What is everyone's top 10 favorite Features' songs to hear live at a concert? You know, the songs that make you sing along louder than you should and cause air-instruments to be played (even air morraccas). Mine are...


1. Leave It All Behind - Great song in which every single band member gets to shine in some way. Sing-along-ability is tops too.
2. Dark Room - Parrish's keyboard noises make this one a treat.
3. The Beginning (Week One) - Any song that prompts Matt to jump around, fall into amps, and just generally be a rock god is amazing. This song is pure energy when played.
4. Thursday - Yes, it usually signals the end of a show but Rollum's hijinks during the opening part are always a highlight of the show.
5. See You Through - The one song in which the fans play as important a part as the band. Yay handclaps.
6. God Save Rock & Roll - Matt's guitar-playing just looks so amazing on this song and it has all the qualities that make The Beginning great: pure energy.
7. Someway, Somehow - Any problems Parrish used to have with this song are sure over with now. Watching him spin in his seat to play the parts...just cool.
8. Look Out Below - A good song that is made great when seen live because of Rollum's crazy intense drumming right before the chorus. Wow.
9. Circus - Screaming. Freaky noises. Matt on the ground playing. Roger doing backing vocals. A definitive live-Features experience.
10. Me & The Skirts - This was especially great when debuted at Blue Sky Court since, I believe, it's the only time that Parrish, Roger and Rollum have all sung back-up. I wish it was done more often.

Anyone else have a go?

I'm always glad to see a topic that's actually about the Features.

Here goes:

I agree with these songs
--Leave It All Behind
--Thursday
--See You Thru
--Circus


I have to add
--Your Smile--It has CHOREOGRPAHY!
--Jurley--the participation factor
--Heard It Through the Grapevine--if they're going to do a cover, then let it be this one. It has never received regular rotation status, but its rareness adds to its charm.
--Walk You Home--I love that bass and those maracas. I love that subject matter.
--The Idea of Growing Old--I love being in love
--Buffalo Head--I just really like the way the song moves with the chords, as well as the lyrics and the overall feel.

1. "circus" - this song just has the ability to make me spaz out like a idiot like no other. maybe it's the crazy screaming and guitar effects, i really have no explanation, i just love it. (does anyone else drive themselves crazy trying to watch matt's mouth to figure out what the lyric is after "i've got no feeling, but i've __ __ __ __"....?. if not, neither do i)
2. "the beginning" - matt's incredible amount of energy put into this performace is contagious.
3. "thursday" - the interaction between the band members during this song is just hilarious. plus i like the challenge of trying to remember to do those two little handclaps. too bad i can't whistle.
4. "buffalohead" - undeniably catchy and fun to sing along to.
5. "walk you home"- one word : maracas.
6. "someway, somehow" - just because it's one of my favorite features songs. and the more parrish the better.
7. "look out below" - rollum's insanely good drumming...it just amazes me.
8. "darkroom" - it's one of my favorites and it has often forgotten handclaps.
9. "the damage is done" - it's just good and just not played often enough.
10. "see you through" - again, i'm just a sucker for hand claps.

sorry, that was rather lengthy.

Granted, just about all of their songs make me go insane, but here are the 10 that stand out in my mind at the moment:
1. Circus - When they play this song I'm always throwing my fists up in certain parts.
2. The Beginning - It's so easy to dance to..You just gotta.
3. Hey Lou - I've only experienced it once, but I sang like mad.
4. Exorcising Demons - I'm always yelling, "Demons, be gone..."
5. Buffalohead - It's just such a catchy song, and the rhythm is really nice.
6. Paid to Think - "Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh."
7. Kari Anne - Again, fun to sing to.
8. Walk You Home - I like singing with the crowd: "Walk you ho-o-o-me."
9. God Save Rock and Roll - Again, singing and fist-throwing. Nothing beats that.
10. See You Through- OF COURSE! It's the well-known and loved hand clapping song. You HAVE to participate.

Circus
Action
See You Through
Bring on the Night
Me and the Skirts
Exhibit A
Temporary Blues
Oh My Love
Buffalo Head
Dark Room

-The Beginning (still the best opener for a Features show)
-Buffalo Head (just rocks)
-Temporary Blues (that bridge)
-See You Thru (even if you took away the crowd participation, this is a great song)
-Haaa-aaaa-aaaa-rold (I get so emotional baby)
-God Save Rock'n'Roll (self-explanatory)
-Circus (refuses to grow stale)
-Burma (please resurrect!)
-Oh My Love (that bridge)
-Blow It Out (makes me feel so happy)
-Leave It All Behind (one of the catchiest choruses ever written)

Here are my top ten picks


1. Walk You Home (the song that makes me turn into a complete spaz at every show....craziness)
2. The Beginning ( the song that makes me bring out my Ian Curtis dance...)
3. Circus (damnit ....this song is so good...insanely good)
4. Me and the Skirts ( the best of the newest songs in my opinion)
5. Dark Room ( an oldie....but a goodie...it's the features' version of "pictures of lily")
6. Buffalo Head (fucking amazing song....a great rocker)
7. Leave it All Behind (extremely catchy....destined to be a hit...)
8. The Damage is Done (this song needs to get played more often...a great song)
9. Bumblebee (amazing on record...even better live)
10. See You Through (crowd participation...always a winner)

Honorable mentions:

the way it's meant to be
burma (i really wish they would bring this one back....)
a milllion ways to sing the blues
moonlight
the idea of growing old
the design (with the "there's more to life than living...." chorus)

(Edited by ray davies at 12:20 am on Jan. 27, 2003)

me and you have the exact same idea, ms. carroll...burma is such a fucking great song and they need to play it again.....

1. Dark Room
2. Walk You Home
3. Circus
4. The Beginning
5. Thursday
6. Buffalo Head
7. God Save Rock 'n' Roll
8. Armani Suede
9. The Damage is Done
10. Me and the Skirts

An honorable mentions list would be too long.

(Edited by Sexy Sadie at 12:13 am on Jan. 27, 2003)

It's funny, I think some of these wouldn't have been on my list a while back. But I could die & go to heaven having heard:

1. Action
2. Circus
3. Me and the Skirts
4. The Beginning (agreed, best opener ever)
5. Burma (yes, please!)
6. Leave It All Behind
7. The Design
8. Demons
9. GSRNR
10. Oh My Love

I'm such a sucker for the rockers at a live show...

I'm also a big fan of "the design" but minus the "there's more to life than living" line in the chorus. I like the "other" way a lot more.

Circus (best opener)
Walk You Home
The Beginning
Temporary Blues (heard they re-worked this one, hopefully we'll hear it at the Exit/In show)
Me and the Skirts
Burma
Someway Somehow
Damage is Done
Burma
Harold

that makes 10 so i'll stop here. hopefully they'll take notice of everyone's interest in "burma"....

It's really hard for me to choose, so I'll just agree with everything that's been said so far. I'd like to add that "new" song that has no name yet. There's a part where matt sings "woah woah, hey hey" during an instrumental section that i really dig. Every features song is better live if for no other reason than the fact that matt has funny facial expressions.

Ah mixed feelings abound! If "Temporary Blues" is either A. played again or B. put back into regular rotation, that's super-great...but what kind of re-working? The song was perfect already. But I'm sure that it'll be just as good or better.

And I do agree with Ray that I like the "there's more to life than living" version of "The Design." If only they could mix both versions....

(Edited by DigsySlattery at 4:11 pm on Jan. 27, 2003)

havesomesoma, i think you might just be my new favorite person ever.

first of all, donnie darko. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

second, i find it immensely relieving to hear that someone else shares the strange, almost involuntary reaction to 'circus' that i do. it is very rare that i "act the fool," in terms of dancing and things like that... but that song causes me to do it EVERY TIME. and not just at shows. when i listen to a live version of it at home/ in my car, it's pretty common for me to freak out then, too.

and no, i haven't given up on my mission to find out what matt says after "i've got no feeling." but i think that, like the meaning/ origin of life, it may remain an enigma, forever. or... we could just ask matt. i nominate YOU to do it!

it kills me. every time. in the lyrics/tabs section someone says "the best i can come up with is 'ive got my hot tub lid' " and that's what i have been singing even though it makes no sense.

i think everyone pretty much agrees that circus here is an incredible live song.

the beginning
see you through (bc its my favorite)
serious (a rare play)
darkroom
buffalo head
someway somehow
demons
action
oh my love

all tonite ive tried to figure it out... i really do think it is "but ive got my hot tub lid"

yeah it doesnt make much sense but maybe he had recently bought a lid for his hot tub and he was just so proud of it and nothing else rhymed so he put it into his song...

1. Circus
2. See You Through
3. Look Out Below
4. 33 1/3 (which I feel is much better live than its ever been recorded)
5. Me and the Skirts
6. Thursday
7. God Save Rock 'n' Roll
8. Bring on the Night
9. Blow It Out
10. Leave It All Behind

Will

-someway, somehow
-temporary blues
-stagecoach
-buffalohead
-burma
-see you thru
-harold
-action
-gsrnr
-circus

I'm going to go with...

- "Bring on the Night"
- "33 1/3"
- "Stick Together"
- "Heard It Through the Grapevine"
- "Some Way, Somehow"
- "Thursday"
- "Action" (sometimes)
- "See You Through"
- "The Design"

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm not a fan of "Circus."

I KNEW there was something I forgot. How I miss that song.

yes, i also forgot "stagecoach." i've only heard it live once and loved it. it goes into the top five for sure. it's the only song i yell for at a features show usually. just a great song.

"i've got my hot tub lid" is a pretty valid guess. i always sing "i've got my head tapped in." some other options might include:
"i got my head shot in"
"i've got my nectar kid"
"i've got this painful shin"
"i've got my next of kin"
"i've got my shirt tucked in"
"i've got a pet named ben"
"i've got my hairy chin"
"i've got a bed of men"
the list goes on... i know some other mb members have some guesses as well. but they might not be so PG, right digsy?
it's good to know others struggle with this as well. too bad i'm too lameto actually just ask matt.

What's so wrong with "But I've got my hand jo-"...oh...yeah I guess that isn't very PG...

And then there is the last line of "Oh My Love" right after "Oh my body's aching but my heart won't leave me alone/I know it's over but I try to-???"
I also have a weird/non PG line for that...anyone know the right lyric?