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What is that old argument about quantity over quality? I am not sure if it truly applies in this case, but when the Cranberries tore through twenty-seven - and that is not a typo! - songs during their recent stop at Wolf Trap, the thought was invariably dancing in my head. Granted, the Cranberries only managed to stay on the stage for roughly an hour and a half (as has been their custom the past few years), but the time there was well spent. Dolores O'Riordan and the boys danced through a dizzying blend of the band's five major releases, with nary a song of note left by the wayside. It made the warm Virginia night that much more pleasant for the thousands of fans in attendance!
The 2002 Cranberries tour, in support of the poor-selling Wake Up & Smell the Coffee, is an interesting study in the road mindset of a popular band. As the Cranberries proved with 1999's Bury the Hatchet Tour, they are more than willing to give their audience a heavy dose of new material. For most groups, though, this could be a problem, especially for a band with such an extensive catalogue of older hits. How does one go about promoting the newer material without alienating the band's core following? It is a delicate balance, but one simple solution is to, as the Cranberries did, play a veritable truckload of songs! Adopting this very strategy, the Cranberries were able to drop eight Wake Up & Smell the Coffee tunes on the unsuspecting audience, all the while reminding fans why the band has been such a success for nearly ten years.
Prior to this show, I had managed to see the Cranberries at both a small, intimate venue and a larger, outdoor amphitheater. While the larger venues offer more fans the opportunity to view the band and usually feature some entertaining stage shows, I often lean towards the small stops. This leads to a more energetic environment, one littered with excitable, devoted fans. During this stop at Wolf Trap, the mellow, laid-back atmosphere led to little dancing and even less audience involvement. It even appeared to affect the band, as Dolores plodded through the set's opening half, sloshing across the stage and futilely trying to incite an apathetic crowd. Only with the back-to-back power of classics "Dreaming My Dreams" and "Sunday" were the Cranberries finally able to shake some life into the fans on hand.
The new album does have some signs of promise, led by the driving "This Is the Day," which kicked off the six-song encore. The true beneficiary of this new album, however, might be some of the Bury the Hatchet numbers, ones which now sound seasoned with the passage of three years. "Promises" and the revitalized "Desperate Andy" are already crowd favorites, even if they still pale next to the mid-1990s classics. As expected, the biggest cheers were reserved for "Linger" and closing number "Dreams," two songs which still hold sway with the band's fans nearly a decade after their release. Such is the case with the band itself, as the Cranberries, years removed from a truly successful album, still manage to hold a special place in the hearts of their adoring fans.
Setlist:
Encore:
Submitted 5/29/02.
If you have any questions or comments about this or any other concert, please feel free to e-mail me.