A statement like "it's a music business" is reductionist. Not all art comes from the desire to make money. Lots of artists make art because they have to, rather than for the money. Some are driven by the desire to create something utterly unique rather than retreading common ground. It's ironic that your user name is "unique," as one would expect you to be more sympathetic to idiosyncracy (not that you have to be, of course lol). This show is like nothing I have ever seen, and I will treasure it in the memory. Art finds it's audience. If that audience isn't you, that's ok.


I wonder about that. When an artist integrates so much theatre, you might find you are surprised, and enjoy it more than you expected. A lot of people who go to theatre don't know the plot beforehand, and people who go to musical theatre may attend a show for the first time without having heard the music. That doesn't mean they won't enjoy it. Of course, you may be right, and you wouldn't like it, but if you are open to new experiences, this may give you a thrill.


I would agree that if Kate did this at the National Theatre, people would have been less surprised. Truth is though, I was expecting theatricality anyway, since this was Kate Bush. I was a little disappointed with the first section of the concert because it was not theatrical enough (despite including hits like "Hounds Of Love" and "Running Up That Hill"). The reason I was underwhelmed was because my own expectations of Kate Bush were precisely the kind of ambitious theatricality that came next. I couldn't have been more excited by the show that followed.

Oh I know, I read the setlist and what happens. I am so unbelievably excited from everything I just pray she releases a DVD because I am sure that will sell well!

Same here. I've only known her for her 4 main hits. I don't think I've ever heard any of her other recent songs on the radio. Actually I didn't even realise she was still making records. After she disappeared I never thought anything more about her until her name started cropping up again recently..

Her PR company has been very good with her current publicity, but she never seemed to have given any tv interviews before these shows. The story about her not wanting photos taken was a good one as well.

If I went to see her I'd expect her to sing her most well known songs as that's what she became famous for. The same with any other singer or group.

(I remember her dad being my uncles doctor many years ago)

Singing some of the songs she last sang 35 years ago is "repeating herself"
Hilarious

There really seems to be two camps to this KB residency. One portion wanting the old hits churned out, the other wanting a brand new experience of her later stuff that has never been performed live before. Personally I am in the latter, very excited to know I will finally see The Ninth Wave performed live and in its entirety, I could not ask for anything more, and then to have the added bonus of Nocturn and Aerial. As much as I love WH and Wow etc, I don't feel the slightest bit cheated that she's not performing them.

i am so glad that she is performing again first and foremost. And that she created an artistic theatrical show with a thread of story that captivates and engages the audience. And I'm glad that is not a GHs show.... she is better than that.

I'm not sure where it says a come back gig has to include your greatest hits.
Kate Bush has always been somewhat enigmatic and confident in her own works.
It's her choice to play what she wants and she may lose out if this isn't what the audience expected. I haven't read any bad reviews and Twitter was full of rave reviews. So that seems unlikely.

Who are all these disappointed (casual) fans?

When I go to a gig I would like to hear good music irrespective of whether it is a greatest hit or not.

Back in the day I was a George Michael fan,after he fell out with Sony,he did a small(ish) world tour called the Cover to Cover tour.He sang 75% cover songs and the rest were hits.
He made it quite clear in the promotion of the event that this was going to be the case,giving fans the choice to buy a ticket or not.

Did Kate Bush attempt anything similar ?

No but for some reason, may be because of my self confessed devotion to her since 1978 that I sensed she wasn't going to do a 'greatest hits' type show. I'm biased though as I just really wanted her to do a The Ninth Wave. It's a shame there are some genuinely disappointed fans but to me it makes perfect sense to see her perform stuff we've never seen her do. Maybe I am at an advantage because I am so familiar with every single track she's ever released so whatever she performs is familiar territory to me, I realise that's not the case for everyone though.

The poster of the show featured her floating in water. That pretty much confirmed that The Ninth Wave would be featured and, as such, it was clear that it wasn't simply going to be a straightforward greatest hits show.

Oh,so Kate bush didn't make it clear at all then,at least now we know for sure.
Thanks

I'm reminded of a Neil Young concert where he played all new stuff .. the crowd were restless wanting the songs they were familiar with. When he finished he said he would now play songs they knew .. and proceeded to play the new stuff again

Elton and Paul McCartney get ripped to pieces for playing their hits but not doing them justice .. Kate's long term fans weren't expecting her to sing the really early hits I'm sure.

There is no right and wrong to a concert setlist,but it is the attitude of the people who go to outrageous lengths to defend a not usual choice that wind people up.
It is almost certainly expected that any artist who has not toured for a very long time will play their most popular hits amongst any other tracks they want to perform.
If Kate Bush,or any other artist wishes to play smaller venues to hard core fans,then she can do as she pleases.
There has always been a line between commercialism and artistic endeavour.
However,with all older acts,whose original fan base has severely diminished,its the casual punters that know the hits and want a good night out who will be the bums on seats in the longer term.
There are very.very few 80s artists who have remained relevant to the wider audience outside of their fan base,and I genuinely don't believe that Kate Bush is one of them.
If Kate Bush wants to play a few shows,at her own pace,doing her own thing and leave it at that,maybe it works.
But,if this is a prelude to something bigger,further down the line,the casual fans might be put off for future tours if they think the hits are going to be ignored.
Surely that makes sense to all....(hopefully)

Kate Bush is not George ****ing Michael.

You say that as if George Michael making it perfectly clear to his fans that he wouldn't be playing many of his worldwide hits,on his Cover to Cover tour in the early 90's,was a "bad thing".
Like George or not,it was perfectly done,so nobody was disappointed.
Kate Bush is not George Michael,you are right,she has never been anywhere near as successful or popular.

Some people seem to be missing the point that when Kate Bush first appeared on the scene she was startlingly original and released her first hit album of self-composed songs that nobody had ever heard before.

In that case, why should those same fans who were attracted by that originality, suddenly have lost their thirst for original music and have turned into nostalgia junkies?

Give it a rest .. did you hear what Elton said about Kate attending his civil partnership ceremony? 600 famous people in the room and the only person they wanted to talk to was Kate. George has not made an outstanding contribution to music. He's a good singer and has written some good songs but I doubt he's had a major musical influence on anyone.

You're just getting snarky for the sake of it .. for what reason only you can say.

Real fans of Kate know to expect the unexpected.

I love this insistance that people are unhappy, when the vast majoirty of commentary I've seen from those who attended the shows so far suggests the total opposite. Still, some people never let the truth get in the way when they've got an agenda to push!

I was getting snarky with the person who was getting snarky with me.
I can sense your musical snobbery loud and clear.
Sadly for you,many people,even industry insiders/professionals consider George to be a bit of a genius,as you seem to believe anything Elton John says,he also considered George Michael to be pretty great,musically.

I used George as an example of how an artist can let people know that a tour won't contain all the expected hits,that wasn't good enough for the Kate Bush fans who actually behave,on here,as though she is some kind of supreme being rather than just an 80s pop singer,whose refusal to tour in her heyday probably contributed to her ever declining sales figures.

Anyone who knows anything about George Michael knows he was far from being a musical puppet,the guy lost millions suing his own record company and at one stage refused to tour his new album in the traditional way.
In my opinion he managed a compromise of his musical sensibilities and the commercial business side of things better than anyone,as yet. Others have tried and fallen from grace in a spectacular fashion,Prince springs to mind.

For the record,I don't consider George to be relevant any more.
But,he was and still is a far more successful artist than Kate Bush will ever be.

Haven't been to the show yet but from everything I've heard and seen about it, to not release it on Blu Ray would be a crying shame. I pray Kate will give us a memory of this concert forever in that form and not let her perfectionism stop her from releasing footage of what sounds like one of the best and most progressive concerts in history thus far. The lack of an official DVD of the Tour of Life is one of the saddest things ever in terms of music related merchandise.

Couldn't agree more, especially that last sentence.

Oh God it was ****ing fantastic!!!!!! The Ninth Wave segment was utterly brilliant and I had goose bumps when she first arrived on stage. I'm still on a high. I really wish she had done Rocket's Tail and Song of Solomon but that's being a tad churlish. Awesome awesome awesome!!!!

Nocturne was sublime. Encored with Cloudbusting!!!!

Argh, I still have 18 days to go! I can't stand it!

Glad you had such a fantastic time.

I think we've all got songs we wish she was doing but I think your post likely represents what most people attending will feel after seeing Kate live, despite what the vocal minority on this forum are trying to get everyone to believe.

I really hope she does release a DVD as I wasn't able to get a ticket and would really love to see the show.

I'm surprised to hear that she doesn't really like her first four albums she released. I wonder why? They are works of genius, in my opinion! How can she not be proud of songs like Moving, Symphony In Blue, Wow, Sat In Your Lap, Hammer Horror, The Dreaming and Breathing, to name just a few?! They're masterpieces most artists I'm sure would kill to have been talented enough to have written! I also really love Experiment IV, that would be one song I'd really love to hear her perform live.

I wouldn't expect to hear her sing her very early stuff live in their traditional form simply because her voice is naturally a lot deeper now and back then she did sing in that distinctive high pitched squeaky voice, lol! Newer, lower keyed versions of some of those early songs would work well though. Songs like Army Dreamers and The Dreaming, for example, which she sang in a deeper, more natural sounding voice anyway. But singing Wuthering Heights in the way she originally did would be tough on anyone's vocal chords, never mind a much older Kate, lol! I personally wouldn't be bothered about hearing Wuthering Heights performed live but I certainly would love to hear some of her earlier stuff performed and I'm not talking about her big hits. Just early album tracks like Moving and Symphony In Blue. Also some songs from her later albums, especially ones from The Red Shoes (one of my favourite Kate albums) like Moments Of Pleasure or Top Of The City. Lily is probably my least favourite song on The Red Shoes, lol.

Anyway, I know I'd be happy to hear Kate performing anything live. A Sky Of Honey has some lovely songs, especially An Architect's Dream and Sunset. Plus I love The Ninth Wave so I know I'd love the show. Just a couple of extra songs in the encore to please her more casual fans too would be nice though. Then everyone would be happy. Not necessarily Wuthering Heights but maybe Army Dreamers, The Sensual World, This Woman's Work or The Man With The Child In His Eyes which she wouldn't be straining to sing high pitched, like she probably would on, say, Wow, Them Heavy People or Babooshka, as brilliant as those songs are!

Btw, I wonder what the chances are of Peter Gabriel joining her on stage one night for a duet of Don't Give Up?! Lol, I guess not very likely but how amazing would that be?! He's another favourite artist of mine.

Anyway, please Kate pleeeease release a DVD of the show for us poor folks who can't attend any of the shows!!