Why do bands encore

About The Star. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now it is free Sign In. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Code of Conduct. The Star does not endorse these opinions. More Entertainment. Top Stories. About Contact Us Feedback. Before Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, or even CDs music lovers would attend grand concert halls to listen to the newest music from renowned composures.

On occasion, patrons might request an instant replay of a song, where the orchestra might repeat a movement of a song that gathered a lot of applause. At one point encores were actually banned from many opera houses citing that they caused disorder. Very quickly, the idea of encores became associated with less-luxurious performances, which may be why the rock genre picked it up in the 60s.

Known for promoting disorder and encouraging revolt against aristocratic social views, rock music transformed the tradition of the encore into a staple of the genre. Another influence of modern encores began in Broadway. Audiences would call actors back onto the stage to take a bow, which trickled into rock concerts when bands would leave the stage giving the audience a chance to call them back again. However, they were still saved for the largest and most celebrated musicians.

Some bands took it upon themselves to decide when they would play an encore. The Who would only do an encore when they thought the show was extraordinary, not just when the fans asked them to. Elvis Presley, for example, did not play encore performances because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, refused to let him. A bit harsh maybe, but they definitely got the message. After their shows ended they were quickly ushered to a getaway car to avoid the mobbing fans chasing after them.

All of these monumental bands and rockstars took their own stands on encores. Whether they played them or not, they knew encores should be saved for the truly immense performances. Two words: Bruce Springsteen. Pretty much everyone blames Springsteen for the tarnished reputation of the encore, but especially former Washington Post columnist David Segal.

Springsteen encores started three hours into the show — three hours in! And that marathon-style show inspired many other iron-man style performances, slowly erasing the spontaneity of encores after each show. Bands like The Cure and performers like Prince exhausted the number of encores that could be played at a show. Whether they played one very long encore or multiple encores in a row, some of their encore sets lasted longer than the initial set.

On several occasions, The Cure played up to five encore and Prince was known to play up to seven. Other bands started to feel pressure to perform an encore or even several to compete with these icons. By the 90s the encore was deeply rooted in most rock shows and they even started to save their big hits for last. Although Segal thinks so, Springsteen is not the only factor to blame in the depletion of encores.

With the intricate lighting and computer visuals involved in modern performances, preplanning is important for shows. They also provide value for money and allow the band members to have a quick break during their set. Occasionally, encores are spontaneously included due to demand from the audience. Keep reading for an in-depth account of the benefits of encores, as well as a full FAQ.

As recording technology was not to be invented until , live performance was the only way consumers could listen to music.

Despite the eventual invention of recording technology and the mass distribution of recorded music, encores had cemented themselves as a traditional part of live music performance. Once recorded music was invented, encores became reserved for the very end of a performance as opposed to being requested whenever a performer played something impressive. Nowadays, the vast majority of professional bands and artists will feature at least one encore at the end of their shows purely because the audience has come to expect it.

Concerts have substantial overhead costs, with venue hire often running into the tens of thousands. Furthermore, the musicians themselves require travel, accommodation, catering, insurance and a salary. Due to the huge overhead costs , ticket prices for concerts are often very expensive. However, a band or artist can only realistically perform for minutes.