The Endless Setlist 2 Guide (Rock Band 2)

[xXNinJa]

Hey guys. I was thinking, since there was a Endless Setlist 1 guide, I think there needs to be a public Endless Setlist 2 guide.

Please note that this idea originally came from "pvtGramps", I will be using a similar layout to the one he posted awhile ago, so some credit goes to him for giving me something to go by.

This is a cool little guide if you are looking to pass and defeat the Endless Setlist 2. This guide will make it easier on your band, or you if you decide to tackle the ESL2 by yourself. We will go through this guide assuming you are with a band of more than one person, and if not, then just follow the guide anyway. We'll tackle down a good time frame, how to prepare for this event, and how to survive. We will divide the categories into their respective tiers. (Warm-up, Apprentice, Solid, etc.)

Before we tackle the ESL2, lets keep a few things in mind.
- Upon completing the ESL2, you will get icons. These icons are available offline and online, and they are only tied to your Character, so if you want one character to have multiple icons, have everyone pick the same dude/dudette. Beating the ESL2 on Medium will get you an Inverted Icon, Hard will yield you a Golden Icon, and Expert will of course give you a Platinum Icon.

- Be warned that you only get the icon of the lower difficulty setting played. Like if you have you on Expert and your friend on Hard, you will only get the Golden Icons. It kind of is disappointing, but hey, thats the way it goes champ.

- The requirements of being able to get to the ESL2, is that you need 900 Stars, you need to get all the vehicles, roadies, and I believe you need to get into the Hall of Fame. The ESL2 will be played in Shanghai, so please make sure you meet those requirements before you get happy go lucky and get your hopes crushed.

- If you happen to fail a song, it isn't the end of the world, because you can simply restart. Although it does ruin your chances of getting the Bladder of Steel Award. To get this, you must NOT pause, disconnect your controllers, or hit the PS/360 buttons in gameplay.

- The fatigue and endurance for this event is raised because now we are dealing with 84 songs. This will take about 6 and a half hours. Make sure you are in a comfortable playing environment, and at a good time for YOU. The recommended time to start is nine in the- I mean, early in the afternoon, so you can be finished around to get your grub on at dinner. Make sure you have a free day off, and have fun with it.

Getting Prepared
For the Guitarist/Bassist, just stretch a little, crack your knuckles, loosen your finger joints and your wrists, because you will be strumming and fingering a bunchload. For your Drummer, I suggest stretching out the legs, calves, arms, and wrists. Depending on your drum set you will be wailing on pads and kicking down a pedal, especially towards the end of the ESL. Vocalists, before beginning, just sing a quick tune. Do re me fa so la te do works fine, also, make sure to drink old fashioned water to keep your vocal chords moist, otherwise puberty will be coming back with a vengeance. Some good pep talk is nice for the band. I don't mean a screamfest calling your bandmates little pansies, no matter how fun that may be, keeping your band in a good mood will serve you well to inspire good tries and efforts. Remember, its a team event.

Its also important to note that to preserve as much energy as possible. Guitarists/Bassists, strum lightly and take it easy. Drummers, light taps and playing heel down works fine, you are going to want to save your foot energy for the latter songs. Vocalists, its alright to hum here and there, its not a contest, save your voice as much as possible.

Quick Tips
Everyone should know how to play the easier songs on more than one instrument. Switch off instruments as much as possible, especially drums, until the songs get hard enough that you really need your best players on their proper instruments. This will spread around the fatigue.

Unless you really want bladder of steel, don't be afraid to pause the game. I'd say block out 10 hours or so, with occasional breaks, and a long break for food about 3/4 or the way in.

For the toughest songs, pause and discuss strategy. For example, a player may know that he will need energy at a certain point, so the others know to save up energy.

If you have a song that the best player on that instrument just can't do, then consider swapping instruments around so that the players are the ones on the other instruments that can get the most energy. Put the left over player on the impossibly hard instrument, and let him limp along with the other players feeding him energy to keep him alive, or save him when he fails. This is a last resort kind of thing, but it could save you from total disaster.

Drums are arguably the hardest instrument, so don't be afraid to ride your fills without activating if you have to. For example, to skip or minimize particularly hard parts, or to take a rest on those constant 8th hi-hats or constant kick songs. The other players should be able to pull the score up to something reasonable.

I personally don't find warming up necessary, especially since it starts with Eye of the Tiger which is a song many people know so should be rather easy. If people want to warm up with a song before ESL, I highly suggest only one song, and pick something that's easy. You want to save your voice for the real thing because it's over 6 hours of singing. Not even pro singers will sing that long in one day.

Also, hot tea works a heck of a lot better than water. But either way, you'll want to keep something there to drink the entire time and keep hydrated (yes, even if doing Bladder of Steel - run to the bathroom during long tambourine sections or something). Preferably it's something not carbonated (I've noticed that makes me sing worse in the long run). Your voice WILL be affected faster if you don't keep hydrated.

Alright, I think we are done here with the preparations and information, assuming the wall of text didn't kill you, lets get started on the ESL2! I will divide it like pvtGramps did, with the song list, number of songs, most difficult instrument and song, and advice if applicable.

ESL2 Section One: Warming Up
Number of Songs: 12
Most Difficult Song: L7 - "Pretend We're Dead"
Most Difficult Instrument: Drums

Survivor - "Eye of the Tiger"
Lit - "My Own Worst Enemy"
Social Distortion - "I Was Wrong"
Beastie Boys - "So Whatcha Want"
Beck - "E-Pro"
Duran Duran - "Hungry Like the Wolf"
L7 - "Pretend We're Dead"
Bikini Kill - "Rebel Girl"
Panic at the Disco - "Nine in the Afternoon"
Modest Mouse - "Float On"
Nirvana - "Drain You"
Interpol - "PDA"

Nothing too difficult here at all. The reason why I chose Drums as the most difficult instrument here is because some songs can be a little tiring at first. Drain You has a steady bass pedal section, Pretend We're Dead has quite a few rolls that interchange pads. Guitar/Bass won't see much stress here, same goes for Vocals, except Pretend We're Dead has some songs that draw out phrases for awhile.



ESL2 Section Two: Hitting the Stage
Number of Songs: 12
Most Difficult Song: Dinosaur Jr. - "Feel the Pain"
Most Difficult Instrument: Drums

Alice in Chains - "Man in the Box"
Squeeze - "Cool for Cats"
Cheap Trick - "Hello There"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Today"
Paramore - "That's What You Get"
Norman Greenbaum - "Spirit in the Sky"
The Go-Gos - "We Got the Beat"
The Donnas - "New Kid in School"
Dinosaur Jr. - "Feel the Pain"
Elvis Costello - "Pump It Up"
Linkin Park - "One Step Closer"
The Libyans - "Welcome to the Neighborhood"

Again, nothing here that is painfully difficult for anyone. For Guitar and Bass, I would say One Step Closer might provide some trouble with how the chords shift. Vocals, nothing too bad here, the biggest pain we had was Man in the Box. For drums, Feel the Pain, can be a pain with how the song changes pace and sends your arms swinging from red to green. Also the hardest band song would be Feel the Pain, again, because of the random pace changes. Your band should pass this just fine.

[xXNinJa]

ESL2 Section Three: Picking Up the Pace
Number of Songs: 12
Most Difficult Song: Give It Away/A Jagged Gorgeous Winter
Most Difficult Instrument: Drums/Vocals

Billy Idol - "White Wedding Pt. 1"
Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer"
Presidents of the USA - "Lump"
Speck - "Conventional Lover"
Lush - "De-luxe"
Bad Company - "Shooting Star"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Give it Away"
Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle"
The Guess Who - "American Woman"
Bon Jovi - "Livin' on a Prayer"
Blondie - "One Way or Another"
The Main Drag - "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"

This is where things get a little technical, especially in the Drum area. Everyones endurance will be tested on Give It Away since the pace barely stops except for a pause. Vocals can be equally difficult with Psycho Killer and American Woman, both have some weird changes in them and might strain a little. Guitar/Bass will actually have a little fun, and you will start feeling the effects of the ESL2 when The Middle has constant chords/speed, and a tricky solo for the Guitarist. After this, things will get tricky and Overdrive will start playing a good role in this.



ESL2 Section Four: Fiery Limbs Galore
Number of Songs: 12
Most Difficult Song: Ratt - "Round & Round"/AFI - "Girls Not Grey"
Most Difficult Instrument: Guitar/Bass

Fleetwood Mac - "Go Your Own Way"
The Muffs - "Kids in America"
AFI - "Girls Not Grey"
Silverspun - "Lazy Eye"
The Offspring - "Come Out & Play (Keep 'em Separated)"
Jane's Addiction - "Mountain Song"
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "Where'd You Go"
The Replacements - "Alex Chilton"
Steve Miller Band - "Rock'n Me"
Bob Dylan - "Tangled Up in Blue"
Pearl Jam - "Alive"
Ratt - "Round & Round"

Alright, we're about halfway into the ESL2, and its time to start playing smart with Overdrive. All instruments are challenged here, but we felt that the most challenged was Guitar/Bass. Songs like Girls Not Grey, Lazy Eye, Alive, and Round and Round can be very tricky on the stringed instruments. For Drums, Kids in American has a ton of tricky fills that can be tiring, same goes for Girls Not Grey, but the bridge roll isn't too bad. Vocals, Tangled Up in Blue stood out for us a little bit. Keep a clear head and save some Overdrive if you run into some trouble.

Speaking of Overdrive, lets talk about using it efficiently. When my band tackled this event, we focused on passing, more than score. Keep in mind that Vocalists and Drummers are the only ones that have a certain point when they can activate Overdrive to save a fallen bandmate or give someone in the red a boost of confidence. So don't rely on them as much, especially when its time for the Vocalist to tap the tambos, which has no way of activating Overdrive. Guitarists/Bassists come into play here. If you know you are up against a difficult song, there is nothing wrong with saving up a bar of Overdrive, it will come in handy ESPECIALLY if two of your bandmates fail out. Additionally, when saving a bandmate, wait until they get into the red, preferably one-third away from failing, not only does this save a 3 count strike, it also makes the score higher.

ESL2 Section Five: Catching Your Breath !
Number of Songs: 12
Most Difficult Song: Guns N' Roses - "Shacklers Revenge"
Most Difficult Instrument: Vocals/Drums

Alanis Morissette - "You Oughta Know"
The Grateful Dead - "Alabama Getaway"
Rage Against the Machine - "Testify"
The Sterns - "Supreme Girl"
The Who - "Pinball Wizard"
Lucana Coil - "Our Truth"
Devo - "Uncontrollable Urge"
Joan Jett - "Bad Reputation"
Bang Camaro - "Night Lies"
Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
Sonic Youth - "Teenage Riot"
Guns N' Roses - "Shackler's Revenge"

Your probably wondering why I left out the Guitar/Bass as being terribly difficult. Shacklers Revenge is probably the biggest challenge for Guitar/Bass at this point, but as long as you try hard and switch hands to nail those HOPO's, you will be fine, also the Bassist/Drummer will most likely get Overdrive to save the Guitarist. Just remember to keep your fingers mainly on RYBO. Vocals will be tested with songs like Pinball Wizard with the chorus, You Oughta Know can be a challenge if you can't falsetto, also, Bad Reputation has a difficult point where you can push your voice high, and then back low. Some like OHHHH no.... NAAAAWT me. Drums will be the most challenged here especially with Teenage Riot having the hi-hats, Bad Reputation being extremely fast and tiring. By saving Overdrive and using it wisely, you should be able to pull through this part.

[xXNinJa]

ESL2 Section Six: The Build Up
Number of Songs: 12
Most Difficult Song: System of a Down - "Chop Suey"
Most Difficult Instrument: Drums/Guitar

ACDC - "Let There Be Rock"
Rush - "The Trees"
Jethro Tull - "Aqualung"
Disturbed - "Down with the Sickness"
System of a Down - "Chop Suey"
Foo Fighters - "Everlong"
Tenacious D - "Master Exploder"
Rise Against - "Give it All"
Kansas - "Carry On Wayward Son"
That Handsome Devil - "Rob the Prez-O-Dent"
Soundgarden - "Spoonman"
Motorhead - "Ace of Spades"

Chop Suey!? Am I crazy? I may be. I didn't choose Everlong because its difficult on Drums yes, but easy on everything else. Down with the Sickness is quite undertiered in my opinion, it just has a lot of bass pedal inside, aside from the tricky chords in Guitar, the song is only mildly difficult. Chop Suey on the other hand, can be very tricky, especially for Bass/Guitar. And for some people Vocals can be a huge pain on the song as well. All of the other songs aren't that bad, just a bit tiring at most, especially Let There Be Rock on Drums, probably the more tiresome, thank God it isn't the Live version. An honorable mention is Rob the Prez-O-Dent, which can be a royal pain on all instruments, make sure to save up a lot of Overdrive for that song.

ESL2 Section Seven: The Grand Finale
Number of Songs: 12
Most Difficult Song: Abnormality - "Visions"
Most Difficult Instrument: Drums, then Guitar, then Bass.

Avenged Sevenfold - "Almost Easy"
Allman Brothers - "Ramblin' Man"
Anarchy Club - "Get Clean"
Megadeth - "Peace Sells"
Mastodon - "Colony of Birchmen"
Testament - "Souls of Black"
Steely Day - "Bodhisattva"
Breaking Wheel - "Shoulder to the Plow"
Metallica - "Battery"
Abnormality - "Visions"
Dream Theater - "Panic Attack"
Judas Priest - "Painkiller"

Alright, this is it. The last set of songs before you can get some well deserved rest and bathroom breaks. Vocalists get a little break here since most of these songs aren't difficult to sing. Almost Easy, really is the easiest song you will play in this section, there is not much to worry about on this song except for the random spazzy parts. The solo isn't bad at all. Ramblin' Man is a really long, drawn out song, especially for Drums, plain tiring on everything else, also a pretty easy song for Vocals. Peace Sells is a toughie on Guitar and Drums, same thing with Colony of Birchmen, tricky on Guitar, and if you slip up on Drums, you better be quick to get back on rhythm. Souls of Black isn't bad, but Bodhisattva has tricky hammer on chords. Shoulder to the Plow is ridiculous on Drums as well as the other instruments, Vocals shouldn't a problem here. Battery, Visions, Panic Attack, and Painkiller are the final four killers. Battery is pretty tough on everything except for Vocals, same goes for Visions, whore out your Overdrive and really work together, once you pass Visions, you can do this! Panic Attack and Painkiller both have similar Drum introductions, as for Bass. Painkiller is cake on Bass, so Bass should be the hero here to save anyone in need. Panic Attack is the worst here, since it not only has difficult bridge sections, the solo can be a breaker. What a better way to end the ESL2 than to have your Vocalist scream PAIN!?

Congratulations. You've done it. Now, stop reading this and take a well deserved bathroom break. After you get settled and flop down in exhaustion, enjoy your new icons, money, fans, and most of all, epic bragging rights. Whats next you ask? Take a break, I'm sure your limbs are hurting, your calves are aching, and your vocal chords are straining. Some of the things you can do next is rest, tackle the leaderboards, finish off your trophies/achievements, and doing the challenges. I'm sorry if any of you don't agree on my tiering of difficult songs/instruments, this was how my band saw it and felt.

This is all I have for now, enjoy your epic triumph, completing the hardest challenge of the game. Good job if you have made it this far. *gives a big cookie*.

-xXNinJa.

Credits to:
pvtGramps - for inspiring the idea of this guide.
princeofcups - for adding some nice tips for people who are playing with a band.
jeccaneko - Added some more nice tips, especially for voice preserving.

[GNFfhqwhgads]

tl;dr guide:

Play songs. Don't fail. Watch out for red rings or those d-bags who quit online.

[xXNinJa]

tl;dr guide:

Play songs. Don't fail. Watch out for red rings or those d-bags who quit online.

You forgot the cookie.

[bse523]

I stopped reading after you said Round and Round was the hardest song on it's part of the list. Not even close.

[xXNinJa]

I stopped reading after you said Round and Round was the hardest song on it's part of the list. Not even close.

I re-read and I agree that although it may be not the MOST difficult, it still gave my online band a bit of trouble. I added Girls Not Grey since to me, that would be a harder band song than the others in its tier beside it, hopefully we can agree to disagree though.

[hshizzle]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this guide is geared towards a full band playing on expert? I think it's more commonly done solo.

We do need a stickied FAQ about ESL2 and the icons. This could be a good start to that.

[princeofcups]

Everyone should know how to play the easier songs on more than one instrument. Switch off instruments as much as possible, especially drums, until the songs get hard enough that you really need your best players on their proper instruments. This will spread around the fatigue.

Unless you really want bladder of steel, don't be afraid to pause the game. I'd say block out 10 hours or so, with occasional breaks, and a long break for food about 3/4 or the way in.

For the toughest songs, pause and discuss strategy. For example, a player may know that he will need energy at a certain point, so the others know to save up energy.

If you have a song that the best player on that instrument just can't do, then consider swapping instruments around so that the players are the ones on the other instruments that can get the most energy. Put the left over player on the impossibly hard instrument, and let him limp along with the other players feeding him energy to keep him alive, or save him when he fails. This is a last resort kind of thing, but it could save you from total disaster.

Drums are arguably the hardest instrument, so don't be afraid to ride your fills without activating if you have to. For example, to skip or minimize particularly hard parts, or to take a rest on those constant 8th hi-hats or constant kick songs. The other players should be able to pull the score up to something reasonable.

[xXNinJa]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this guide is geared towards a full band playing on expert? I think it's more commonly done solo.

We do need a stickied FAQ about ESL2 and the icons. This could be a good start to that.

Yes, I do agree, but I said in the guide that if people are in fact doing it solo, you can still follow the guide if you are skilled enough in your specific instrument to effectively use OD when needed.

Everyone should know how to play the easier songs on more than one instrument. Switch off instruments as much as possible, especially drums, until the songs get hard enough that you really need your best players on their proper instruments. This will spread around the fatigue.

Unless you really want bladder of steel, don't be afraid to pause the game. I'd say block out 10 hours or so, with occasional breaks, and a long break for food about 3/4 or the way in.

For the toughest songs, pause and discuss strategy. For example, a player may know that he will need energy at a certain point, so the others know to save up energy.

If you have a song that the best player on that instrument just can't do, then consider swapping instruments around so that the players are the ones on the other instruments that can get the most energy. Put the left over player on the impossibly hard instrument, and let him limp along with the other players feeding him energy to keep him alive, or save him when he fails. This is a last resort kind of thing, but it could save you from total disaster.

Drums are arguably the hardest instrument, so don't be afraid to ride your fills without activating if you have to. For example, to skip or minimize particularly hard parts, or to take a rest on those constant 8th hi-hats or constant kick songs. The other players should be able to pull the score up to something reasonable.

These are all excellent points. I think I will add them somewhere if I don't pass the character length.