Best Set Closer

[LA ex]

So, looks like the Manics have reverted back to A Design for Life as the set closer having employed Tolerate there for the majority of the year. Thinking back over the past twenty five years or so the only other songs they've finished on are Motown Junk (for the PPF tour) and You Love Us (mainly during the Everything Must Go era). So which of these songs do you think are the best for them to end on?

(I've left other as an option for anyone who wants to nominate something obscure they may have used in their earlier days).

[Son of Stopped]

I saw Tolerate... as a protest at the Ukrainian situation. So I can see why they've changed it around.
I think they once said "Design for UK, Tolerate for Europe" etc and overseas.
I'd forgotten they used to play Motown Junk!
They also claimed that was one of their vital 5 they had to play live.
Tolerate live was a huge monster last time I saw them a few years ago. Even though YouTube cancels a lot of the sound, the versions of Tolerate sound more muted than monster.
Still think Tolerate best closer.
Except in all that time in their setlists, it hasn't morphed into a "Summer Wind" section.

[hummingbird]

i've gone for Design but i like Tolerate too, I can sing along to the whole song - Shouty pointy to You Love us is fun too but the rest of the lyrics i've no idea - Motown Junk nah - like the song but nah

[Routine Builder]

Does PCP count as it ended the THB set in 2014-2015? A lot of punch in that one and builds up to a great crescendo.

[relic]

I'm a traditionalist, it has to be ADFL for the crowd singing and the 'this is the end' line.

[LA ex]

Originally Posted by Routine Builder

Does PCP count as it ended the THB set in 2014-2015? A lot of punch in that one and builds up to a great crescendo.

I'm going to say no to this, as it was the closer of the first half of the set it wasn't the overall finale song. Otherwise the likes of William's Last Words and No Surface All Feeling and possibly some others would need to be thrown in too!

[starfucker]

Originally Posted by LA ex

I'm going to say no to this, as it was the closer of the first half of the set it wasn't the overall finale song. Otherwise the likes of William's Last Words and No Surface All Feeling and possibly some others would need to be thrown in too!

I’m counting it; it was the closer at the Rough Trade gig in 2014 which was half Futurology and half Holy Bible and it worked fantastically well. We all know it as such a powerful closer to The Holy Bible and it did the same job live.

Playing by the proper rules, it has to be Design; it’s tradition, all the people in the room know all the words and it is such a special song. You Love Us and Motown Junk are good for penultimate song for the energy and jumping around, but not epic enough to close. Tolerate is fine how it is mainly used by the band and I agree with why they close with it in Europe etc.

[Flint]

AFDL's outro just works perfectly as the final note of the concert.

[LA ex]

Originally Posted by starfucker

I’m counting it; it was the closer at the Rough Trade gig in 2014 which was half Futurology and half Holy Bible and it worked fantastically well. We all know it as such a powerful closer to The Holy Bible and it did the same job live.

Playing by the proper rules, it has to be Design; it’s tradition, all the people in the room know all the words and it is such a special song. You Love Us and Motown Junk are good for penultimate song for the energy and jumping around, but not epic enough to close. Tolerate is fine how it is mainly used by the band and I agree with why they close with it in Europe etc.

Fair enough, I'd completely forgotten about that show - although I suspect there may be a few other random closers that I've missed for similar promotional type shows!

[LA ex]

Originally Posted by Flint

AFDL's outro just works perfectly as the final note of the concert.

Definitely a good way to close things down. I do still think that You Love Us sounds incomplete live when they close it without either the fall out scream or guitar wiggle reprises.

[sculptureofabloke]

Like Aaron says, A Design For Life UK and Tolerate mainland Europe.

Don’t fully get it but as ever, context is everything and both were lost on me at the time being 13 and 15. Teenagers from
Hull are more clueless than the average teenager..

I get em now. 1996 was a time of hope, optimism, defiance. Finally getting rid of the Tories, great. Not sure it’s the distinctly British song it gets recognised as mind, not without listening to it through French, Italian or Greek ears etc. No idea if any other countries in the mainland had a similar feeling in 1996 that we did here.

Tolerate on the other hand, I’m guessing that’s an education thing. That single was literally the first time I’d even heard of the Spanish Civil War. My school was in the bottom ten in the country the whole time I was there so hardly typical. Do UK schools even cover it on their syllabuses? I’m guessing that on the mainland the Spanish Civil War is something that’s closer not just geographically but also consciously,

[Clint Bradfield]

Random thought but didn't they finish a set with 'masses' for reading 2001 and 'motorcycle' at the summer sonic festival

[LA ex]

Originally Posted by Clint Bradfield

Random thought but didn't they finish a set with 'masses' for reading 2001 and 'motorcycle' at the summer sonic festival

Good memory! A quick flick through shows they cycled through a few different set closers during the 2001 festival season and that Motorcycle Emptiness seems to be used regularly as set closer in Japan. But nowhere else as far as I can tell.

[UEF]

I like it when they get A Design... in early. Had far too many gigs where I'm collecting my coat during that song.

[TommyGun241]

I've long thought I was in the minority with this opinion and this poll seems to confirm it but I don't think the combo of A Design For Life followed by You Love Us of the EMG-era can ever be beaten as the end of a Manics show.

I only ever seen it happen live in front of me once at my first ever Manics gig and I long to see it again. I suspect my longing will continue :-D