OPINION: In Defence Of The Encore Fake Out

‘Thank you and goodnight!’ The phrase uttered by a band that hasn’t played their number one single during an arena gig halfway around the world.

It’s a tale as old as time — bands and artists thank us for being a great crowd and just happen to leave their instruments all plugged in, and the house lights stay off. It’s a charade debated by all of us music nerds — is the encore fake-out still cool in 2024?

If you’ve been living under a rock, an encore can be considered the P.S. of a live show. When the lights are off, and the crowd goes wild, musos usually saunter back on stage to play an encore or two.

The history of the encore is interesting. The concept dates back to classical music with composers like Mozart, who would repeat arias that received notable acclaim from their audiences. This carried through to the rock ‘n’ roll days of artists like Prince and Jimi Hendrix, who would often return to the stage up to four times after playing their main sets.

 Nowadays, encores exist in a much different format. Since the turn of the century, the encore fake-out has come to light in arena gigs. They’ll appear in a bunch of different ways but typically occur when the main set closes down, the band ‘fake’ announces they’re about to play their last song, and we’ve been a great crowd. Once it’s over, the lights stay off; instruments remain on stage and the chants for ‘one more song’ bellow across the crowd.

I’m sorry if this is learning about the tooth fairy, but nine times out of ten, encores are planned well and truly before the band hits the stage.

Groups repeat sets across the world (or the country), and an encore is just part and parcel of the live show experience. This is the time for artists to head off, have a drink, and stretch before making their way back out to play their hit song or give the fans one more little treat.

Whether it’s the four-piece that formed down the end of your street or a worldwide star like Beyoncé, there’s no question that a live show is one of the purest experiences out there. There’s often little fear of judgement once you get your ticket scanned and you’re through those doors; a crowd for your favourite artist are your people.

There’s not much innocence in the world anymore. No one can do anything without being shamed for it. Just look at how brutal pop fandoms on Twitter can be, they’ll tear an artist to shreds for being slightly cringy to being on the seemingly wrong side of rap beef.

But that discourse doesn’t exist at concerts — live shows are one of the only spaces where fans can be fans and live in the moment without fear of retribution.

Everything that goes into making one of these spaces exist should be commended. From the stage banter to lights to these encore fake-outs, they all add to the special experience of seeing a live gig.

Things like when a band tells us we’re the best city in the world, when fireworks/pyro goes off, and when the encore fake-out happens. These little parts work together to create the entire experience; they are a great excuse for fans to get a little more hyped up and enjoy their night out.

This all plays into the atmosphere. Take all these elements out, and you may as well just be listening to the music on a streaming service. This is what moves the event from a listening party to an experience.

Aside from playing music, everything that happens on stage is a bit of a game between the artist and the fans. Both parties need to buy in. If one doesn’t, something small gets taken away from the live experience.

There’s no doubt you’ve been to a gig where the artist specifically notes, ‘We’re gonna go sit side of the stage for a minute, and then walk back out and play a few more songs!’ This is often seen as a little wink to the audience that we know that usual game is dumb. But this is a game in itself that almost mocks the whole concert experience.

It’s denying an element that adds to the concert experience. Selected fans often deny the game, as well. It’s easy to look at it all as artificial or ingenious—like they are above the banter, encore, and pandering.

So next time you think about rolling your eyes when the kids around you start yelling for ‘one more song’, join in; there’s not too much out there like this anymore.