I remember getting Once in a LiveTime (way back when I actually would buy a live album) and A Change of Seasons being broken up the way it was over the course of the whole show was a major WTF. That has to be one of the most bizarre and curious set list decisions ever.
For me it was interesting and I liked it, it was interesting to listen and appreciate every part of ACOS separately and hear how they stand on their own.
I agree with Natt. Plus I thought it was cool the way the interspersed parts of it throughout the show, in order, so that the very first thing and very last thing were parts of ACoS. It was an idea that MP carried over from when they did the Ff96 shows, where they were featuring new songs that didn't warrant time for the full song. And besides, you got the complete song on the following tour and live album, so why get your panties in a twist?
Don't treat me like a cheap whore!
Hey, the band just calls it like they see it!
The 20-year-old version of me used to love Instrumedley. Recently, while watching the MP/JP playing it, I asked myself "Why?"
Why not? In this particular performance (I'm assuming you're speaking about MP and JR), it was a great way to sum up DT and LTE's history in a piece that still had a lot of familiarity with the fans and didn't require a vocalist. Aside from that, the Instrumedley and medleys in general are a great way to include parts of songs they couldn't otherwise play fully in their entirety within the time limits and at the same time give the songs a bit of a new spin. I love the ways MP came up with to bridge the section of one song to lead directly into a section of a completely different song - that takes some creativity and obviously an intimate knowledge of what sections of songs work well together and what does not. Besides, most of those songs were already performed in full and documented on various live releases anyway, so it's not as if you couldn't enjoy those live performances if you're a stickler for songs being played in their entirety.