The Art of Putting On a Show: Part 1, The Set List

Congratulations, you booked the gig!  Now comes the real work of preparing to give the clients the show they had in mind when they booked you.  There are three hard and fast rules in developing the right set list for a show: 

1. It’s not about you.

2. It’s not about you and finally,

3. It’s not really about you. 

While these rules are perhaps from the department of redundancy department, it is important to realize that consistently making the client happy will keep your van and PA payments current.  There are indeed some logical steps to keep client satisfaction the rule and not the exception.

 1.     Keeping An Accurate Repertoire List – this is perhaps the most daunting task that troubles bands.  There are songs you all know and do well, there are songs that you are all pretty close on and then there are just as many more that maybe only one of you knows (and likes).  Those latter songs do not need to be on a Repertoire List.  Take the time to do an honest survey of your material.  Make a list of song titles, tempos, keys, and who sings lead.  If there are songs that are close, plan rehearsals independent of a booked gig and bring those songs up to par.  Then, plan consistent rehearsals to pad your list in weak spots or areas that need diversity.  Your rep list is your ingredients list.  Advertise truthfully!

 2.     Preshow Client Consultation – Here is where you put your repertoire list to work along with your salesmanship.  Sit down with the client or the club owner and talk about material they would like for the event.  If you’re booked, they’ve already heard something they like.  Establish what that is and build on it.  If there are some holes in your rep list, this gives you an opportunity to add exactly what the client wants.  It’s still up to you to organize the material and make it your own but the consultation shows your engagement in the event’s success. 

 3.     Set List Development to Match Event – Once you gotten feedback from the client consultation, it’s time to develop that customized set list to suit the event.  No matter where you are on the food chain of international success, you still have to consider what the event calls for.  I play for a band that has sold 30 million records and has had hits across 2 decades.  Yet, we still played Auld Lang Syne with a local contest winner on New Years Eve making a hero out of a local girl for 15,000 attendees and making the City of Tallahassee look incredibly good.  If you are booked to be a dance band, fill your set lists with dance music to fit the demographic.  If you agree to provide quiet dinner instrumental music for 30 minutes, resist the temptation to play your version of Bohemian Rhapsody (as good as it probably is.)  Be deliberate and discrete in your song selection to match what you can do with what you’re asked to do.  Try to represent the best that your band offers and show it’s depth and diversity but only if this shows strength.  If your bass player sings one song in the show but it doesn’t fit the night, disappoint the bass player, not the client.

 4.     Set List Flow – this is definitely the most artistic and aesthetic part of putting on any show.  There is something magical about putting together the right flow from song to song and feel to feel.  Historically, for dance bands, a rule of thumb has been 3 up, 1 down (in other words 3 up tempo dance songs, one slower dance song).  However it makes more sense to look again at the event than allowing thumb rules to dictate.  If you are going to have a huge dance floor with people ready to celebrate, they are going to respond to more tempo and entertainment oriented music and less performance or intuitive orientation.  Likewise, if your crowd is gathered around the stage seated at dinner tables, the set might be better received with more performance orientation coupled with conversational engagement.  If you do your homework ahead of time, you should at least have an idea of what you’re walking into to plan accordingly.

 5.     Time Management – As you formulate your set list or lists, it’s imperative to account for everything.  If you have 60 minutes per set to fill, plot out the time in 5 minute increments.  List the songs you plan to do in the set with the estimated lengths of the songs.  If you want to welcome the group, list this 1-2 minute entry on your set list.  Over plan so that you are not fumbling around in front of the client and his clientele trying to figure out what’s next.

 6.     Be Flexible But Maintain Control – You can be flexible even as you control and manage the gig.  If someone makes a request, offer to do it in the next set.  If you don’t know the song, offer to do an alternate song from that same artist or a song that is similar.  It’s all about keeping a dialog and flow going in the show.  It is so much more professional to disappoint one attendee by not knowing the song than disappointing everyone in attendance by butchering a song you don’t know.  If you thrive on improv and living on the edge, wait until the last set at least to dust off the Russian Roulette of live gigging – the request.  If there’s an open bar, the crowd might even enjoy your comical adventure onto thin ice.

Know this—every artist in the history of live entertainment has struggled to find the right combination of songs in a set.  Musicians are artists, and the set list is a palette from which we draw the colors to create our masterpieces.  In our next installment of The Art of Putting on a Show, we will discuss staging in a post that I have entitled “As The Stage Plot Thickens”.  Until then, tour wisely, my friends!

Chris Marion is an American musician best know as a member of Little River Band and for his contribution to the gospel and country music industries.  Although graduating college with a B.A. in Psychology, he is a classically trained pianist and has worked in the music industry professionally for over 35 years.  As a resident of Nashville, he is involved in the recording industry working in the genres of Gospel, Country and Rock.  Since 2004, he has toured globally with the classic rock act Little River Band as a keyboardist and vocalist.  For more useless trivia and minutiae, you can visit his personal website at http://www.chrismarionmusic.com.