What's the most ridiculous request you've had at a gig?

[Doug Ring]

A few weeks ago I was playing scratchy pre-war blues on acoustic instruments with my regular gig buddies - all guys and no one under 50 in this band. We'd been on stage for half an hour and had done songs by Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed and so on. There were a few restless Xmas parties in who would obviously have preferred a DJ. Finally a young guy came up to the stage and asked, "Can you play something by Kylie Minogue?"

So what inappropriate nonsense have you guys been asked for?

[Bruce Lindfield]

You could have done the "Murder ballad" she sang with Nick Cave!!!

[Doug Ring]

Thanks Bruce - I'll look that one up!

[Bruce Lindfield]

It's a pretty good CD - Murder Ballads by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds!

Kylie Minogue sings on track 5 "Where the Wild Roses Grow" - a nice, acoustic track!

[Mike Goodbar]

I was playing slab in a 10-piece Tower of Power type horn group. We were playing our regular stuff at some kind of private party when an old couple came up to the bandstand and said, "Ve vould like to hear a nize Cherman valse!"

[Akami]

Whenever we're playing dinner music someone always wants to ask for whatever they think is the most inappropriate which is usually something like Mettalica or some such stupid request.

They think it makes them look cool for coming up with something the band wouldn't play even if they knew it.

Over the last 20 years I guess I'll have to think for a while to come up with the most ridiculous one though.

[Bruce Lindfield]

But if it was a "Bad Plus" gig - they would probably do it!!

[Marc Decho]

Originally Posted by Doug Ring

A few weeks ago I was playing scratchy pre-war blues on acoustic instruments with my regular gig buddies - all guys and no one under 50 in this band. We'd been on stage for half an hour and had done songs by Robert Johnson, Jimmy Reed and so on. There were a few restless Xmas parties in who would obviously have preferred a DJ. Finally a young guy came up to the stage and asked, "Can you play something by Kylie Minogue?"

So what inappropriate nonsense have you guys been asked for?

I was playing a wedding last summer, playing some fun and swingin jazz + latin stuff, one song came to an end and some people yell over something like play some AC/DC ! so I smiled and busted into Crazy Train by Ozzy, sax guy blurts out a big ol' wail and then we kicked in to something more appropriate, always makes for a good laugh plus the crowd was not conservative whatsoever, people immediately threw out the rock horns! yessssss!

[Ed Fuqua]

My favorite story of all time:

Guitar player doing a single at a Sunday brunch, buncha Joe Pass kinda chord solo stuff. He's been playing a few sets and is in the middle of a tune and somebody comes up and asks "Could you play something by CHICAGO?" The guitar player STOPS playing, looks over his shoulder, turns back and says "I would BUT MY ****ING HORN SECTION'S ASLEEP!" And then picks up the tune where he stopped.

[Bruce Lindfield]

It was probably misheard and they wanted him to play something in Chicago!!

Or as far away as possible!!

[Shelly Renzelman]

I spent about 5 years in the early 90's playing BG/DB in a 50's rock 'n' roll show band. We would do a lot of car shows/fairs/weddings, etc. We were dressed in 50's attire (I have a closet full of poodle skirts) and had a whole schtick-y show that we would do. INEVITABLY, some drunk-off-his-behind guy would come up and ask us to play Ozzy/Metalica/def Leppard/etc. You name the metal band and they would ask for it.

Shelly

[TroyK]

Last summer I was playing at a wedding on a boat. The families were 7th Day Adventists and the bride, groom and their siblings were all fairly liberated, including a very (I hate to use the word "slutty looking", but I can't find another) table of 14 year old girls.

We had bass, electric piano and fluegel horn and were playing a lot of "isn't it romantic" type standards. Every once in a while, we'd try a Mobley song or something and get asked to tone it down as it was making the families uncomfortable. They asked us to turn down the volume so many times that I was unplugged and plucking like an electric bassist. The toast were largely about accepting Christ while the older sister, single bridesmaid, who was quite drunk was determined to sleep with a band member and made it no secret. It was so uncomfortable had it not been on a boat, I'm sure 1/2 of the reception would have snuck out early.

There was a quiet, unassuming table near the band and one of the ladies said "can I make a request", which were were quite nervous about. Then she said "do you know that song...what's it called (to her table)...I think it's by John Coltrane...oh 'A Love Supreme' ". Not what we were expecting, I don't know where that came from or if she even had heard the song before or maybe just read a review. But we were so tickled that I ripped through a brief and quiet Giant Steps and thanked her for the best request of the year..which of course, we couldn't begin to approximate. We declined an invitation to the after-party, by the way. YIKES.

Second story, didn't involve me. I was in a bar at 1:00am one time and a kind of contemporary (1990's) rock band was playing to about a dozen of us when a drunk paid them $100 to play 867-5309, which they didn't know but faked fairly convincingly if you didn't pay attention to the lyrics in the verse. The drunk was very grateful and the band said "No problem, what else do you want us to play?!"

Ah, the glamor of being a musician.

[bassteban]

People often request that I turn down. The NERVE.

[Mike Goodbar]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

My favorite story of all time:

Guitar player doing a single at a Sunday brunch, buncha Joe Pass kinda chord solo stuff. He's been playing a few sets and is in the middle of a tune and somebody comes up and asks "Could you play something by CHICAGO?" The guitar player STOPS playing, looks over his shoulder, turns back and says "I would BUT MY ****ING HORN SECTION'S ASLEEP!" And then picks up the tune where he stopped.

That reminds me of a story I read about Joe Venuti. He was playing at a club and it was going pretty well, and Joe was feeling magnanimous. He said, "I don't normally do this, but you're such a good crowd, I'll take a couple of requests." One clueless patron suggested "Feelings." Joe's demeanor instantly changed. "Feelin's? That goddam piece of crap? Forget it!" and he stomped off "Lady Be Good."

I heard later that this was part of the act, and he had a shill in the audience to request the offending song. Still funny, though.

[TomSauter]

I played a duo gig with a trumpet player, and some guy came up to us and asked us to play 'Goin' Back to Cali' by LL Cool J.

[FredH]

Playing at a beach club I get strange requests all the time. One pretty little thing came up and asked for “Take On Me” by A-ha (no bill in the jar), I said I left that book at home but we could do “Softly like a morning sunrise” instead. Which was fine by her.
Did “Happy birthday” four times for the same party, they were good tippers.

[Tbeers]

I was asked to play P.I.M.P. by rapper 50 Cent once. And... we played it!

It was a blast!

My combo also played this Dave Matthews Band song called "Ants Go Marching" pretty frequently.

I sometimes enjoy that sort of thing....

[nicklloyd]

(wish I was on this one)

Piano trio at a wedding... urb/keys/drums... bride's mom says it's too loud... okay, band turns down, drummer plays only brushes... 1/2 hour later bride's mom says it's still too loud... pianists says:

"Well, we are playing as quietly as we can, and we don't even have mikes on the drums."

Bride's mom: "Well, could you put mikes on the drums, and then turn that down?"

[fingers]

A bridesmaid wanted to sing with us.

She asked if we knew 'Bye Bye Blackbird'

We said, "Sure, what key"

Her response, "Fb"

[Doug Ring]

Yeah... that was obviously HER key...