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Why do people still want to hear Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zeppelin


GCDEF

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Dang, 4 out of 5 requests are still for those bands. Every freaking cover band in the world covers LS and LZ. Can't people go one night without hearing Sweet Home Alabama or Stairway to Heaven. I know we're supposed to give people what they want, but I've been playing that stuff for 30 years already. Time to move on. :mad:

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Most people aren't musicians and they don't sit for hours going over a single song to learn it, then play it over and over. They just listen. I don't listen to stairway to heaven anymore, but I used to love the song. When sweet home alabama comes on the radio I don't change the station, I like Skynnard.

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Originally posted by fastplant

Well, with Skynyrd, or Free Bird at least, people honestly think they are funny when they yell it out.


 

These were serious requests. :(

 

Every time I play "Brown Eyed Girl" a little part of me dies, but it's one of the songs we reluctantly play, just like every other band in the world, because of the crowd reaction it gets. I don't understand it.

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I know what you mean. Most of my projects over the past 20 years have been rock/cover affairs and have drawn a lot of the same types of requests.

 

When my partners in crime & I work up new tunes (classics or otherwise) we use these criteria:

1) Songs we like & enjoy playing

2) Songs that our audience will want to hear.

3) Songs that will surprise people (pleasantly, we hope).

 

I'm glad to knock down an occasional "song you know by heart" but not ones that I'm truly sick of playing (or hearing). If this limits my(our) marketability, so be it.

 

The situation I get a lot is:

Bar Patron "Hey man, play *insert overplayed title*, I'm a HUGE *insert artist* fan!"

Me: "We don't play that one, but we do play *lesser-known title by the same artist & from same album*"

BP: "Never heard of it."

Me: "Ok" :freak:

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I guess it's the same mentality of people who listen to "classic rock" radio.

 

There's a radio station here in Southern California, KLOS. When I was in high school in the 70's they were a cutting edge AOR rock radio station. Over the years they have degenerated into everything that sucks about "classic rock."

 

Every now and then, as a joke, I'll tune in to see what's playing. Same old {censored}, "Light My Fire," "All Along the Watchtower," "Tom Sawyer," etc.....you get the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

:bor:

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Originally posted by doubleR

I guess it's the same mentality of people who listen to "classic rock" radio.


There's a radio station here in Southern California, KLOS. When I was in high school in the 70's they were a cutting edge AOR rock radio station. Over the years they have degenerated into everything that sucks about "classic rock."


Every now and then, as a joke, I'll tune in to see what's playing. Same old {censored}, "Light My Fire," "All Along the Watchtower," "Tom Sawyer," etc.....you get the picture.


:bor:

 

Yeah, there's a station like that by me. My only guess is that they don't like change.

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Familiarity probably has a lot to do with it; maybe its the kind of thing that is self perpetuating...i.e. these classics were staples for so long that the regulars got attached to them and now its a comfort zone.

 

Makes me wonder if we will be saying the same thing for some of the newer staples 10 or 15 years from now? :idea:

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Originally posted by GCDEF

Dang, 4 out of 5 requests are still for those bands. Every freaking cover band in the world covers LS and LZ. Can't people go one night without hearing Sweet Home Alabama or Stairway to Heaven. I know we're supposed to give people what they want, but I've been playing that stuff for 30 years already. Time to move on.
:mad:

 

 

You need to find a new crowd!!! :D (just kidding!)

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Originally posted by wheresgrant3




You need to find a new crowd!!!
:D
(just kidding!)

 

Actually we're working on it, but it's hard to escape. Last week most of the requests came from people under 25 I would guess, so even playing younger clubs, people still want it.

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Originally posted by GCDEF



Actually we're working on it, but it's hard to escape. Last week most of the requests came from people under 25 I would guess, so even playing younger clubs, people still want it.

 

 

Maybe they want you to think they are musically educated by naming older tunes? :confused:

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Originally posted by GCDEF



Actually we're working on it, but it's hard to escape. Last week most of the requests came from people under 25 I would guess, so even playing younger clubs, people still want it.

 

 

I've had requests for Skynard from under 25 as a joke... for the rooms that we play anything that even approaches Zepplin will clear the room. Once we inserted Rush's "Spirit of Radio"into the organ solo part of Rancid's "Time Bomb"... we were left with stares and questions. We had fun though...

 

 

Here's some other tunes that we tried but pulled b/c just didn't go over very well.... many we part of larger song medley's ... so you watch the dance floor fade when you'd play the song... and fill right back up when it was over.

 

Modern Love-David Bowie (we had in a medley with "Last Night" by The Strokes) kids didn't know it.

Fire- Jimi Hendrix... just never caught on

I Wish-Stevie Wonder- people danced but it wasn't a favorite

Once Bitten Twice Shy-The Great White Version (Mott The Hoople) too slow.

Disco Inferno-People didn't scream for it like they did other songs in a dance mix... or maybe we just sucked playing it.

 

 

Most people we play for were born around 1980.

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Originally posted by wheresgrant3



I've had requests for Skynard from under 25 as a joke... for the rooms that we play anything that even approaches Zepplin will clear the room. Once we inserted Rush's "Spirit of Radio"into the organ solo part of Rancid's "Time Bomb"... we were left with stares and questions. We had fun though...


 

 

We played Friday and Saturday. When I showed up Saturday, one of the waitresses handed me a list of songs we should play. Out of the 8 of them, 5 were Skynyrd and one was Stairway to Heaven. I don't think she'd give me a list that would piss off her customers.

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I'm just hoping that every song actually has a "Maximum Plays Threshold". Eventually, radio, cover bands, and private album owners will literally wear out a song to the point that a band such as Led Zep's entire discography gets corrupted and erased globally. That'd be a fine day.

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Originally posted by GCDEF



We played Friday and Saturday. When I showed up Saturday, one of the waitresses handed me a list of songs we should play. Out of the 8 of them, 5 were Skynyrd and one was Stairway to Heaven. I don't think she'd give me a list that would piss off her customers.

:eek::D:cool:

 

WoW!!!!

 

Well you are playing in Florida! I love Skynard and Zepplin... but if a venue handed us a list of songs to play, well... they would be pretty disappointed!:D

 

 

I guess I better brush up on the Lemon Song;)

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Do you suppose it's just what that crowd wants to hear? ;)

 

You might do what I do, though....take these "worn-out" tunes and re-arrange them creatively!

 

Examples:

 

Free Bird - Wendy does the slide guitar part on her fret-less bass while I emulating the organ parts on my phase-shifted 12-string. Gets a big harmonica work out on the ending.

 

All Along The Watchtower - We do it reggae/ska-style, even to using fairly cheesy Jamaican accents.

 

The Way - between the 2nd and 3rd verses, we do Pachelbel's Canon (same chord changes, interestingly enough, and although it was originallly in "D", we do it in "A")

 

Folks seem to get a kick out of new versions of old favorites...go figure! :)

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WoW!!!!

 

 

 

I do get strange requests... but usually nothing that far back. For future knowledge... a great time to ask me if we can play a request is when both of my hands are on keys, my guitar is strapped around my back and my mouth is on the mic.... that's usually when someone comes (a complete stranger not someone who's seen your set before) comes up and asks "Can you guys play XXXX?"

 

Since I play stage left I usually get people coming up to me all the time asking for requests. One time (no lie) some woman comes up to me midsong at the end of our third set. I knew it was trouble already. Just the way she was dressed I could tell she didn't get out often. She asks...

 

"Can you play any sadfdfsf ... Sal Jackson?"

" Who?" I screamed over the monitor mix

"Alan Jackson?"

 

I stared at her in disbelief... we had just finished a mini rock set that started with Bon Jovi and included Guns & Roses, Def Leppard, Faith No More, Van Halen, Metallica, Kid Rock and was finishing with Rage Against The Machine. Country music was clearly not part of our set.

 

"You mean the country singer???" I screamed as our singer is whipping the crowd into a frenzy chanting "{censored} You, I Won't Do What You Told Me!!!"

 

Her: "Yes"

Me: "Um.... no. Really no!"

 

Her" Ohhhh.... ok! .... Well, can you play the theme to Arthur?"

 

... no lie! :D

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Originally posted by wheresgrant3

WoW!!!!




I do get strange requests... but usually nothing that far back. For future knowledge... a great time to ask me if we can play a request is when both of my hands are on keys, my guitar is strapped around my back and my mouth is on the mic.... that's usually when someone comes (a complete stranger not someone who's seen your set before) comes up and asks "Can you guys play XXXX?"


Since I play stage left I usually get people coming up to me all the time asking for requests. One time (no lie) some woman comes up to me midsong at the end of our third set. I knew it was trouble already. Just the way she was dressed I could tell she didn't get out often. She asks...


"Can you play any sadfdfsf ... Sal Jackson?"

" Who?"
I screamed over the monitor mix

"Alan Jackson?"


I stared at her in disbelief... we had just finished a medley that started with Bon Jovi and included Guns & Roses, Def Leppard, Faith No More, Van Halen, Metallica, Kid Rock and was finishing with Rage Against The Machine. Country music was clearly not part of our set.


"You mean the country singer???"
I screamed as our singer is whipping the crowd into a frenzy chanting "{censored} You, I Won't Do What You Told Me!!!"


Her:
"Yes"

Me:
"Um.... no. Really no!"


Her" Ohhhh.... ok! .... Well, can you play the theme to Arthur?"


... no lie!
:D

You should have started singing along with your singer...

 

:)

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