see and show and do NOT know the setlist...

I generally prefer not knowing what recent setlists were. I agree that just because the internet exists, it doesn't mean you KNOW what is coming next, though with some bands that can be the case.

Some bands have enough material to vary the set a lot and STILL the set stays virtually the same for a whole tour. I've seen Placebo live after looking up their sets for the tour up to that point and during the gig it was like clockwork, after a song I was thinking "Hmm, <insert song title here> is up next" and lo and behold it was then played. Are the band to blame for having the same set night after night or am I to blame for looking at the set in advance? Either way it was a bit boring knowing what would come next

The other problem that comes with viewing setlists is that inevitably the song that was played last night that you are desperate to hear, doesn't get played at your gig and you feel cheated. Example: Bob Mould not playing Celebrated Summer at my gig when he played it the night before.

I also think that artists can really alienate their fans by playing only recent material. A prime example is Mark Kozelek, who also tours & records as Sun Kil Moon. I was a huge fan of Red House Painters and Mark's solo work up until around 4 years ago. His attitude to song crafting seems to have gone down the toilet since then. I don't want to go off topic with regards to that, but my point is that he no longer plays Red House Painters songs and even solo stuff that is over say 4 years old. He has enough material to really vary his setlists but insists on playing only recent material much to the chagrin of his fans who want a mix of songs from different eras.

One thing I have noticed with The Cure is that thankfully they really do vary their sets, and fill them with a great mix of singles, album tracks & b-sides from their whole career. A mix of upbeat and downbeat, light and dark, fan favourites and pop hits. At any time they could moan and say "We're sick of A Forest, Boys Don't Cry and Inbetween Days, we're never playing them again." But they play what they know the fans like to hear.

I see them in just under 3 weeks in Manchester, England. I have looked at some of their current tour sets, and have been impressed how many different songs get played. Whilst I could looked at the set from the night before I see them and still find its totally different when I see them, I am gonna try to NOT look at too many sets leading up to the gig, as I do really dig the surprise element.