The Ultimate Brand New Setlist

Wait...so did you keep everything and just cheat with an encore? haha

 

MAY I MAKE AN ULTIMATE THRICE PLAYLIST PRETTY PLEASE ? !? !? !?!! !

 

I'm selfish and want to make one myself, but maybe.

Also I don't know what that comment before means. I used the same rules as always, 20 songs, 2 song encore.

 

Last 4 songs cut:

I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spin Light - This one physically hurt me to do. I love this song, but I just couldn't pick any of the Devil and God songs I get comfortable cutting to get down to 22. I think if you asked me this a few months from now I would take out I Am a Nightmare and left this in, but I've been listening to I Am a Nightmare a ton and I wanted to highlight that.

Brother's Song - I adore this song, but I really wanted to include Soco and Play Crack the Sky and I thought 3 full length acoustic songs would be a bit too much. Blame Brand New for having too many incredible acoustic songs.

You Stole - An underrated song from Brand New's most underrated album. I had 6 songs from Daisy originally (Bought a Bride, You Stole, and Sink were the three songs cut, and I still regret having so many songs from Devil and only 3 from Daisy, but thems the breaks)

Last Chance to Lose Your Keys

That chorus is great, but I've definitely moved away from the pop-punk of Your Favorite Weapon over time. I will still through it on occasionally for the nostalgia factor but that's all the 3 picks on this album are to me. They don't appeal to me on the same plane as the rest of the band's discography.

 

1. Soco Amaretto Lime
2. Vices

This is going to probably be a controversial start right out the gate, but I come with reasoning. I saw the band do this one-two combo to start the show last August. Soco was played by Jesse alone on stage, as the entire crowd sang along almost louder than him. It felt like what I feel like a Hillsong or one of those devotional singing churches would be like to attend, a religious experience of human connection through music. And then the rest of the band walks out on stage, and I'm thinking, “How are they going to follow that up?” and in true Brand New fashion, they basically said, “Fuck it lets do this.” and ripped directly into Vices. It was so fitting, I wanted to include it here. It's tougher to get the same feel due to the intro on the album version of Vices, but just imagine it going straight into the chaos.

3. I Am a Nightmare

I'm well-aware this one is going to be a controversial choice as well. Many people have said that they're not too into this song, including our fearless leader., and I get it. I happen to love it, though, and think that chorus is straight fire. But the real reason is just that I think I wanted to include one of the newer Brand New songs to kind of represent where they are now, and where they might be headed in the future (assuming they aren't actually breaking up).

4. Jude Law and a Semester Abroad

This song is just pure, unadulterated nostalgia to me. I can't remember when the last time I listened to YFW in full was, but you better believe I throw on this song when I need a drunk shouting song.

5. The Archers Bows Have Broken

I always feel like this song is the one that never gets enough love on Devil and God. I think it's among the best in Brand New's discography. It's just so propulsive.

6. Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't

This song has probably 4 or 5 of the best one liners of Jesse Lacey's entire career as a songwriter. Just a master class in writing for what was the peak AIM away message time period. But in all seriousness this is a great song that becomes a legendary song from “This is the grace only we can bestow…” on.

7. Missing You

Ahh yes, the first appearance of fightoffyourdemons. I know a lot of people adore Untitled 2 (1996) and Untitled 3 (Brother's Song / Brother), and trust me both were on the shortlist for inclusion in this setlist, but Missing You (formerly Untitled 4) won me over because I love the way it sort of just becomes a Pixies song by the middle section of the song, but also because of that vocal performance, which is at once sort of reserved and laid back and containing this sort of subtle intensity.

8. Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades

I'll admit it, I was damn close to cutting this song. Those that follow me on Twitter know I asked for people to talk me down. Luckily a few people brought me to my senses and I found 2 other songs to cut. While I think this is actually one of the weaker tracks overall on Deja Entendu, it is one of the best sing-along songs in the band's discography, and the dynamic chorus is tailor-made for a live setting, so it stays.

9. At The Bottom

It's kind of remarkable that a major label album's only single. That Daisy rollout was fascinating at the time, and the band's strategy has only gotten weirder and weirder in the seven years since. This song has always been one of my favorites from Daisy, and while I probably like You Stole a little more, I thought having too many slow-ish long songs might drag down the set energy a bit, so I went with this one.

10. Luca

Those who have seen Brand New before know how mindblowing seeing the Luca bomb live is. While there is a sort of ethereal out-of-nowhere quality to the “drop” in the song on record, nothing compares to the song live, when you're standing next to thousands of others, holding their breathe in anticipation, before that screech happens and it's just dark euphoria.

11. The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot

Sad song, sure, but it comes with the territory, I suppose. There was no way I was leaving it out of the setlist. It was just a matter of where. As a comedown from the chaotic end of Luca and a precursor to the Sowing Season intro, I think it is slotted well.

12. Sowing Season

I like to think of this as the beginning of set two. It's at this point the set really starts to take off and build towards what is a heavy, climactic finish.

13. Seventy Times 7

There is really no good place to fit this song in the setlist. I thought about just pairing it up with Jude Law, but that seemed like a cheat, so I just threw it in the middle of the setlist, in hopes that the people who are just there for the YFW songs will go away before the powerhouse Devil and God songs come up.

14. Not The Sun

This was the eighth and final song included from Devil and God. It's a testament to how consistently incredible that record is (outside of Handcuffs which I think sucks) that even they eight best song probably on Devil and God is still almost assuredly in the top 15 of Brand New's discography. What a special record.

15. Noro

I have a new unwritten rule about these Ultimate Setlists. I get one out of nowhere left field pick per setlist that no one is allowed to hate on, but the band would probably never play live outside of a full-album show setting. That one for this setlist is Noro, the killer closing track off of Daisy. I just love the whole atmosphere of that track, and I've been in love with it since the moment I heard Daisy for the first time.

16. Nobody Moves

I always thought this was the best song off fightoffyourdemons, but the recent remaster has taken the song to a whole new level. The sweeping build at the end of the song just crushes now that you can actually discern all the different layers. Remastered, re-recordered, or untouched the song slays.

17. Jesus Christ

18. Degausser

19. Limousine

Yeah, these songs were always going to be on this list. There was no chance I was cutting any of them. Interestingly, I also decided to keep them all in the same order they appear on the album back-to-back-to-back. Part of this was out of pure laziness in not wanting to fiddle till I found a spot for them, and part of this was out of the thought that those three songs were just meant to be played directly into each other. No other order seems to make sense for those songs.

20. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

I know, Brand New barely plays this song live anymore. But that's a god damn travesty to me and I won't stand for it. I have been quoted as saying this is among the 10 best written rock songs in history, and while I should probably cool it a bit with the over the top hyperbole (completely fair, imagined internet commenter complaint) this song is my favorite Brand New song, and so I selfishly put it in the closing spot of their setlist in the hopes that they start finally playing it more frequently, since I wasn't able to get tickets to the Deja Entendu album shows and have not seen them play the song live since 2011.

21. Play Crack The Sky

Preferably with accompaniment from Kevin Devine and Andy Hull. If that is something that could be arranged literally every time Jesse plays this song for the rest of eternity, that would be great, thanks. But no, seriously, this song was included for the same reason Soco was to be honest. It just becomes that much better when you hear it with several thousand people scream singing the words back at Jesse.

22. You Won't Know

This is Brand New's masterpiece, and I won't be told otherwise. It is a master class in songwriting, it's a powerful, evocative vocal performance, it's got some of the band's most quotable lyrics, and that is enough to give it this spot as the show closer. Bonus points if it is the special 10 minute extended jam live version of the song the band has broken out over the years. That is still probably my favorite live version of a song in the non-Bruce Springsteen category.

 

I had a small laugh at "I can also see now why Brand New seems to break their songs up by album in their set, as their discography haschanged so dramatically in tone, tuning, and musical styles over the years, it isdifficult/basically impossible to find a way to smoothly transition between different eras" because there is only one transition here that involves songs from the same album (unless you include the last song of the set to the first of the encore)

Anyway, many props to those who do this every week. I always start and just find myself getting lost in choices hahah. They're certainly fun to read though.

 

I did the best I could. I figured I'd try to be up to the challenge. Just breaking it up into album blocks is boring.

 

Oh, I didn't remember that the 2 song encore was a rule. I guess I haven't paid close enough attention to past lists! My bad

 

My tentative list would look like so:

Sowing Season
Millstone
Jesus
Degausser
Limousine
You Won't Know
Welcome to Bangkok
Not the Sun
Luca/Untitled
Archers
Good Man
Vices
Sink
Bought a Bride
Sic Transit
Quiet Things
Okay, I Believe You
Play Crack the Sky
Missing You
Noro

Encore:

Nobody Moves
Soco

 

Thanks for continuing to do these each week! I've been waiting for one with an entire discography I was familiar with.

Some solid choices, but some that wouldn't have made my list. I put together a setlist a couple years ago that I was pretty happy with at the time. Made some changes to it to freshen it up and stick with your guidelines (minus Apple Music).

1. Good Man
2. Quiet Things
3. Sic Transit
4. Maradona
5. Sowing Season
6. Not the Sun
7. Luca
8. Sink
9. Bought A Bride
10. Logan
11. Shower Scene
12. Tommy Gun
13. Boy
14. Vices
15. You Won't Know
16. Jesus
17. Jaws
18. Degausser
19. Limousine
20. Coca-Cola

Encore:

1. 1996
2. Nobody Moves

Tough cuts include Millstone, Gasoline, You Stole, Bangkok and Soco. Thought about including the new songs, but it's hard to argue against such a strong back catalog that I have a deeper connection with.

I feel like this flows well, makes it easy from a tuning aspect, and gives most fans something to love. For those keeping track, here's a breakdown between albums:

YFW - 2
Deja - 6
FOYD - 3
TDAG - 7
Daisy - 3
B-Sides - 1

 

I was shocked when I saw Nightmare on there, then realized it wasn't Jason writing the post.

I approve.

 

@Craig Ismaili I feel like minus the Daisy stuff I agree with this all.

I just could never get into Daisy, so much so that its one of the few albums that I have bought that does not just exist in my itunes.

 

Daisy songs are so great live.

 

I actual agree with you. When I saw them last October I really enjoyed them. If I wasn't moving the next day I probably would have thrown them back on to check them out.

 

Would've loved to have seen "The Shower Scene" sneak onto this list.

 

if it doesn't have Logan to Government Center, it's an invalid list.

 

I Am A Nightmare shouldn't be anywhere near this list

 

I think its a good song that will translate well live.

 

I dig this list I agree, Daisy songs are so good live. I was lucky enough to be at the TGAD/Daisy show on Long Island and it was nuts.

 

I'm grouchy they have never played Fork and Knife so that would be the first song on my encore for them. The rest doesn't even matter because I love them so much. I've seen them 8 times and going for 9 and 10 next week in toronto. Hopefully they'll play Fork and Knife one day.

 

Man this band. This effing band. I agree that organizing this set based on some kind of fluid tone is basically impossible, so I won't try to do it. I'll just throw on what I want, when I want.

Vices (with the full intro)
Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades
Jesus Christ
Sink
Jaws Theme Swimming
The Archers Bows Have Broken
The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
Logan To Government Center
I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spin Light
Guernica
Seventy Times Seven
Sowing Season
Noro
Not The Sun
Bought A Bride
You Won't Know
Jude Law and A Semester Abroad
Millstone
Play Crack the Sky
Degausser

Encore
Soco Amaretto Lime
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

This. Was. Tough.

 

They've played it three times live, two of which were part of the discography shows. It was one of my white whales for the longest time after debuting in 2006 and never to be played live again until 2013. I wasn't overly impressed with their performance of it, though. Maybe if they played it more and added more of the atmospheric touches found on the recording it'd sound better in a live setting.

 

See if they did Vices with the full intro as like a walk-on I feel it would be utter chaos and I'd agree with having it first in the set. Otherwise Craig's intro works for me, seen that combo live and it works really well too.

 

You're nailing this feature @Craig Ismaili. Really enjoyed the Jimmy Eat World one a few weeks back and this one looks like a lot of fun too. Eagerly awaiting the Thrice one. That'll probably be the most difficult one of the lot with the amount of albums they have under their belt.