3. Setlist
The setlist is an obvious consideration for any show. While you cant always predict a setlist accurately, you often can and it helps to gauge which shows are going to be best. First look at the last few setlists your artist has used (setlist.fm is a fantastic resource). There are many artists out there who like to shuffle their setlists from show to show and make every event completely unique. A good example is They Might Be Giants. If you find that youre artist is anything like this, youd do well to buy tickets to that show because it will be a completely unique event. Some bands, on the other hand, prefer to use the same setlist every single time. Every. Single. Time. This is not always a bad thing however. Sometimes this means an artist is well prepared and capable of delivering a powerhouse performance. Nothing kills a show worse than someone forgetting the lyricswere looking at you P!nk. Most important of all, in regards to setlist, however, is what songs the artist tends to show. Ideally they will typically roll out a mixture of beloved rarities and non-singles with a strong backbone of hits. With few rarities, the show becomes generic and loses its uniqueness. But, on the other hand, should the artist neglect their biggest hits its going to be extremely frustrating for fans and boring for casual concert-goers. Theres a reason I have no intention of going to Rihanna later in the year. Her setlists are void of a large portion of her most memorable singles.