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Curriculum Guide: Final Tour
Sample Discussion/Exam Prompts
- (W) How does Volpert’s reportage about the Atlanta concert differ from her reportage about the two concerts at Red Rocks? Which style of writing do you prefer, and why?
- (M) What are some of the organizing principles and factors that Petty appears to consider when building and sequencing a set list for a concert? How are his set lists effective for his audience and in what ways might the set lists fall short of his goals?
- (P) Separate from the audio arguments made in Petty’s songs, what are some of the visual arguments made during his live performances? How do these sights connect to his sounds?
- (C) What do you make of the two chapters focused on Petty’s set lists? Some people find it boring or annoying to listen to an expert rattle off statistics like these, while others are gratified by the data. What is the historical value of such analyses, if any?
- (M) In what ways did the Heartbreakers successfully create opportunities out of the problem of a brief rainstorm at the second Red Rocks show? Is this improvisation in tension with your understanding of the band’s usual approach to live shows, or aligned with it?
- (W) What are the overall impacts of the author’s decision to include details about her wife in the story of the Red Rocks shows? How does Volpert’s voice as a queer woman fit into and cut against the “boys club” of rock and roll criticism?
- (P) How does the author’s storytelling about Red Rocks offer a metaphorical parallel to the myth of Sisyphus and its interpretation by Camus?
- (C) Red Rocks is an iconic music venue. According to Volpert, what are some of the aspects that make this venue unique and worthy of its reputation?