Dance tunes?

[Rinton]

Evening, TalkBass.

I've got a problem:
This weekend I played a very important gig with my cover band. We had been booked as the opening entertainment for a cover band that has a saturday night contract after 10. This meant we went on at 8:30, and played a short set through 10pm. Unfortunately, the venue didn't end up particularly impressed.

While we had played our hearts out, our numbers weren't great, and even worse we only had the dance really active for a fraction of our set.

This has been an issue elsewhere. It seems that because we've got 2 guitarists and no keys/female singer right now, we've created a primarily rock and pop based set that ISN'T as danceable.

Upon hearing from my manager that the venue wasn't happy, I went out and watched the house band, Rock Lobster. These guys were awesome. Better yet, they had the crowd dancing all night.

Now I understand there are a lot of factors in creating that effect, but I was hoping I might be able to get some tips or some song ideas from the more seasoned musicians on this forum. The venue's booked us for October 22nd and for New Years Eve to drop the ball, but we need to radically change our set by that time. The band's decided we're going to try and learn another 20 songs by New Years. We need song ideas. Any help would be appreciated

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by Rinton

Evening, TalkBass.

I've got a problem:
This weekend I played a very important gig with my cover band. We had been booked as the opening entertainment for a cover band that has a saturday night contract after 10. This meant we went on at 8:30, and played a short set through 10pm. Unfortunately, the venue didn't end up particularly impressed.

While we had played our hearts out, our numbers weren't great, and even worse we only had the dance really active for a fraction of our set.

This has been an issue elsewhere. It seems that because we've got 2 guitarists and no keys/female singer right now, we've created a primarily rock and pop based set that ISN'T as danceable.

Upon hearing from my manager that the venue wasn't happy, I went out and watched the house band, Rock Lobster. These guys were awesome. Better yet, they had the crowd dancing all night.

Now I understand there are a lot of factors in creating that effect, but I was hoping I might be able to get some tips or some song ideas from the more seasoned musicians on this forum. The venue's booked us for October 22nd and for New Years Eve to drop the ball, but we need to radically change our set by that time. The band's decided we're going to try and learn another 20 songs by New Years. We need song ideas. Any help would be appreciated

try some sure fire danceable tunes that don't change tempo too much,and play the ones that do early in the first set......dance floors don't always fill up until set 2 when everyone is lubricated a tad

[Rinton]

Great advice. Still though, I feel like our set isn't exactly danceable in the first place. Songs like "Keep Your Hands To Yourself" and "Johnny B. Goode" do us pretty well, as do some sold standards, but a lot of our stuff falls into the showier rock category. Would you have any suggestions as to tunes you see working for bands? I'm just trying to get some different view points on what a dance band should be playing, ya know?

[Phalex]

I cherry picked a bunch of tunes from my bands set list. I have never seen one of these tunes not pack a dance floor.

Are you gonna be my girl - Jet

Bad Girlfriend - Theory of a Deadman

Bad Name - Bon Jovi

Brown Eyed Girl -Van Morrison

Breakin the Law -Judas Priest

Crazy Bitch - Buck Cherry

Faith-George Michael

Fight for your right to Party - The Beastie Boys

Fly Me Courageous-Drivin' & Cryin'

Folsom Prison - Johnny Cash

Girls,Girls,Girls- Motley Crue

I want you to want me - Cheap Trick

Lick It Up-Kiss

Livin After Midnight -Judas Priest

Man in the Box -Alice in Chains

Mustang Sally -Wilson Pickett

My Sharona -The Knack

Nothing but a Good Time - Poison

Once Bitten Twice Shy -Great White

Paradise City - Guns N Roses

Paralized - Finger Eleven

Play that Funky Music White Boy -Wild Cherr

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard

Sex Is On Fire-Kings of Leon

So Hott - Kid Rock

Some Kinda Wonderful -Grand Funk

Sweet Child of Mine - Guns N Roses

Talk Dirty To Me -Poison

[ric stave]

KC and The Sunshine Band....
Shake Your Booty/That's The Way (I Like It)/Boogie Shoes/I'm Your Boogie Man/Get Down Tonight

[hrodbert696]

I might be stating the obvious, but part of the point of the opening band is to make the headline act look good. It seems like when a band plays a three-set show, set one is just to get the crowd warmed up and it's set two that really gets them rocking out. An opening band effectively provides that lukewarm first set so that the crowd is geared up to party when the headline act comes out. So don't feel bad, it sounds like you did your job!

For specific dance song suggestions for a guitar-driven band -- depends on your style. I'd aim in the direction of Franz Ferdinand (Take Me Out, No You Girls), OK Go (Do What You Want, You're So Damn Hot), and Maroon 5 (This Love, etc.) myself. Lenny Kravitz (Fly Away) would work, or the Spin Doctors (2 Princes), or you could go for some bluesy stuff -- hell, just rip off the whole Blues Brothers soundtrack!