Behind the Setlist

Behind the Setlist

At Behind the Setlist, we talk to artists to get the stories about the songs they play live. Most artists are known best for their recordings, but they love to be on stage. That's where the music feels at home. That's where they connect with the audience. How do they pick the songs to take the audience on a journey? Why do they cover other artists' songs? How many new songs can an artist fit into a 16-song set when people want to hear the classics? We find out. Hosted by Glenn Peoples (Billboard) and Jay Gilbert (Label Logic).

Episodes

Mickey Guyton on Performing on Chinese TV, Recording New Holiday Music

August 21, 2025 • 30 mins
Country singer Mickey Guyton joined Billboard's Behind the Setlist podcast from China where she was a contestant on the TV show "The Singer." She ended up coming in second place on finale on August. 8.  "I'm the first country artist that they've had on the show, and it's just been so much fun," she said. "It's really been a beautiful experience." Up next for Mickey: the release of new holiday music. Mickey has been with Capital...
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Alexandra Kay on Upcoming Album, Working for Country Stardom and Coffee

August 8, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode we talk to country artist Alexandra Kay. Alexandra will release her second album, titled Second Wind, on October 24 through BMG’s BBR Music Group. She has already released three tracks to her fans — including her 8.6 million large social media following. You may know Alexandra from her Coffee Covers videos on YouTube or from the track “Leave the Light On” by Jelly Roll from the Twisters soundtrack. You're probably g...
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Zac Brown Talks Upcoming Sphere Residency and Album

July 31, 2025 • 42 mins
Zac Brown sat down with Billboard's Behind the Setlist podcast to talk about two major projects that will debut on Dec. 5: a new album, Love & Fear, and a residency at the unparalleled, state-of-the-art Sphere venue in Las Vegas. "The last three or four years, I've been wanting to create a spectacle," said Brown, a three-time Grammy winner who broke into the mainstream in 2008 with the song "Chicken Fried" from the 5x platinum albu...
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Ray LaMontagne

July 24, 2025 • 41 mins
Singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne doesn’t do a ton of press, so we were thrilled to get some time with him to discuss his latest tour and the 20th anniversary reissue of his album Trouble. First released in 2005, Trouble peaked at No. 164 on the Billboard 200. His next album, Till the Sun Turns Black, went to No. 28. His next three albums all reached No. 3: Gossip in the Grain from 2008, God Willin’ and the Creek Don’t Rise from 201...
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Devon Allman and Duane Betts (of the Allman Betts Band)

July 17, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode of Billboard's Behind the Setlist podcast we talk to Devon Allman and Duane Betts of the Allman Betts Band. That was Devon Allman in the show opener talking about how many of the people who attend their concerts also saw them when they were young and on the road with the Allman Brothers. Devon is the son of Gregg Alman and Duane is the son of Dickie Betts, and in our conversation both talked about the joy and respon...
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Adam Duritz (of Counting Crows)

July 10, 2025 • 52 mins
In this episode we talk to Adam Duritz, singer for the long-running, much celebrated band Counting Crows, about everything from his love of the band Big Star to doing podcasts rather than traditional interviews to promote new albums and tours. Counting Crows are best known for the songs “Mr Jones”  from their 1993 debut August and Everything After and “A Long December” from the follow-up, 1996’s Recovering the Satellites. Their l...
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Lyle Lovett

June 27, 2025 • 46 mins
Lyle Lovett joined Billboard's Behind the Setlist podcast to discuss his love for live performances, the amazing musicians who join him on stage, and his career spanning over 45 years. He shared his early days at Texas A&M, where he booked acts and played covers, and his transition to performing original songs. Lyle also talked about the importance of audience connection and how his approach to storytelling was influenced by artist...
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Buzz Osbourne (Melvins)

June 20, 2025 • 38 mins
In this episode we talk to Buzz Osbourne, the singer and guitarist for legendary rock band Melvins. Before the Pacific Northwest became known for grunge, Melvins, a notable influence on Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, were making sludgy, heavy rock music in Washington State.  After grunge broke in the early ‘90s, the band was signed to Atlantic Records for two albums, Stone Witch from ’94 and Stag from ’96. Otherwise, Melvins have...
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The Doobie Brothers

May 29, 2025 • 43 mins
In this episode we talk to Patrick Simmons and Tom Johnston. Call them easy listening or a bar band from California, but what matters is The Doobie Brothers have been making music for over 50 years and are back with a new album, Walk This Road, out June 6 on Rhino Records. For Walk This Road, Michael McDonald joins Patrick, Tom and John McFee. Michael was absent on the band’s 2022 album, Liberté, and is back with his fair share ...
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Richard Marx

May 15, 2025 • 51 mins
For a period of time in the late '80s and early '90s, Richard Marx was everywhere. The hitmaker achieved a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Hold Onto the Nights." “Endless Summer Nights” went to No. 2 while both “Don’t Mean Nothing” and “Should’ve Known Better” went to No. 3. His album Repeat Offender went to No. 1 in 1989. Richard has had an immensely successful career as a songwriter-producer and helped craft hits ...
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Larkin Poe

May 1, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode we talk to Larkin Poe, a duo of sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell. Fifteen years into their careers as Larkin Poe, Rebecca and Megan have built a catalog of blues and Southern rock-influenced music and a dedicated following. The duo’s 2022 album, Blood Harmony, won a 2024 Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Their latest album, Bloom, is another soulful, occasionally bombastic journey through American roots musi...
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Thurston Moore

April 17, 2025 • 52 mins
Billboard's Behind the Setlist talks to Thurston Moore, co-founder of Sonic Youth, about his body of work as a solo artist and collaborator; his latest album, Flow Critical Lucidity; the likelihood of a Sonic Youth reunion; his musical education witnessing New York’s vibrant music scene in the late ‘70s; and his memoir, Sonic Life, that was released in 2023.  Links: Thurston Moore home page Jay Gilbert @ Label Logic Glenn Peoples...
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Howard Jones

April 4, 2025 • 42 mins
Behind the Setlist chats with synth-pop pioneer Howard Jones, best known for his hits in the ‘80s such as “Things Can Only Get Better,” “Life in One Day” and “What Is Love?” His 1985 album Dream Into Action reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and hit No. 2 on the U.K. album chart. Howard has remained incredibly busy over his career, releasing 15 studio albums, the most recent being Dialogue in 2022. Next up is Piano Co...
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Posdnuos (of De La Soul)

March 26, 2025 • 40 mins
In this episode we talk to Kevin Mercer, otherwise known as Posdnuos, or Pos, from the hip hop group De La Soul. The group continues touring and making music after more than three decades, and they have continued after the death of David Jolicoeur, known as Trugoy the Dove, in 2023. De La Soul’s 1989 debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was a breakthrough at the time and stands today as a hip hop classic for its positivity, intelli...
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David Gray

March 17, 2025 • 54 mins
British singer-songwriter David Gray joins Billboard's Behind the Setlist podcast for a song-by-song walk-through of his February 14, 2025 set at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The 23-song set featured a number of songs from his latest album, Dear Life, and went all the way back to his 1993 debut album, A Century Ends. Gray talks about how a cover of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" made it into his sets, the importance ...
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Jasen Rauch (of Breaking Benjamin)

March 11, 2025 • 37 mins
Jasen Rauch of Breaking Benjamin joined Billboard's Behind the Setlist podcast for a wide-ranging interview about the band's touring life, its loyal fan base, picking songs for Breaking Benjamin concerts, the challenge of developing new rock acts in 2025, and the band's transition away from Hollywood Records. The group's latest song, "Awake," was licensed by the band through BMG, and Rauch says the band's upcoming album will also...
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Tarriona "Tank" Ball (of Tank and the Bangas)

March 4, 2025 • 26 mins
Fresh off a Grammy win for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, Tarriona "Tank" Ball of the New Orleans group Tank and the Bangas joined Billboard's Behind the Setlist to talk about that Grammy win, the stories behind some of the album's songs, her excitement for performing at the upcoming New Orleans Jazz Festival and how her music got its mix of soul, R&B, hip hop and poetry. If you’ve ever felt disapp...
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Nick Wheeler (of The All-American Rejects)

February 25, 2025 • 45 mins
Nick Wheeler of The All-American Rejects talks to Behind the Setlist about hitting it big in the '00s, the slowdown in the '10s and the band's return to meaningful touring in the '20s (and their performance at the 2022 When We Were Young festival that got the ball rolling). The band recently released a cover of the 1997 Harvey Danger song "Flagpole Sitta" through independent Spin Records and, Wheeler says, is currently plotting mor...
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Rick Springfield

February 12, 2025 • 35 mins
Rick Springfield joins Behind the Setlist to talk about his new greatest hits album out February 14, Big Hits: Rick Springfield’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, which features the new track "Lose Myself" and an assortment of songs ranging from his 1999 album Karma to 2023's Automatic. The deluxe box set version of the album comes with a hardcover coffee table book. Rick talks about writing "The Man That Never Was" with Dave Grohl and the...
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Phantogram

January 30, 2025 • 37 mins
In this episode we talk with Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter, otherwise known as Phantogram. Phantogram released its 5th studio album, the fantastic Memory of a Day, in October 2024 and recently wrapped up a tour as the opener for Kings of Leon. Memory of a Day is a kaleidoscope of sounds, textures and moods, all rooted in excellent songwriting and Sarah and Josh’s ability to embed memorable hooks into layers of buzzing, distorted, c...
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