I talk about Bill Nelson a fair bit here, that's because he is really rather good. He is our most undervalued guitarist, along with Robin Trower, and continues to expand his musical horizons with every album. Where many of his generation are seated comfortably on their past glories Bill is fighting back against the past.

Now I'm all for reliving my youth, as the posts on this blog will testify, but as the fans view of what constitutes the "classic" parts of a band's legacy tends to be only a small part of the whole, usually centered somewhere from 1971 to 1974. Steely Dan actually did a "rarities" show back in 2011, as a relief from the run of identikit set lists. Yes are another offender in the same-dozen-songs-all-the-time stakes, as are many other 70s bands. Does this mean I'm alone in being bored stupid with live albums that repeat the same old stuff time and again. As live work and the CDs & DVDs that result from it are the staple of most artist's income now then how many versions of, for instance, 'Roundabout' do you need? You can pick from 2 studio and 15 different live versions. Please play something else! In career of 40 or even 50 years they must have written something else worth an airing.

We all like a bit of familiarity, but repetition to the point of boredom must make for stale performances, jaded listeners and diminishing box office returns. Lets be adventurous and allow our artists to mature and grow, and especially to play something we haven't heard in a while, or indeed ever. The prospect of another favourite feeling they have to apologise for not playing the old stuff is not one I'm looking forward to. It's embarrassing for them and for us.
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