11/29/2022: "Soft Setlists"

Transcript
Page 1.

A jungle scene, viewed from above. A young man is sinking into quicksand. Text reads: The World On A String, the world's first music education comic! "Help!" Number 1: "soft" setlists. 11/29/2022. CC BY-SA 2022 Ken Alleman. TheWorldOnAString.NeoCities.Org

Page 2.

A young man, identified as "Hapless Anthony, Ken's assistant," sinks into quicksand in the foreground. A distant figure, identified as Ken, approaches from the background. Ken is dressed in a Henry Morton Stanley getup. Text reads, The World On A String presents Hapless Anthony in... "What's wrong?" "I'm trapped in quicksand!" "That's not quicksand. It's a soft setlist!"

Page 3.

Ken stands next to Hapless Anthony, who is visibly sinking into the bottom of the frame. Ken seems oblivious to Anthony's plight. Ken says, "We've all played shows that ran longer than we counted on.

Page 4.

Facsimile of a setlist with seven songs and their approximate running times. The first four times are crossed out and longer times are penciled in next to them. The final three songs are crossed out entirely. Ken says, "We want to save the best songs for last, but we don't want to cut them if we run out of time."

Page 5.

Overhead view of the list of songs sinking in at the middle, like a pool of quicksand. Songs four and five are especially small and distorted. Ken says, "Instead, we can designate a few lesser songs towards the middle--far enough in that we know if we'll have time, or if we're cutting them."

Page 6.

Back to the image of Ken standing next to Anthony. Anthony has sunk considerably lower since the last time we saw him. Ken still isn't paying him any mind. Ken says, "These songs can slip easily out of the setlist, much like you're currently slipping out of view!"

Page 7.

Back to the image of the setlist sinking in at the middle. This time, songs four and five have nearly sunk from view, while the rest are relatively untouched. Ken say, "When putting together a setlist, remember to put a 'soft' place in the middle, to save your ending!"

Page 8.

Ken, in the foreground, is walking away, a cheery look on his face. In the background, Hapless Anthony continues to sink. Hapless Anthony says, "But I'm still trapped in quicksand!" Ken says, "Nonsense. That isn't how quicksand works in real life at all!" End.

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