One of the times I went to see The Killers (I've seen The Killers lots of times).
They played their most famous song, Mr Bright Side in the most unusual way, while the roadies were getting the stage ready for the main set after the support act had gone.
And all the house lights were up, and people were wandering around. These guys just wandered onto the stage, and the roadies stepped off. They picked up the guitars, the microphones, etc., and started playing Mr Brightside. It was, of course, The Killers coming on at the start of the set, completely unannounced, with the house lights all on, then the biggest song. After that, the lights went down, and they played the set. The place was mental for the whole gig, it's probably the best I've ever seen the Ice Stadium in Nottingham.
The girls have played Mr Bright Side 100 million times. The first time I ever heard it properly was in the Live Lounge on Radio One, when the drummer was playing on the filing cabinet. It was sensational. It won Live Lounge of the Year. It skyrocketed them to fame in the United Kingdom.
I'm sure they're fed up of it. In fact, Brandon Flowers has said before that they're not playing it anymore and then rescinded. Lots and lots of artists do that.
They get bored.
They get bored of turning up night after night playing the same song to the same looking, adoring fans and the same sort of gigs all around the world. They get bored, except for the professionals. The professionals know that just because they've heard it before doesn't mean the people in front of them haven't heard it before. The professional also knows that just because the people in front of them have heard it 10 or 20 times, it doesn't mean they're sick of it yet.
I read somewhere, I'm sure it was Seth Godin. That you shouldn't stop when you get fed up, and you shouldn't stop when your audience gets fed up. You should only stop when your accountant gets fed up.
Professionals understand that all products have a life cycle, but they also understand that the life cycle of the product can be short or long, and they also understand that while they're developing a new product, they can still continue to sell the old product that the public, the audience, the customer, the delegate, or the patient still wants.
Worth considering, eh? Just because you've done it before, it doesn't mean they have.
Blog Post Number - 4348