The encore ritual feels exhausted. Here's why bands should ditch the fake goodbye and give us what we paid for from the start.
There's a moment in every gig where the lights go down, the band shuffles offstage, and everyone pretends they're shocked when they come back for two more songs. We've all done it. We've all clapped along to the charade.
But here's the thing: it's tired. And it's time to kill it.
The Encore is Theatre, Not Truth
The encore started as something genuine—a band so moved by the crowd's energy they'd come back for one more. Noble. Real. Now it's just contractual obligation dressed up as spontaneity. Everyone knows it's coming. You've paid for it. The setlist was written three weeks ago.
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There's no mystery. No danger. Just a sad little intermission where you stand around waiting for the inevitable.
Your Time Has Value
Look at tonight's gigs across Australia—from Kim Salmon at The Wheatsheaf in Adelaide to Jake Hoskins at The River in Margaret River. These are artists who earn your attention. Your ticket money. Your Sunday night.
So why waste fifteen minutes on a fake goodbye? Why not just play the song as part of the set? Build a proper closer instead of splitting your finale into two acts like some kind of emotional soap opera.
Venues could turn tables faster. Punters could get home at a reasonable hour. Everyone wins except the ego.
Some Bands Get It Right
The smart ones—and they're out there—don't bother. They hit you with their best material front to back, engineer a genuine finale, and leave you wanting more. That's the whole point, isn't it? Not the standing ovation. The wanting more.
Look at the sheer volume of live music happening right now. With 692 recent and upcoming gigs on the platform alone, venues and artists are under pressure to move bodies through efficiently. The encore is a relic that doesn't serve anyone except the performers' sense of importance.
What We Should Do Instead
Better setlist architecture. Proper finales. Maybe—radical thought—actually reading the room and leaving when the energy peaks instead of milking applause for another five minutes.
The encore made sense when live music was rare. When a band coming to your town was an event. Now you've got First Nations artists at QPAC, chamber groups like Sitkovetsky Trio at Snow Concert Hall in Canberra, and Dad Fight at Vinnies Dive all happening on the same night.
There's too much good music and not enough time. Stop wasting it on ceremony.
Discover what's actually worth your time tonight. Check out live music happening near you right now on musick.com.au.