Open Thread Set II:

First of all, I liked the music. I want to say if they'd debuted these songs over the course of the summer and fall, I would have re-listened to them multiple times, taking each one as its own entity and tried to imagine how they'd play out as big jams, etc. (which is how I listened to albums back in the day like "Billy Breathes," "The Story of the Ghost" and "Farmhouse," since it wasn't like the Maxell XL-II tapes were piling up in my mail box.) But I can't help comparing 10/31/2018 Set II to Set II of 10/31/2013. At least then we knew the gimmick (for lack of a better word) beforehand. And it turned out well: A full eight of those songs would end up on the album that became "Fuego." I'd like to hope that things turn out well for some of these tunes too (I'll have to give it another watch and probably a few listens.) I just can't help feeling a little "been there, done that." I love that the boys can feel comfortable enough to debut an entire album's worth of new material during one show, especially in this context. On the other hand, I feel like we as phans have come to expect... maybe not more, but... no repeats? In conclusion, I love the idea of debuting a lot of new material in a confined space. Just not Halloween. Maybe they should do something akin to the Island Tour during the Spring every 3-5 years or so?

Thoughts?