Melani says putting songs together as a medley "makes everyone happy and gets it out of the way"

...well, almost everyone. Personally, I hate medleys. I feel that they cheat the audience out of hearing the favorites that those people bought tickets to hear. IMO a performer with a trademark song like that should grit his or her teeth and just sing the thing yet again one more time, with feeling, every time.

For me, the "fed up with hearing" syndrome comes in when someone's trademark song is covered a bazillion times, or is sung at a circle a bazillion times, or is requested of a cover artist a bazillion times. But these anecdotes about Ralph McTell playing and re-playing "Streets of London", while keeping it fresh, makes me respect the man all the more.

To illustrate my point, here's an excerpt from James Taylor's song "That's Why I'm Here":


Fortune and fame's such a curious game
Perfect strangers can call you by name
Pay good money to hear fire and rain
Again and again and again
Some are like summer coming back every year
Got your baby got your blanket got your bucket of beer
I break into a grin from ear to ear
And suddenly it's perfectly clear
That's why I'm here

(Full lyrics here: http://www.james-taylor.com/albums/thatswhy.shtml)