Foo Fighters guitarist insists most fans don't want B-sides and rarities at gigs
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett has insisted that the majority of fans at their gigs don’t want to hear B-sides and rarities in their setlist.
Chris Shiflett recently appeared on the One By One Podcast where he explained that Foo Fighters aren’t the kind of band who "play a bunch of obscure B-sides”, adding “it's just not what we do, and I don't think that's what people want to see."
These comments prompted numerous fans on social media to reach out to Shiflett on Twitter saying that, conversely, they do want rare Foo Fighters songs.
Justifying his comments, Shiflett wrote in response: “I have to disagree. There are hardcore fans who would love more album tracks, b-sides, etc... and yes that would be fun, but the vast majority of people at gigs want to hear the songs they know.”
“It's an interesting thing - most nights Dave (Ghohl) says, "How many of you haven’t seen Foo Fighters before??" and most people in the crowd raise their hands, which I think means on any given night it's mostly casual fans.
“On top of which, shows are expensive - tickets, baby sitter, parking, t-shirt, beers, etc... so I think there's a responsibility to make it a good time for everyone.”
Explaining that it’s different now the Foos are playing stadiums, Shiflett continued: “When I first joined Foos, it was a different setlist every night, which was a blast and kept ya on your toes, but those were different times at a much smaller level.”
Shiflett also conceded that this isn’t the same for all bands – Pearl Jam, for example, operate very differently and often incorporate deeper cuts in their live shows.
He wrote: “Different types of bands condition their fans to have very different expectations. Pearl Jam, Phish, The Dead, etc... run a very different program than us.”
Last August, Foo Fighters played a rarity packed setlist for superfans in the car park of Hollywood’s Palladium in Los Angeles to promote their upcoming CalJam festival.
Billed as Chevy Metal with The Holy Shits, Foos played cuts like 'White Limo', 'Weenie Beenie' and 'Wattershed' that appear in Planet Rock’s countdown of the heaviest Foo Fighters songs:
Feature: The 12 heaviest Foo Fighters songs
> i have to disagree - there are hardcore fans who would love more album tracks, b-sides, etc... and yes that would be fun, but the vast majority of people at gigs want to hear the songs they know. https://t.co/xgFeJCBIcY > > — Chris Shiflett (@ChrisShiflett71) July 10, 2019
> it's an interesting thing - most nights dave says, "how many of you have seen foo fighters before??" and most people in the crowd raise their hands, which i think means on any given night it's mostly casual fans. https://t.co/t5PA1vh8xr > > — Chris Shiflett (@ChrisShiflett71) July 10, 2019
> on top of which, shows are expensive - tickets, baby sitter, parking, t-shirt, beers, etc... so i think there's a responsibility to make it a good time for everyone. https://t.co/t5PA1vh8xr > > — Chris Shiflett (@ChrisShiflett71) July 10, 2019
> when i first joined foos, it was a different setlist every night, which was a blast and kept ya on your toes, but those were different times at a much smaller level. https://t.co/t5PA1vh8xr > > — Chris Shiflett (@ChrisShiflett71) July 10, 2019
> oooops i meant "haven't seen the foo fighters before" but you probably knew what i meant! :) https://t.co/dRpNafCG7N > > — Chris Shiflett (@ChrisShiflett71) July 10, 2019
> that's exactly right - different types of bands condition their fans to have very different expectations. pearl jam, phish, the dead, etc... run a very different program than us. https://t.co/yVZJqmG9tv > > — Chris Shiflett (@ChrisShiflett71) July 10, 2019