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Does your band play the same songs twice in one night?


sickman

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We're a newly formed band and have around a 45 song setlist, plus the standard cover tunes. Before our first gig we're not going to be able to touch on everything together, so there maybe some stuff that might be alittle rough. It's a 4 set gig. I'm thinking if we get to the 4th set and want to work on some stuff from the first or second set we could throw it in and go over it one more time. Or if it's something we play well it might be better to play it again rather than play Johnny B Good, Mustang Sally, or something similar.

 

What do you think?

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Only unless you don't want to be asked back. If you don't have enough songs for 4 45-minute sets you shouldn't have booked the band.

 

The only time we play something twice is if it's requested later in the evening and we make sure to announce that it is a request.

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What they said...45 songs should be enough material to get you through and you should only repeat songs if people are really insistent on hearing it again. And make sure to announce you are repeating it by request. Playing a song more than once to fill out a night is bush-league.

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Haha... what fun is it to wait until you are ready. It is only a bar gig.

 

You guys are crazy if you think anyone is going to stay there from 9-1am. Even if someone does, they will have hung out at a bar for 4-5 hours and be in no shape to remember what the heard 4 hours ago.

 

But, I agree with you... I don't want to play a song twice. I just think the responses are funny.

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We're a newly formed band and have around a 45 song setlist, plus the standard cover tunes. Before our first gig we're not going to be able to touch on everything together, so there maybe some stuff that might be alittle rough. It's a 4 set gig. I'm thinking if we get to the 4th set and want to work on some stuff from the first or second set we could throw it in and go over it one more time. Or if it's something we play well it might be better to play it again rather than play Johnny B Good, Mustang Sally, or something similar.


What do you think?

 

 

 

I think you would be way better off just playing old sally than repeating a song. If your gig goes like most gigs,, mustang sally will fill the dance floor as will SHA etc.

 

Those old songs are worn out standards for a reason. They work.

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Definately on request. Sometimes for the heck of it, or if somebody's voice is fried, we'll repeat a couple from the first set in the final. The bar is usually totally turned over by then. Or if we have to pull an unexpected fith set out. It's something we try to avoid though.

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We've done it before, usually when there's a request. We also try to change up the versions we play, for example doing fast and slow versions of "Crossroads" in order to keep things from getting overly repetitive. Of course, playing Crossroads in a bar is sort of reptitive by it's nature. ;)

 

I don't know that most bar owners would care if you played "Freebird" ten times in a row on the kazoo as long as people are buying booze.

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Are you toying with us?
:cop:

 

 

No, I'm not toying with you. It has been suggested to me in other bands and I thought it was dumb. But, if you go to a cruise show or something similar you see the exact same show at 10pm as you did at 8pm. Like the one dude said they same people aren't going to be there the entire night.

 

You guys are acting like it's cover band blasphemy. I'm looking at the first sets of gigs with this band as paid practice. A few of them and then we're ready for the better places in the area... beats practicing for free.

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A friend of mine's band was recently fired from a club we regularly play. One of the reasons the manager gave them...they repeated songs.

 

We usually only get through 40 songs in a 4x45 minute night. We only repeat if it's a request. And the request has to come from a really HOT chick!

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Haha... what fun is it to wait until you are ready. It is only a bar gig.


You guys are crazy if you think anyone is going to stay there from 9-1am. Even if someone does, they will have hung out at a bar for 4-5 hours and be in no shape to remember what the heard 4 hours ago.


But, I agree with you... I don't want to play a song twice. I just think the responses are funny.

 

 

The bartenders, bouncers, buss boy, and (maybe) the manager WILL be there from 9-1. They are the ones you should be concerned with.

 

Occasionally we will repeat a song if it's requested by a hot babe. Other than that, it's "sorry no can do, we already played that one. Where were you?"

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A friend of mine's band was recently fired from a club we regularly play. One of the reasons the manager gave them...they repeated songs.


We usually only get through 40 songs in a 4x45 minute night. We only repeat if it's a request. And the request has to come from a really HOT chick!

 

 

Wow, that seems pretty extreme. Things are more laid-back out here in the Great Plains. I've seen bands play the same song three times in one night and were asked back, over and over again.

 

I personally hate to repeat a song, especially if we just played it 30 minutes before ("but I just *got* here! can't you do it again, pleeeeasseeee?"). I played "Roadhouse Blues" twice in one night last week. I did it in the first set with hardly any response (people weren't drunk enough, I guess), then when it was requested by a guy who showed up in the last set, I did it for his benefit. And this time some people danced. Kind of a nice re-do.

 

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you don't repeat the entire first set in the last set.

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Wow, that seems pretty extreme. Things are more laid-back out here in the Great Plains. I've seen bands play the same song three times in one night and were asked back, over and over again.


I personally hate to repeat a song, especially if we just played it 30 minutes before ("but I just *got* here! can't you do it again, pleeeeasseeee?"). I played "Roadhouse Blues" twice in one night last week. I did it in the first set with hardly any response (people weren't drunk enough, I guess), then when it was requested by a guy who showed up in the last set, I did it for his benefit. And this time some people danced. Kind of a nice re-do.


I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you don't repeat the entire first set in the last set.

 

 

 

My bet is that there is more to the story than just repeating a couple songs over the evening. I would guess that was just the excuse they used to knock them off the rotation.

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We repeated a song once, because the owner of the bar requested it after missing it in an earlier set. I'd much rather play a song I've never heard before over playing a song everyone in the bar has heard before, earlier that night.

 

In the OP's case, your best bet might be finding an equally green band to share the bill with.

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No, I'm not toying with you. It has been suggested to me in other bands and I thought it was dumb. But, if you go to a cruise show or something similar you see the exact same show at 10pm as you did at 8pm. Like the one dude said they same people aren't going to be there the entire night.


You guys are acting like it's cover band blasphemy. I'm looking at the first sets of gigs with this band as paid practice. A few of them and then we're ready for the better places in the area... beats practicing for free.

 

 

Your attitude kinda stinks.

 

It IS coverband blasphemy - and i dont know about venues out where you are - but here - they keep an ear out for that kind of stuff. It's a no-no. Unless it's requested - play each song once.

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Haha... what fun is it to wait until you are ready. It is only a bar gig.

 

 

Yeah, you're right. It's only a bar gig. So all of those poeple who might be there to hear you butcher those songs you haven't practiced will go tell their friends just how much you sucked. Who needs good word of mouth to build a following when you're already rock stars? :poke:

 

The bar owners will know it right off - and they talk to each other, so you can scratch building a reputation with them.

 

Your gig prospects will soon become very slim.

 

Your attitude leads me to believe that you are a rookie. A band needs to put all they have into every gig. There is no such thing as a throw-away gig. You never know who might be listening, and your casual lack of care will cost you.

 

It's a very competitive scene in the working musician's world.

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We typically don't repeat - and will only consider it if it's a request and it's something that we played a couple of sets back. We've got enough material that I can got a couple of nights without repeating material if it were necessary.

 

The only other time I can remember repeating material was a few years back on a night when our two main vocalists were sick and struggling to get through the night vocally. That night - the rest of us (who normally handle all the background harmonies - but do have a couple of tunes we sing lead on ....) repeated the couple of tunes we did just to give the ailing lead singers a break.

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