Where to place your most famous song in a concert setlist
The decision of where to place a band's most famous song in a concert setlist varies widely among musicians. While many bands traditionally save their biggest hit for the encore—like Vasco Rossi with "Albachiara" or Foo Fighters with "Everlong"—others have experimented with opening, such as Weezer playing "Buddy Holly" first in 2018. Behavioral economics supports the encore approach via the "peak-end rule" by Daniel Kahneman, which suggests audiences remember the emotional peak and the ending most vividly. However, some artists avoid their biggest hit due to personal frustration: Radiohead have largely dropped "Creep" since the late 1990s, last playing it in 2018; Kurt Cobain disliked "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for overshadowing Nirvana's catalog; and Robert Plant rarely performs "Stairway to Heaven," last doing so in 2023. Others like Ethel Cain and Lana Del Rey treat their hits flexibly, moving them around the setlist. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour closes with "Karma" rather than her most famous singles.
Key facts
- Weezer opened concerts with 'Buddy Holly' in 2018.
- Vasco Rossi closes with 'Albachiara' for over 30 years.
- Foo Fighters almost always end with 'Everlong'.
- Queen traditionally closed with 'We Will Rock You' then 'We Are the Champions'.
- Guns N' Roses close with 'Paradise City'.
- The Cure often close with 'Boys Don't Cry'.
- Daniel Kahneman's peak-end rule suggests people remember the emotional peak and end of an experience.
- Manel Baucells modeled an ideal setlist: open with a beloved song, dip in the middle, rise to close with the most loved.
- Bob Dylan has changed 'Tangled Up in Blue' more than any other song since 1975.
- Dylan has not played 'Knocking on Heaven's Door' in over 20 years.
- Radiohead last played 'Creep' in 2018; they omitted it from entire tours in 2000, 2008, and 2012.
- Thom Yorke called 'Creep' 'pretty crap' in 1993.
- Jonny Greenwood found 'Creep' too mawkish and added distorted guitar to make it 'less flabby'.
- Ed O'Brien said playing 'Creep' repeatedly was 'incredibly dispiriting'.
- Kurt Cobain sometimes played 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' badly to disappoint fans expecting it.
- King Crimson long refused to play '21st Century Schizoid Man' due to constant requests.
- Robert Plant last performed 'Stairway to Heaven' in 2023 at a charity concert; prior to that in 2007.
- Ethel Cain opened with 'American Teenager' at Primavera Sound Barcelona in June 2026.
- Lana Del Rey sometimes closes with 'Young and Beautiful', other times with 'Venice Bitch' or 'Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd'.
- Taylor Swift closes her Eras Tour with 'Karma' rather than 'Shake It Off' or '22'.
Entities
Artists
- Weezer
- Rivers Cuomo
- Vasco Rossi
- Foo Fighters
- Queen
- Guns N' Roses
- The Cure
- Daniel Kahneman
- Manel Baucells
- Bob Dylan
- Ray Padgett
- Radiohead
- Thom Yorke
- Jonny Greenwood
- Ed O'Brien
- Kurt Cobain
- Nirvana
- King Crimson
- Adrian Belew
- Robert Plant
- Led Zeppelin
- Ethel Cain
- Barack Obama
- Taylor Swift
- Doja Cat
- Lana Del Rey
Institutions
- Rolling Stone
- University of Virginia
- Primavera Sound
Locations
- Barcelona
- Spain