Rock and/or Roll is, at its very core existence, "anti-establishment" (whatever that means). This is why the cry "corporate sellout" remains so strong within the scene. But for every one band that never sells out, there are 50 bands -- deemed respectable within the scene -- that commit one of the worst bourgeois establishment blunders around: the encore.

At the opera, a cry of "Encore! Encore!" is lavish praise, and lavish praise only. But in rock, especially at a 300-capacity club, a band coming back on stage for one or two last songs after their set has "officially ended" is pure masturbatory bullshit. And, despite how it may feel to the band performing, it always comes across as masturbatory bullshit.

At an arena or stadium (or even a large theater), an encore for a rock band is almost bearable. The large size of the venue gives any performance an added weight, a weight that draws a line between performer and fan. A weight that carries with it a feeling of general adoration for the band (otherwise, why would a person pay so much money?).

But at a club, even for national bands, an encore is merely wince-inducing. A sad event that should never happen. At an average-sized club, as opposed to an arena, attendance gives the appearance of the fan doing a performer a favor. By showing up, an audience is, in effect, helping the band. After all, if a band can fill an arena, the impression is there that they aren't desperate for people to show up, whereas in a club... well, there's really nothing more lonely than an empty club. So the roles are reversed, from arena band doing a favor for their fans by performing (making an encore somewhat reasonable), to an audience doing a band a favor by merely being in attendance (making an encore somewhat pathetic for national bands, and completely pathetic -- and desperate -- for local ones, no matter how popular they are locally). Good bands, after all, are shoved into the national spotlight by the hand of the community, and why would you want to be a condescending prick to your community?

Of course, all this is just over-analyzed opinion (or an attempt at over-analyzation), but what it comes down to is this: An encore in a club is painful and ugly. It is a planned event (10 songs, break for applause, then two more), that manages to completely undermine the whole experience. When a band vacates a cramped stage, they should stay vacated.