Make the most generic, predictable setlist for a bar band.

[Vito Corleone]

True enough, but there isn't enough whiskey in the world to get me to sit through a band's setlist that includes "Man In A Box" and "Funky Cold Medina" with a chaser of "Jessie's Girl." The funny thing is, people who sit and listen at wine bars (where we tend to play these days) can be just as non-discriminating. We once played an entire song as an acoustic duo where I was in an entirely unrelated key to the one my partner was playing in. The audience clapped and smiled and never noticed. They weren't just being nice, either...they really didn't notice that we sounded horribly off key.

And wine connesseurs have been known to give crap wines 5 stars in blind taste tests. Most people don't know crap about MOST things even when they think they do. Play them something horribly offkey in the right setting and they'll just think you were being "artistic" and "inventive".

But yeah. You're a musician. Getting you to listen to a band play Jessie's Girl is akin to getting a fine dining chef to enjoy a meal at Chili's. Last time I played at a packed bar, there were only about three musicians there and they were standing in the back with their arm's crossed looking down their noses at us.

They also weren't gigging that night, apparently....

[tlbonehead]

How far north are all these bars that nobody plays Johnny Cash or ZZ Top?

Sure we play Johnny Cash. Try to avoid much ZZ Top.

[tim_7string]

Yep, Folsom Prison Blues is pretty much a crowd-pleaser, no matter where we play. I really should learn some more Johnny Cash songs, since he is in my vocal range. I just have to accept the fact that I'll never be Brad Delp or Steve Perry and just sing a lot of what I can do well.

 

Generic and predictable notwithstanding.

[DracoAran]

LOLOLOL, I always thought I would be in a unique cover band. A year later our setlist looks like this:

 

You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

You Shook Me All Night - ACDC

Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield

I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick

Bad Fish - Sublime

What I Got - Sublime

Santeria - Sublime

Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Beat It - Michael Jackson

Sweet Child O

[twostone]

The idea that people would enjoy sitting through a band playing these lists of songs depresses me for some reason.

be glad you don't have to mix cover bands that do a lot of the songs listed

[Howie22]

I play a lot of these in my solo/duo act. I don't play SHA at every gig, but damn I'm always surprised at how well that song goes over. People freaking love it.

 

BEG is hit or miss these days. I try to be cautious what crowds I play it for. Sometimes you get the whole joint singing along, sometimes not. Same with Sweet Caroline.

 

I'm happy to play some cheesy overplayed songs. Musicians seem to be the only ones who hate them. A lot of crowds simply love them.

[Thy God]

LOLOLOL, I always thought I would be in a unique cover band. A year later our setlist looks like this: You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard You Shook Me All Night - ACDC Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick Bad Fish - Sublime What I Got - Sublime Santeria - Sublime Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd Beat It - Michael Jackson Sweet Child O

[DracoAran]

What do you mean backwards?

[Funkwire]

OK, I think I got it...

 

My drummer called me up the other week and asked if I wanted to do a fill in gig this Saturday. It's a couple he met (husband - guitar and vocals / wife - vocals) who do a karaoke show and a band. The gig is about a half hour out of town and pays a bill apiece. Since we didn't have a booking on that date, I said sure. They sent me the songlist and asked when I would be available to practice with them. After looking it over, I chuckled and very diplomatically let them know that a rehearsal wasn't going to be necessary:

 

SWEET HOME CHICAGO

FOLSOM PRISON BLUES

CRUISIN

[wades_keys]

they really didn't notice that we sounded horribly off key.

This I understand but how/why did you play through an entire song out of key without correcting it?

 

I've been caught for a few notes being in the wrong key but have always been able to transpose at least a rudimentary, workable line into the correct key.

 

Actually I do remember once at an outdoor gig, where some rain got into my Korg and it went out of tune in a really horrible way. I think it went to a non-western scale (which it is capable of doing) so the notes I was playing were "in between" our half steps.

 

Poor Colin had to play the entire song bending every string about a 1/4 step to get it in tune with me, because a reboot would have taken the keys down for about 30 seconds even without loading my samples..... (Of course after the song I had Tim go to another "non-keys" song so I could reboot and load my samples without stopping/slowing down the show)

 

What happened man, could you not hear the other player? Just curious:wave:

[jimiv]

This I understand but how/why did you play through an entire song out of key without correcting it? I've been caught for a few notes being in the wrong key but have always been able to transpose at least a rudimentary, workable line into the correct key. Actually I do remember once at an outdoor gig, where some rain got into my Korg and it went out of tune in a really horrible way. I think it went to a non-western scale (which it is capable of doing) so the notes I was playing were "in between" our half steps. Poor Colin had to play the entire song bending every string about a 1/4 step to get it in tune with me, because a reboot would have taken the keys down for about 30 seconds even without loading my samples..... (Of course after the song I had Tim go to another "non-keys" song so I could reboot and load my samples without stopping/slowing down the show) What happened man, could you not hear the other player? Just curious:wave:

 

You know, I was wondering the same thing, but forgot about this post. What did happen. How do two players get through an entire song in two different keys. That must have sounded like ass. Not banging on anyone, but just sayin. How can that happen for 3 minutes or so? Sheeeeesh. I mean, I am no virtuoso for sure, but I can say I've never been guilty of that.

[jimiv]

The biggest of all is listing the songs backwards.

 

Yes, what's backwards?

 

I.e. The Tubes - Talk To Ya Later, or Talk to Ya Later - The Tubes. Either way works. I have listed songs by artist first in alpha order before.

[Funkwire]

But yeah. You're a musician. Getting you to listen to a band play Jessie's Girl is akin to getting a fine dining chef to enjoy a meal at Chili's. Last time I played at a packed bar, there were only about three musicians there and they were standing in the back with their arm's crossed looking down their noses at us. They also weren't gigging that night, apparently....

 

 

THIS. FTMFW.

[Vito Corleone]

Yes, what's backwards? I.e. The Tubes - Talk To Ya Later, or Talk to Ya Later - The Tubes. Either way works. I have listed songs by artist first in alpha order before.

 

 

I don't think it matters much, but I list songs alphabetically by song title because my assumption is people looking to see if you play a particular song or not will search by song title, not by original artist.