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
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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January 15, 2025 • 44 mins
John Cooper, frontman for the rock band Skillet, joins Behind the Setlist for a wide-ranging talk about the band's latest album, Revolution, performing in countries many Western bands don't visit, the power of music to connect to other people, and music business lessons he has learned over the decades. Revolution is Skillet's 12th studio album and first to be self-released after leaving Atlantic Records. The band's 2009 album Awake...
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December 26, 2024 • 31 mins
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith of Tears for Fears join Behind the Setlist to talk about their new live album, Songs For A Nervous Planet; concert film, Tears for Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film); and how they continue to strive to write and record great music (such as the four new tracks on the live album).
Links:
Tears for Fears home page
Tears for Fears tour dates
Jay Gilbert @ Label Logic
Glenn Peoples @ Billboard
Learn more abo...
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December 12, 2024 • 50 mins
Gene Simmons is no longer the fire-breathing, platform shoes-wearing bass player for KISS. After the band's final performance in December 2023, Gene has been leading the Gene Simmons band through European festivals and American theaters and venues far smaller than a typical KISS venue. Still, as Gene explained, touring with a four-piece band and a skeleton crew can be financially lucrative. Gene throws in a good Van Halen anecdote,...
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November 26, 2024 • 37 mins
Behind the Setlist was thrilled to talk to Rachael Price and Mike Calabrese from Lake Street Dive. In November, the Brooklyn-based band received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal album for their 8th studio album, Good Together. Rachel and Mike talked about their surprise Grammy nod, the origin of the album's title track, what it’s like playing on stage after being together for two decades, and the band’s journey fr...
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November 13, 2024 • 38 mins
Gin Blossoms have been going for nearly four decades and continue to bring their '90s hits "Hey Jealousy" and "Til I Hear It From You" to venues around the U.S. What's the secret? Everybody gets an equal vote. Patience is key. Sacrifice is necessary. Punctuality is important, too, says singer Robin Wilson. "You don't make your bandmates wait for you. You want to keep a band together? Get to the airport on time.”
Links:
Gin Blossoms...
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October 30, 2024 • 37 mins
The original Sixpence None the Richer lineup came together for the first time in over two decades to release a new EP, Rosemary Hill, and put on the band's first tour in over ten years. Leigh Nash and Matt Slocum joined Billboard's Behind the Setlist to talk about getting the band back together, recording Rosemary Hill, the ending popularity of the band's hit song "Kiss Me," the interpolation of "Kiss Me" in Lisa's "Moonlit Floor,"...
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