Does anyone really want bands touring ‘unplugged’ ? I think it’s a combination of cost saving, laziness, complacency that the fans will sit through anything, and in some cases the ability to sit down whilst on stage. We all know that the live performance is mainly for the audience to hear the classics – sung in the classic way- and for the Band the chance to introduce a few new songs and sell a few new albums. I don’t see any merit from an audience post of view in reworking electric/rock songs into acoustic versions. Of course the immediate response is Clapton’s ‘Layla’ but to me that’s the exception that proves the rule. MTV’s unplugged series was an interesting way of seeing and hearing bands acoustically, but that should have been a one off. Stick to the classic format when on tour please. A short acoustic set may be acceptable in some cases….
Acoustic tours are a con
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Any examples of who is doing this right now? Was a bit of a fad in the 90s.
A number of bands I like occasionally do acoustic dates. There’s no “con”. It’s clear what they are doing, and I’m not interested, so I don’t go. Simples.
Excellent comment, Fortune. As long as the artists make it clear what kind of concert they are offering, then the audience can vote with their feet.
KRAFTVERK UNPLUGGED anyone?
It’s kind of been done
Some years ago, a local pub had a weekly acoustic night. As a mate already had a pump driven harmonium and some tablas, so I came up the idea of four of us doing some Kraftwerk covers there, as long as we could source some other instruments capable of being placed on a podium, such as a hammered dulcimer, and the podiums themselves. Unfortunately, those acoustic nights got cancelled before we got anywhere with it.
Anyone who has ever heard me DJ will have heard Pan Machine by the Ebony Steel Band.
Back when I used to see The Waterboys on every tour, I realised I liked the acoustic tours more than the electric ones. I walked out of at least one overly-loud full-band gig.
Ditto: Richard Thompson.
Trouble is, I haven’t been for so long, I’ve lost track of which is which.
At least Thompson’s soundman Tassano (turn it up to 11)has stopped working and the electric sets are much more bearable now.
Yeah, I haven’t braved one yet though. There’s also the issue of the venue RT plays, the Cambridge Corn Exchange, which has both terrible acoustics and expensive tickets.
Richard Thompson played the LOUDest gig I’ve ever attended at The International 2, Manchester in the 90’s.
I also preferred seeing The Waterboys acoustic although their electric shows were erm electric.
The most enjoyable acoustic show I attended was Hothouse Flowers.
As you can surmise I’ve no issue with acoustic shows.
For some reason every time I have seen the Waterboys they have been too loud.
On one occassion he asked the audience “is it loud enough” and the audience shrugged and went “yeah” – so they turned it up and ruined everyone’s evening. (Newcastle IIRC).
I mean, I expect it from MBV… but The Waterboys?
Layla unplugged is not the exception that proves the rule.
Layla unplugged proves the rule.
MTV Unplugged. The whooping audience, that version of that song (perfect in it’s original form), the horror, the horror!
Nirvana Unplugged is the exception that proves the rule, surely?
An odd viewpoint from my perspective, which is admittedly down more the acoustic act going out with a band, so acoustic plugging in. The opposite. So a lot of my tastes allow for both iterations and the consummate difference each allows.
I wanted to see Ferocious Dog on their acoustic tour, but they were electric the only night I could go, so I didn’t go.
I think I enjoyed Jeff Tweedy playing Wilco songs solo acoustic at least as much and maybe more than any of the several Wilco gigs I’ve attended.
It’s certainly close.
I saw Wilco do a full accoustic set at Solid Sound one year. It was great, but I lean towards full band electric as a preference. I have heard they may be doing 2 sets on upcoming tour. One accoustic and then an electric one.
That would be ideal.
Hawkwind’s acoustic sets were pretty neat. Then, after a break, we were straight in to the usual chugging rhythms, whooshing noises, etc. What’s not to like.
Btw, even my dad – who thought all ‘pop music’ was just bang, bang, bang, you can’t whistle to it, etc – liked Hawkwind’s Hurry on Sundown when he heard me/little sis playing it on the gramophone way back in the day!
Yeah, that’s a good idea. Acoustic set then a “proper” one. Everyone’s happy.
Except you don’t get to see Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts as support.
Many many moons ago Julian Cope supported himself with an acoustic set (which also doubled as a bit of stand-up comedy), then a full band Peggy Suicide/Jehovahkill set, then a full band greatest hits set. It was pretty much the perfect gig for me.
He can do a good acoustic set as a lot of his songs led them to that.
If he ever tours again a nice 30 minute set followed by a full 1.5 hour electric set will be good.
I went to a couple of those and can wholeheartedly confirm that they were superb. Pretty much the ideal gig format in my view.
In one of those “how on earth?” moments, FB served me an update from The Hamsters yesterday.
I wonder if Stray have ever done an acoustic set?
Led Zep’s acoustic bracket circa LZ 3 was great.
Dylan with Larry Campbell and sometimes Bucky Baxter used to do 4 or 5 songs acoustic mid set. Also excellent.
What about albums that are acoustic reworkings of the hits, or ‘reimaginings’ if you will? That was a thing for a while. Seem to remember U2 and Def Leppard doing it. The very idea makes me shudder but luckily no artist I like has ever done one so I haven’t had to suffer actually listening to one.
The U2 one was awful 🙁 not one song was better than the original, plus I think it was a double album 😬
I quite like the acoustic versions of Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen and Martin Stephenson and the Daintees’ Boat To Bolivia. I prefer the original albums though.
I really liked the Mdou Moctar 2024 album Funeral For Justice, in their usual style with a wall of electric guitar sound, so when this year’s acoustic version of the album, called Tears For Justice was announced, I was sceptical.
But in a lot of ways I actually prefer it to the original. It was nice to get another flavour from Mdou Moctar than the usual sound yet again. Some songs work better in the acoustic version. And now, when I go back to the original, I find it more exciting than I did the first time around.
So I’m happy they made it in two versions.
I saw Richard Thompson recently in solo acoustic mode and he was brilliant but he’s well established for playing solo. Jason Isbel was at the Barbican for 50 quid for a bloke with a guitar. No ta. And I’m a big fan.
1. Richard Thompson’s first album of “Acoustic Classics ” from 2014 is excellent, I think. I prefer most of those versions even to the mighty originals.
2. Yeah, the tickets for the Stockholm gig on that Jason Isbell acoustic solo tour were about SEK 850 (about £66). And this was for a STANDING gig. It got a thumbs-down from me. And I, too, am a big Isbell fan,
For completeness, I saw Jason Isbell live and acoustic at Cambridge Folk Fest, with then wife Amanda Shears, about 10 years ago, vastly enjoying it more than the electric band a few years later.
I can see the attraction in the idea – smaller venues, less gear, smaller entourage/stage crew.
But it’s still a time commitment, and while the outlay may be less, so will the income be – so no real gain for the artist apart from doing something a bit different.
Of those I have seen (only 3 or 4), best was Dead Men Walking (Jake Burns, Kirk Brandon, Segs, and Dave Ruffy) stripped down each bands songs and told the stories about the inspiration, recording, and whatever other anecdotes came into their head.
I saw Chris Difford, Michelle Stodart and a bloke from Gomez do that a few years ago. Very, very good.
I’m all for it if it refreshes the set and the band can play. The unplugged bit was the best bit in the last “proper” Yes tour in 2004. The various MTV unplugged albums – the Cure, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Sting – all brought out the best in bands that had songs and chops.
Neil Young definitely. That was all part of his renaissance coming out of the 80s and Harvest Moon worked perfectly in that context. Also Nirvana and REM.
I think the ones I like least are the acoustic sets where I know full band arrangements really well. So although Lloyd Cole and Natalie Merchant possess two of my favourite songbooks after 15 songs of vocals and guitars I’m just a bit….bored. However I found evenings with Robert Forster and Kathryn Williams completely entrancing, as not missing the band.
A lot of it, especially if you have to cross the Atlantic, is to do with economics. Many of my favourite US acts have gone on record that they just can’t afford to bring a band and all of the gear, extra hotel rooms, meal tickets and extra roadies. Aimee Mann was just her and two musicians last time. Jason Falkner plugs in, but it’s always just him and a guitar. Even a trip across the Irish Sea is too much for the amazing Thomas Walsh to bring anything more than a guitar case. A shame as all three are amazing with a full band.
Yep. Same reason we will never see the Church over here again.
I always saw the trend of playing acoustic sets in the 90s to be the Counter Reformation to Hip Hop. Both were efforts led by middle-aged men to re-establish authority against novel threats (protestantism, the use of drum machines).
In fact, if we consider the block parties in the 70s to be the Cathars and the first Run DMC album to be the 95 theses nailed to the cathedral door, then Eric Clapton Unplugged emerges as the Council of Trent.
Which would leave Rick Wakeman’s Six Wives of Henry VIII would be the Reformation.
Already getting my galoshes out for the unplugged version of Rick’s King Arthur on Ice spectacular
Interesting thesis. I propose the Sheffield to be the Munster of the modern religious wars, with Cabaret Voltaire, Heaven 17, Human League as the radical Anabaptists, somewhat marginalized in indie circles by attention to the Puritan guitar orthodoxies of the Smiths and C86.
…whereas Robbie Williams(*) is the Council of Stoke-on-Trent. Little known fact. He’s from Stoke? Did you know he’s from Stoke…?
(*) from Stoke.
I think I prefer acoustic sets now and I quite like it when they do an album stripped back.
For me, I’ve probably enjoyed solo acoustic shows by Roddy Frame and Glen Tilbrook more than most times I’ve seen Aztec Camera or Squeeze but both are exceptional guitarists and gifted singers with plenty to say. Jonathan Richman is also much more fun solo with a guitar than when I’ve seen him with a band, though I’d love to have seen the 80s Modern Lovers live circa Rockin and Romance. They were pretty much acoustic.
I agree that sometimes this is about saving costs, but not always. I wouldn’t blame any musician now to try and find a way to make touring pay for itself, it’s brutal out there for most.
In any case, I’ve often enjoyed these kinds of shows more than the big loud rock band experience, especially if it’s an act you have seen a few times – you get a different side of them. I’d have loved to see REM play acoustic live beyond the stuff we have all seen, as they were really, really good at it.
Such things are only a con if you thought you were buying a ticket for something more substantial.
On tour finances: Kate Nash sell pictures of her arse on Only Fans to finance tours etc. she was on the Adam Buxton podcast recently and although I’m only vaguely aware of her, it was an entertaining diversion while painting the shed.
Anyone know how much a mid range touring side musician earns per gig? Presumably, original band members generally share any profit or loss but a hired hand must be paid regardless of ticket sales so for smaller venues, this would have an impact. I was talking to someone recently, unconnected with the music business, who knows Peter Hook to chat to a bit and he claimed that Hook and the Light are broadly as profitable as New Order these days because of their relatively lean set up whereas New Order have massive overheads to cover.
Lily Allen flogs pics of her feet to make ends meet. I’d have thought she’d have made a few quid back in her heyday? I’m not blaming her – if anyone wants to pay money to see my feet, they’re more than welcome…the resultant psychiatrist’s bill is entirely their own, however.
While this doesn’t answer your question about how much side musicians earn, but this video by Mary Spender is I think instructive on the costs of touring here in the UK.
How much I lost on tour
An interesting watch. Some quite basic errors there, especially VAT on ticket sales and not confirming what is provided at each venue. I had a look at the Bristol venue’s site and they don’t make it clear that PA is an extra cost but this should have been flagged by the tour manager really. Also, I’m not sure why she needed a tour manger when she had done so much of the leg work her self, unless they were the only person able to drive the tour bus and what did the promoter do when she was booking her own venues, advertising and posters?
Venues could have been closer together really, which would have cut down on travel, wages, per diems and accommodation.
Touring clearly isn’t the cash cow that some artists hope for. I imagine she’ll do better next time.
Yes, an interesting watch. I get that a tour manager might be useful for driving and humping gear etc but what on earth did the “promoter” do? As I understand it, a promoter typically offers the band a fee for a gig, and then books the venue, sets ticket prices and er.. promotes the event. They are the ones taking the risk and usually the fee is priced so that there’s a reasonable upside to the promoter. It’s in their interest to know what venues work best, what the audience draw might be and basics like VAT and PA provision.
If you self promote you can earn more as there’s one less person taking a cut but you also assume the risk. Joe Bonamassa has been self promoting for some time and described it as “a decision to back myself”, and I think there are few more astute businessmen out there than him.
I admire her honesty and pluck in making a course out of the experience but it seems a key learning point is already obvious – save whatever you spent on the “promoter”, and put it towards one that actually knows what to do.
Neil Young has done some incredible all accoustic gigs over the years, he has also done Greendale (well, I liked it). I saw him do an all accoustic “hits” show at Massey Hall in 2014 that was great. However like others mentioned above, the best way to see him is possibly an opening accoustic set and then rocking out with the Horse for the 2nd half. See Live Rust
I have Live at Massey Hall 1971 and it is one of my fave Shakey albums. He nearly released it instead of Harvest!
Amazing recording too
Yes, a fine album – but there’s a bit too much between-song talking on it!
He’s a bit stoned
Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell recorded an acoustic benefit Live at the Shoals Theater several years after Isbell had left the Drive By Truckers. It’s an album that breathes new life and an element of subtlety into songs that sometimes originally lacked a bit of it. It’s a fine album.
I don’t agree with this post as I believe it is a generalisation. Overall I would prefer the full electric version but I have seen some notable exceptions:,
1) Nils Lofgren – solo acoustic . Astonishing and responsible for my favourite live album ‘Acoustic live’.
2) Simple Minds – never seen the electric version live but their acoustic format was superb.
3) Oysterband acoustic at Lichfield Catherdral – brilliant.