She offered us $420 cash to play Freebird!

[Reaper Man]

I've done far dumber just because someone said "bet you won't"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-vBd-r_Pww

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by cbrophy

Dopes...

IF they knew it; dopes and disrespectful to their audience. I wonder how many songs they have written that have been requested for almost 40 years?

[HolmeBass]

Oh I would so have played that song and taken 1/4 of $420- $105 for me!! And then I would have asked her to join us on set break, given $420 was not a randomly selected number.

[bassinplace]

Originally Posted by fjadams

Thank you! Not sure if there are any, but for sure not many, songs more detestable than that one. Well, excluding everything from Rush, anyway.

Blasphemy!

[DWBass]

I woulda been asking if there were any more requests? Not saying these songs should be in your setlist but you should learn them and know them and be ready to play at a moments notice! Ya just never know!

[throughthefire]

Turning down a customer's request - backed up with hard cash.

You should remember that in a bar, you're an entertainer, not a musician. Play the song, close your ears, and take the money.

[rtslinger]

We are a Classic Rock band so we play anything and everything that was popular and people want to hear. I could see if you were and all original band.

[lowfreq33]

This didn't happen.

[MNAirHead]

Originally Posted by throughthefire

Turning down a customer's request - backed up with hard cash.

You should remember that in a bar, you're an entertainer, not a musician. Play the song, close your ears, and take the money.

Must be cool to be a home town rockstar...

[tuBass]

We play it.. we play the hell out of it. It may not be my favorite song of the night, but people WANT to hear it!

the OP is an idiot for either turning down money to play a song they know, or being in a gigging cover band that doesn't know a standard of the trade.

The only acceptable answer is that they are not a cover band, and the song would have not fit in with the rest of the music at all.. AND it was the type of job that there would have been repercussions if they played it

[boynamedsuse]

Originally Posted by lowfreq33

This didn't happen.

That was also my impression--unless they didn't know the song. It's easy to have "high standards" if you can't deliver anyway.

[Bassman Spliff]

Originally Posted by HolmeBass

Oh I would so have played that song and taken 1/4 of $420- $105 for me!! And then I would have asked her to join us on set break, given $420 was not a randomly selected number.

^^THIS^^

My band is an original band and we know this one. We will whip out a 3 min reggae version if someone calls it and it fits the flow. For $420.00 I would have played all the instruments myself.

[SactoBass]

Originally Posted by Biggbass

Last weekend a gal comes up to the band and fans out $420 cash, waving it back and forth in front of us, requesting that we play Freebird.

And we turned it down! LOL!!

Biggbass, you just pegged the needle on the respect meter! You are a man of principle! I admire that in a person! Good job!! Life is too short to play that kind of tripe.

There are some things in life I just won't do, and playing that song is definitely one of them, no matter HOW much money I am offered. (Of course, it kinda helps me having a relatively healthy six figure income as a professional in a non-music related field, so $420 is trivial to me, but I can certainly understand that there may be some folks who would have a different perspective than me, which I also respect.)

Yeah yeah......I get the whole "we are there to entertain the audience" thing. Sorry, but I play music for *my* enjoyment. I'm selfish that way. And I have to say, it is very liberating! It ensures that I always have fun playing music rather than it turning into a "job" (ew!) The fact is, I will never play anything by Lynyrd Skynyrd or Foreigner or Nickelback. It's my life, and I get to live it how I choose! Again, kudos to Biggbass for not selling out! High five!!

[DWBass]

Wow! Didn't know bands get to play for themselves and screw the customers!

[jive1]

If there were $420 being waved to play Freebird, and I was in the audience. I'd steal an instrument from the band and play it myself. Heck, I'd do it for a piece of fried chicken. A stale bagel, even if I were hungry enough.

[Joe Murray]

Originally Posted by SactoBass

Biggbass, you just pegged the needle on the respect meter! You are a man of principle! I admire that in a person! Good job!! Life is too short to play that kind of tripe.

There are some things in life I just won't do, and playing that song is definitely one of them, no matter HOW much money I am offered. (Of course, it kinda helps me having a relatively healthy six figure income as a professional in a non-music related field, so $420 is trivial to me, but I can certainly understand that there may be some folks who would have a different perspective than me, which I also respect.)

Yeah yeah......I get the whole "we are there to entertain the audience" thing. Sorry, but I play music for *my* enjoyment. I'm selfish that way. And I have to say, it is very liberating! It ensures that I always have fun playing music rather than it turning into a "job" (ew!) The fact is, I will never play anything by Lynyrd Skynyrd or Foreigner or Nickelback. It's my life, and I get to live it how I choose! Again, kudos to Biggbass for not selling out! High five!!

With all due respect....that's pretty obnoxious. Do the notes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, and Nickelback songs hurt your fingers to play more than the notes of other artists?
To the OP, if you didn't know Freebird or your band is an original one playing with other original bands that evening, then I get it....if not.....

[packhowitzer]

Originally Posted by scottbass

You wear an undershirt under your t-shirt? Here in the North Woods we consider a t-shirt to be an undershirt, sometimes plain and sometimes with writing and/or pictures on it. We wear t-shirts under our flannel shirts. If we get too warm, we take off the flannel shirts and run around in our t-shirts, some of which say things and/or have pictures. Ain't no more shirts under our t-shirts.

yeah well here in atlanta, it gets so humid (and since i was working), that you'll sweat right through a tshirt in little time. So i double up the tshirts to keep in the sweat from showing through. but when some dizzy broad offers me 115 dollars for my tshirt?? that sucker is sold and i'll finish the night in my hanes comfortsoft. lol

[hdracer]

I think the OP is pulling our legs a little.

From his bands web page

plays a mix of roots music -- both original and tribute. Its sound comes from genres as varied as bluegrass, alt-country, Texas roots, contemporary country and country-rock.

So the song isn't to far out of their genre.
The line up of musicians in the band is good and I don't see why they couldn't play it un rehearsed.

Last weekend a gal comes up to the band and fans out $420 cash, waving it back and forth in front of us, requesting that we play Freebird.

And we turned it down! LOL!!

Were they being nice and just turning down the woman's money?

He didn't say they didn't play the song...

That song would work done in a Americana roots style.

[iamoldschool]

Originally Posted by SactoBass

Biggbass, you just pegged the needle on the respect meter! You are a man of principle! I admire that in a person! Good job!! Life is too short to play that kind of tripe.

There are some things in life I just won't do, and playing that song is definitely one of them, no matter HOW much money I am offered. (Of course, it kinda helps me having a relatively healthy six figure income as a professional in a non-music related field, so $420 is trivial to me, but I can certainly understand that there may be some folks who would have a different perspective than me, which I also respect.)

Yeah yeah......I get the whole "we are there to entertain the audience" thing. Sorry, but I play music for *my* enjoyment. I'm selfish that way. And I have to say, it is very liberating! It ensures that I always have fun playing music rather than it turning into a "job" (ew!) The fact is, I will never play anything by Lynyrd Skynyrd or Foreigner or Nickelback. It's my life, and I get to live it how I choose! Again, kudos to Biggbass for not selling out! High five!!

I got a pretty good day gig too, but I'd still play Free Bird for $420 if someone in the audience wanted it because at the end of day, it's really not about me.

[Calaverasgrande]

what, Yall dont like Skynrd?
It's not like we are talking about "Feelings".