Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

Hi everyone - I've been lurking around these forums for a year or two - thought I would say hi! and ask for help (of course!). After many years away from cover gigging, I've finally hit the stage again this year. Played three shows in the past month at a local bar. I've been relying on my old set list, which worked 15 or more years ago, but I'm in the dark as to what the new "standards" are from 1990 on.

Here's a little bit about me: I play solo, with sequenced backing. I play my Tele and try to keep my leads simple - I'm definitely a B+ player with occasional flashes of A level playing! My vocals are okay - Don't have a great range, but I hold my own in the right key.

Here's my most recent set list to give you an idea of what I do. I want to start adding more recent material to my sets, but thought I would put the question out to the BandMix crew. Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

Chris

King of the Road
Move it On Over
Folsom Prison Blues
Cociane Blues
I Fought the Law
Johnny 99
Jailhouse Rock
Almost Saturday Night
The House is Rocking
Old Time Rock and Roll
Brown Eyed Girl
I'm a Believer 2
Ain't Too Proud to Beg A
Another Saturday Night
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
Summertime Blues
Woolly Bully
Suzie Q
Little Sister
Proud Mary
Johnny B Goode
The Wanderer
All Shook Up

SET 2

Prove it All Night
Running Down a Dream
Lawyers Guns and Money
Peace Love and Understanding
Is She Really Going Out With HIm
Walk of Life
Wall of Sleep
Pretty in Pink
Save it For Later
Kiss
Love Stinks
I Knew the Bride
I Melt with You
Pink Cadillac
Heaven's Door
Long as I can See the Light
Dead Flowers F
Growing Up
Ain't Even Done with the Night
The Weight
Some Kinda Wonderful

SET 3

California Sun
Sloop John B
Margaritaville

Cool, a one man band. You need to check out Neanderpaul. He's a looping one man band on steroids. As far as your list if I were you I'd play whatever YOU want. If you enjoy what you do the crowd will feel the enthusiasm. Maybe take note of the occasional request from the audience. Good luck.

Your set list is fine, as long as you're playing for the right ppl...i.e., ppl over 50.

If you want to expand your audience, then you prolly need to listen to more modern stuff, & latch onto the tunes that grab you.

That is a long hard road, too, for us older guys. LOL

OK
Yeah I know this is off topic ... sort of.

What do I want to hear.

Good original music with positive lyrical content.


Just sayin...

sanshouheil wrote:OK
Yeah I know this is off topic ... sort of.

What do I want to hear.

Good original music with positive lyrical content.


Just sayin...

Ditto... dat! There's enough cover out there to please everybody...so a mixture of orig/ cover.

BTW is it me, or is there really a possibility that most covers are so done and worn now, that audiences want new covers?

Thanks for the responses! When it comes to my set lists, I always start with songs that I like first! If I'm not enjoying myself - no one else will be - But I'm sure you guys all know that already. I've played at the same bar the last three times and I've tried to do 10 - 20% different material from the previous time. I even put it on my flyer 10% New Material! The crowd is a mixed bag - 30's to 50's. I've found hitting them with the "King of the Road" & "Move it on Over" right off the bat sort of puts them in the mood for what I'm gonna do for the night. Still I'm thinking of adding newer material, too - even thought I'll still get requests for Floyd & Clapton, until I hang 'me up!

Chris

CJW1964 wrote:Thanks for the responses! When it comes to my set lists, I always start with songs that I like first! If I'm not enjoying myself - no one else will be - But I'm sure you guys all know that already. I've played at the same bar the last three times and I've tried to do 10 - 20% different material from the previous time. I even put it on my flyer 10% New Material! The crowd is a mixed bag - 30's to 50's. I've found hitting them with the "King of the Road" & "Move it on Over" right off the bat sort of puts them in the mood for what I'm gonna do for the night. Still I'm thinking of adding newer material, too - even thought I'll still get requests for Floyd & Clapton, until I hang 'me up!

Chris

I have a request.... Cover of the Rollin' Stone.

People want to hear the crap that musicians don't want to play.

PaperDog wrote:

sanshouheil wrote:OK
BTW is it me, or is there really a possibility that most covers are so done and worn now, that audiences want new covers?

Yeah, you're right. There seems to be several songs that many (most?)cover bands do. It is good to run into a band that plays covers you don't hear much.

RE: set list
I like quite a few of those choices-- CCR, Cash. The Joe Jackson is a nice addition I've rarely heard from a cover band.

The one I'd kill is Old Time R & R. That has got to be the worst Seger song ever and most over played.

I just realized that I didn't answer your question.

Ppl want to hear the stuff that you do well, & most ppl prefer upbeat stuff when they go out.

That's all I got...

DeLauney wrote:People want to hear the crap that musicians don't want to play.

That's always been true hasn't it! For the most part If I don't like it, I don't play it!

DennyTheDream wrote:

RE: set list
I like quite a few of those choices-- CCR, Cash. The Joe Jackson is a nice addition I've rarely heard from a cover band.

The one I'd kill is Old Time R & R. That has got to be the worst Seger song ever and most over played.

Thanks! I've played the Old TIme R&R each gig so far and it's gotten a good response each time. I don't want to play it every time, though so I'll try to find a good replacement for it. And my favorite music is the New Wave stuff like Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello & Nick Lowe, but depending on the crowd that music can fall flat.

The show before I did a "Blues Brothers" min-set during the 2nd with Can't Turn You Loose, Hey Bartender, Shotgun Blues, Gimme Some Loving, Mustang Sally and Midnight Hour.

philbymon wrote:I just realized that I didn't answer your question.

Ppl want to hear the stuff that you do well, & most ppl prefer upbeat stuff when they go out.

That's all I got...

Thanks! I always want to feel like I'm playing a song well - so If I'm playing a song live and the vibe isn't; right, it won't be in the set list for too long.

philbymon wrote:Your set list is fine, as long as you're playing for the right ppl...i.e., ppl over 50.

If you want to expand your audience, then you prolly need to listen to more modern stuff, & latch onto the tunes that grab you.

That is a long hard road, too, for us older guys. LOL

Thanks! There's just so much teeny bopper stuff getting played any more it's hard to find really good songs to add to the set list. Some of the newer material I want to add is:

All Star - Smash Mouth
Who Says You Can;t Go Home - Bon Jovi
Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters
F*** You - C Lo Green

etc...But even the Smash Mouth is just about 10+ years old!!

CJW1964 wrote:

DeLauney wrote:People want to hear the crap that musicians don't want to play.

That's always been true hasn't it! For the most part If I don't like it, I don't play it!

I guess that's why I have to resort to doing my Youtube guitar lessons, because

They like it + it's crap - I won't play it = youtube guitar lessons

Love playing music. I like stuff like Maiden & Helloween. The population in Alabama is too low to support more than oldies and music that sounds like the singer is throwing up in a garbage can.