never be pissed off of any gig they throw, no matter how dated the visuals might be. The rest is in my signature.

[Zuludisco]

Everything was top notch this tour. No complaints from me.

[MIKL]

Honestly though when I think about it at the end of the day, with all the stuff some of you guys wanted to go or change, us folk down under haven't experienced this yet like some live moments that came from the Born in the echoes tour that were pretty good. Sad I won't experience I'll See You There but at least they kept one of the monster ones and one later on. I won't name to avoid spoilers. Even the new version of Star Guitar I'm yet to experience. This may even be George and Mildred's first time to the other side of the world? I can't even remember its been that long. Because its been a longer wait, I know I will appreciate it more. With all the you tube videos and you finally experience that sound in person you forget how good it will be.

[crosscrops]

Went to both shows in LA. Both shows were fantastic. Only thing I would change is adding the Believe transition between MAH and EML Ritual. MAH is so powerful and the crowd loves it. The drop into the more mild EML doesn't work for me. Anyways stellar shows as always. Just bought tickets to Creamfields to see them again.

[LordKalki777]

yeah no Universe sent me got that.. but what about We've got to Try.. I mean COME ON! lol. Anyways I think you old timers are too grouchy and need to be thankful we even have the Chemical Brothers. I've been a long time listener and they really know how to throw down. Oooh yeah Mick Jagger should be greatful..

[androidgeoff]

yeah no Universe sent me got that.. but what about We've got to Try.. I mean COME ON! lol. Anyways I think you old timers are too grouchy and need to be thankful we even have the Chemical Brothers. I've been a long time listener and they really know how to throw down. Oooh yeah Mick Jagger should be greatful..

hey what is this? positivity??? 

[8revolution]

Saw them in Ally Pally, seeing them again in Birmingham. In my opinion: (warning, wall of text ahead)

Spoiler

• I think Go is a solid opener, grabs the audience with a song everyone knows, and even if you're there because a friend has dragged you along, you can know something from the start.
• I'm kind of annoyed Do It Again was scrapped, I know it was awkwardly placed after Go but the mix of DIA, Get Yourself High and Free Yourself at the end was worth it.
• Speaking of Free Yourself, I like the transition between it and Chemical Beats, but I don't like that the second half of the song is gone, especially considering there's only two real drops. It feels like it deserves better.
• I'm biased because I love the live version of Chem Beats, but I thought it would be axed for this tour, based on the fact the crowd never really seem too engaged with it. The transition at the end to MAH is kind of forced and rushed, and I think it worked better at the end of EML Ritual.
• MAH should have stayed after Free Yourself, considering they're designed to go back to back in the album, but other than that it's a solid song that's designed to be played live and loud.
• Playing a Believe sample and then not playing Believe is unforgivable. I'm not overly keen on the song, but it was definitely a good time live, and it will be missed. All of it or none of it.
• EML Ritual is there. That's pretty good. Chemical Beats needs to go after it if Swoon is played next, otherwise the change in tone feels forced and disjointed. EML Ritual is dark and angsty, whereas Swoon is brighter and more hopeful. Chem Beats just is, and this acts as an intermediary, making a gradient for the tone to almost flow.
• Despite what I feel about Swoon, it has pretty visuals and I have to admit it does go well with Temptation and Star Guitar.
• Contrary to what the common opinion here seems to be, I really like Star Guitar's simple visuals and I think they work well with the song, considering that I think the Chems expect the crowd to be losing it, dancing, jumping and overall having a good time, as opposed to be paying attention to the visuals (like at the start of EML Ritual and Go, for example). Adding "proper" visuals to it could be a waste.
• They massacred my boy, TLB Down Beats!!!! Just after we got it's best version yet in the 2018 tours. Never ever thought I'd see Gravity Drops live, considering it's gimmick is essentially the exact same as Temptation's.
• Got To Keep On is a great song. I'm glad they hold the bells until after the static bit, that really jarred me in the studio version.
• ALL OF YOU ARE WRONG HBHG AND SATURATE ARE GREAT- ahem, sorry about that. I like the new, longer HBHG and the way it mixes in from GTKO, and I like that it uses the older visuals as opposed to the cut-back, minimalist visuals from 2018.
• Eve of Destruction is great, and the visuals are really fun and are only really comparable to Swoon, in that they loosely tell a story to accompany the music. Good addition.
• Saturate is actually pretty good, once it gets into it, but I don't get why it takes forever to actually get into it though, and I don't know why it goes after Eve of Destruction, considering that it means that EOD's massive final buildup has virtually no immediate payoff, despite the intro being shortened from previous tours. Maybe it's the Chems knowing that audience attention can't be held for over a full hour, so they're giving the audience a quick break?
• They got rid of the beat after the final chorus of Saturate. Unacceptable. It doesn't even make sense why. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. (The beat that replaces it is pretty good to be honest but it's nothing in comparison to the old one)
• Elektrobank was so much better with the old beat but is still pretty good. I don't like that they cut Piku's Playground. I know they had to put No Geography in somewhere, but I think it would work better after, say, Eve Of Destruction, because of how well I can imagine it going into GTKO, or as someone else said, having the main show end with Block Rockin' Beats, Chem Beats, and then No Geography.
• No Geography is the exact same as the album version except for the dumb, lonely synth line at the start. Some riffing could have been done, considering there isn't much depth to the song, but I like the song a lot anyway so despite it replacing one of my favourite moments, I think it's pretty good. I think it works well to close the first part, though, so I'll give them that. Would it have killed Smith and Lyall to have made visuals a little bit more interesting and relevant than just pointing a few desk lamps at the audience, though?
• Escape Velocity to open the second part was always a move of genius, and skipping the first half of the song [to the interesting bit;)] helps to stop it from becoming stale, which it does pretty quickly otherwise. Putting it with The Golden Path was a great decision too, and playing the vocals after is a pretty fun way of acknowledging the rest of the song.
• Ahhh, Hoops. I like this mix, but it's wasting the robots. Not much else to be said. They had a dedicated song, and now they get approximately seven seconds of use, and in a song that's in no way loud or robot-y enough to warrant them. Maybe swap the visuals with Dig Your Own Hole? Good song, at least.
• I'm going to be treating Dig Your Own Hole as the replacement for the Under The Influence mix from the last few tours. This means it's immediately disadvantaged in terms of my opinion, as it replaces one of my favourite moments, but it's a good use of the hats from Under The Influence (not abbreviating that one), has very cool visuals, and is overall objectively a highlight.
• BRING. BACK. SURFACE TO AIR. I really like Wide Open live, but it worked so much better as an encore. Surface to Air was a great moment with beautiful lights and visuals that didn't deserve to be trashed. At least have it swap with Wide Open and go between Got Glint and The Private Psychedelic Reel.
• As I said, I really like Wide Open, and I like the use of the Further visuals, they go well with the song. Just a shame it had to replace the best part of the last tour.
• Galvanise is pretty neat. It's there. They gimped the opening though, which is a shame, considering there's literally no reason to, as it doesn't even save time. I'll miss hearing the initial, amazingly bassy kick. The second buildup and drop is still a highlight, at least.
• The Leave Home/C.H.E.M.I.C.A.L/Song to the Siren mix is pretty awesome and goes well with the end of Galvanise, and I'm glad it wasn't axed. Also mixes into Block Rockin' Beats well.
• Block Rockin' Beats still works great as a closer. No surprises there.
• Got Glint is one hell of a track, and I never liked it until I heard it live. I really liked the way the Chems mixed it into Wide Open, but I guess that's gone now.
• Catch Me I'm Falling is ok, I guess it just had to be in there somewhere.
• Of course, having The Private Psychedelic Reel to be the true ending is still brilliant.

In conclusion, I really liked the last tour's setlist and believe nothing could ever really match it. But, alas, things do have to change, otherwise I may as well just sit watching videos of the last ones, and put into perspective, this new one is pretty dang good.

[close]

[Explud]

I like square glasses and flying furniture in HBHG visuals, i only don't like out of sync Mark Monero dancing.

[Enjoyed]

[Conn6orsuper117]

Spoiler

• Saturate is actually pretty good, once it gets into it, but I don't get why it takes forever to actually get into it though, and I don't know why it goes after Eve of Destruction, considering that it means that EOD's massive final buildup has virtually no immediate payoff, despite the intro being shortened from previous tours. Maybe it's the Chems knowing that audience attention can't be held for over a full hour, so they're giving the audience a quick break?

[close]

I'm just imagining an alternate Universe where they kept don't think.
and the setlist went:
Eve of Destruction/ Weekend, Then instead of transitioning into saturate, it plays the Galactic Phase Shift intro and segues into dont think. then for the ladder segment it's It began in afrika's acid outro (with the drums from STRP 2007) and finally it goes into Saturate.

[8revolution]

I'm just imagining an alternate Universe where they kept don't think.
and the setlist went:
Eve of Destruction/ Weekend, Then instead of transitioning into saturate, it plays the Galactic Phase Shift intro and segues into dont think. then for the ladder segment it's It began in afrika's acid outro (with the drums from STRP 2007) and finally it goes into Saturate.

I can imagine that sounding pretty good. Maybe they should find some way to remove the first part of Saturate, similar to what they did to Chemical Beats, and make that work with it.

[Stefan]

Oh yes, it would be awesome if Don't Think was brought back. The track was massive, I think it was whirly who once described it as a "wall of sound".

[Cannister1]

Newbie here ( to the forum, not chems).

Has the set changed up much (songs in/out) or a little (different mixes/riffs) over the new gigs since No Geography? And if not,  is it likely not to?

I'll be at glasto for my debut Chems live show :-)

[Enjoyed]

I'll be at glasto for my debut Chems live show :-)

Top, top way to kick it all off! I don't want to speak for you... But you WILL have a flipping fantastic time.

[Cannister1]

Top, top way to kick it all off! I don't want to speak for you... But you WILL have a flipping fantastic time.

Oh I know 

Probably shouldn't have read all the spoilers, but I have..... But I know it will all mean nothing once I'm there and the intro kicks in  ,,,,,,

Glad to see still a decent amount of older stuff. Got Glint and Leave Home 

But a shame not to see Music: Response and OUT OF CONTROL (WTF :-(  my fave track with Where do I begin and TPPR)  My fault for waiting so long to see them.

------hence why I'm wondering could they suprise me? I don't really care if they don't, I;m only posting this because I'm just so excited so I'm reading lots here and thinking about it a lot.

[Enjoyed]

I would have thought, if there was some kind of surprise, Glastonbury would be a pretty appropriate place for it. They love it. They know it's being broadcast. It's always a good time. The crowd will be up for anything... The conditions are definitely there.

Having said that, I don't think the 2015 set had any change ups. So who knows!?

[Conn6orsuper117]

now that I'm off the honeymoon phase of the show, I think its safe to agree with a few things everyone said without think myself as ungrateful.

again, the concert was beautiful, and I definitely recommend booking tickets now if you havent already, but if I were to assemble the setlist myself (and I'm not worthy enough to be given such a job) I would have it like this:

Spoiler

Tomorrow never knows
GO!
Free yourself
MAH
Believe
Let forever be (please change the setlist near the end of the tour for this Tom & Ed, PLEASE)
Swoon
Temptation/Star Guitar
EML Ritual
Gotta Keep On
Hey Boy Hey Girl
Eve Of Destruction
Don't Think/It began in afrika (Outro)1
Saturate (shortened to make room)
Elektrobank
Piku/Playground/Music:Response

Got Glint? (I said it once and I'll say it again it should not belong in the encore, period)*
Catch Me I'm Falling
Snow/Surface to air2
Escape Velocity
Hoops EBW6 version/Get up on it like this (with more robots and less darkness)
The Golden Path/DYOH/UnderTheInfluience3
Galvanize
C-H-E-M-I-C-A-L/SttS/Leave Home
Block Rockin' Beats

Hold Tight London
transition from Alexandra palace
Wide Open
Dissolve/The Private Psychedelic Reel/Sympathy for the Devil (Vocals)

*In my mom's phone audio recording, i audibly shout to them to play hold tight london, and groaned when it was got glint.

1: to quote myself from above:

I'm just imagining an alternate Universe where they kept don't think.
they play Eve of Destruction/ Weekend, Then instead of transitioning into saturate, it plays the Galactic Phase Shift intro and segues into dont think. then for the ladder segment it's It began in afrika's acid outro (with the drums from STRP 2007) and finally it goes into Saturate.

2:
got glint for sure should be moved back to the 2nd half than the encore.
instead of opening with Escape it plays got glint/Catch me, then after the song ends, it plays the intro to snow/surface to air (with the "music gets louder" quote, of course). and then after s2a it plays the droning sounds from AMF'15 as the transition to Escape velocity

3:Imagine them moving the golden path vocals from escape velocity to in between Hoops & DYOH.
they play hoops with the EBW6 elements and like during the laser ending instead of the rising piano at the end, we hear "hmm, I was confused, for if I was dead, how and why did I die"
and then the bassline to dig your own hole starts and then "and I said Help me lord! I found myself in some kind of hell!" and while it echoes, the bassdrop to UTI plays kicking off the mashup.

[close]

[whirlygirl]

Oh I know 

Probably shouldn't have read all the spoilers, but I have..... But I know it will all mean nothing once I'm there and the intro kicks in  ,,,,,,

Spoilers bad! 😜

Once the music starts, nothing else is going to matter - trust me. So excited for you to go to Glastonbury!