Positions on stage: always the same?

Did the band had any kind of agreement since the beginning for standing every single show in the same position on the stage? or did they experiment different orders in the early years? [I'm refering to the following layout (viewing to audience): drums at center, John at right side, Brian at the left and Freddie kind of centered unless he were playing the piano, on the extreme right].

John seemed to be very confortable at the right of the stage not moving much from that spot, while Freddie and Brian moved a lot more side to side.

I find it interesting since many bands usually adapt their positions according to the stage design. What do you think?

They all either stood or sat. Apart from John who was always standing up.

;-)

@ mooghead: Actually, John sat down for "My Melancholy Blues", as you can see on the Houston video :-)

You guys are not very helpful. Unfortunately, neither am I.

I'm not helpful either! That is, if you count being helpful as commenting on things for no reason.

ERm..... Isn't it just the classic 4 piece band set up on for a standrad stereo soundstage like you see (and hear) with other bands?

How else would you do it? Have the drums stage front and lead vocal at the rear?

It's fairly common to keep the bass player by the Hi Hat... but with monitoring systems of today, it really doesn't matter anymore.

Just keep the singers up front, please.

For example, the piano standing in the extreme right isn't very common when the singer actually plays it, and even in this case, its placed with the player/singer facing to the center of the stage, not to the speaker towers (Elton John's style). Billy Joel's band is arranged to let the piano stand
in the center of the stage, moving the drums a few meters to the right.

I'm sure i've seen a few very early photos with John standing to the left of stage instead of the right (from the bands POV). But almost always John is on the right and brian on the left.

I suspect it started accidentally and then made sense as they added more piano into the set. Firstly to keep John and Fred together for those numbers and keep the stage clear for Brian. So long as Roger and John had some form of eye contact when needed it should work either side from the Bass point of view, but I suspect it started with the band feeling comfortable in that layout.

[QUOTE] [b]KevoM wrote:[/b]
ERm..... Isn't it just the classic 4 piece band set up on for a standrad stereo soundstage like you see (and hear) with other bands?
How else would you do it? Have the drums stage front and lead vocal at the rear?
[/QUOTE]

I saw Violent Femmes a couple of years ago, and they had the drummer in the front (of the stage).

the Bass player next to the high hat doesnt hold true. The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zepplin, Queen all had their guitarist to the drummers left.

As regards Drummers at the front, Pink Floyd up till the Wall shows in 80 and 81 set up in a line with the drums as far forward as the other members.

Tool set up with Maynard stood next to the drums at the back of the stage.

on a large stage the position of band members has little to do with what you hear out front. it has a lot more to do with how the band feel.

[QUOTE] [b]waunakonor wrote:[/b]
You guys are not very helpful. Unfortunately, neither am I.[/QUOTE]

:D

lots of rock guitarists liked or preferred left of stage (right from the audience perspective)...think it was just the nature of a rock band setup - especially prior to wireless connectivity

singer got one side of the stage and lead guitar the other

there were one or two exceptions - angus young - who basically couldn't control the ants in his pants and wanders the fuck all over

but most of the band i liked, and saw live seemed to conform to guitarists lefe, vocalist right