Rigid Set List

[ski219]

Last regularly gigging classic rock band I was in had at least 200 songs. I always asked for the set lists to be emailed a day or 2 before each gig so I could brush up on certain parts if needed. We also called plenty of audibles and never had a problem. A few times we used it as a bit of schtick where the singer would call out BEG and we would groan and refuse to play it and then let the crowd decide.

 

Same band had lots of songs blocks with segues and medleys and quick starts so audibles could slow things down a bit. Just a bit of dead air here and there is no big thing.

[SpaceNorman]

As a keyboard player who works in variety cover bands - I much prefer working from a set list. I typically create a custom patch for every song in our repertoire. I use the Korg Kronos "set list" feature to arrange my patches for each night so that all I have to do is step thru my patches during the gig. As a result, I'm ALWAYS ready to start the next song within a second or two of the end of the preceding song. going "off list" leaves me scrambling to try to find the patch I need in a huge pile (400+ patches) of randomly stored patch locations - OR - hitting the "stock piano" or "stock organ" patchs I always keep in easy reach. The "stock" piano and organ patch approach work if/when we're knocking out R&B stuff - but if it's a pop tune that demands that "special" sound .... not so much.

 

From the "big picture" perspective - I find that "calling tunes on the fly" rarely results in a better show. Few bands are blessed with a band leader that can consistently call an entire night worth of winners. Sure, anybody can yell out tunes from the band's "10 hottest tunes" - but, once they've blown their wad on those - the rest of the night slows to a crawl as they scratch their heads figuring out what's next. Unless the band is incredibly well rehearsed - my experience has been that the "calling tunes on the fly" virtually always means more dead air than if the band works from a set list for the eveing.

 

Worse than the dead iar - is the effect that an "on the fly" night has on the band's focus. Calling tunes "on the fly" means that whoever is calling the tunes is spending a chunk of each tune with their mind on the "what's next?" issue ... and the rest of the band is spending a chunk of each tune trying to pick up the "what's next?" communications. Instead of staying "in the moment" and concentrating on the tune at hand - everybody is on autopilot for a chunk of every tune while they deal with the "what's next?" questions. For the typical weekend warrior type - no good comes of that.

 

Change up the setlist nightly ... or during a break if there's truly a need to adust midstream. But, while a true "call on the fly" approach might deliver a great result every now and then - the impact of having that "flexibility" always seems to come at too high a price in terms of side affects.

 

[Vermoulian]

Our set list varies from gig to gig, but once it's set for a given show, we tend to stick pretty closely to it. We have tracks, effects and light cues triggered from click tracks for each song, so the band leader builds a set list on his computer; it's easy enough to click from a song to the next song and skipping a song doesn't really disrupt anything, but going off the list means exiting that list and pulling up the file for the off-list song, which generates some dead time. We'll do it if we get a request for something we have worked up that looks like it would go over well, but it's not a decision made lightly.