She offered us $420 cash to play Freebird!

[Ewo]

Originally Posted by hdracer

That song would work done in a Americana roots style.

Yep. Fun!

I'm imagining it done as a polka...


But seriously <rimshot>, I have fun when the audience is having fun, even if I don't particularly care for a tune. And doing something outside the rehearsed material, right on the stand, is an interesting challenge, in itself.

[Tat2dHeart]

Heh. I went to Blue Man Group in Orlando a couple of weeks ago, and in a tiny expanse of quiet in the middle of the show, a voice from the darkness in the back of the theater yelled, "Play Freebird!!!" The rest of the audience laughed (the musicians the loudest), but Blue Man Group played Freebird and they did a darned good job of it.

That said - while it's not my favorite song to play (along with a few others that hit the "I'm never playing that again" list here on TB), I think that if it's what the crowd wants to hear, then you play it. You don't have to do it like it was written exactly - own it your own way - but play it. My group is tossing about something epic to accommodate all those songs. We're thinking about calling it Stairway to Brown Eyed Sally's Hotel Freebird.

[richntiff]

My guess is your band didn't have the chops to play it :-)

[Edward G.]

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!!

You did right. That's clearly a deranged person.

[NYCbassist]

Freebird is actually a fun song to play on the bass. Especially if you take the time to play it right. Most bass players hack it all up. The bass in that song is a work of art.

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by Ewo

Yep. Fun!

I'm imagining it done as a polka...


But seriously <rimshot>, I have fun when the audience is having fun, even if I don't particularly care for a tune. And doing something outside the rehearsed material, right on the stand, is an interesting challenge, in itself.

Really!
I have a friend that can play the guitar solo on a mandolin. It rocks!
I have also heard it done on a fiddle. It brought the house down!

[kozmikyak]

Originally Posted by DWBass

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

Maybe you're needlessly living in a world where the band doesn't get to play for itself. Maybe you're needlessly living in a world where curating the set list for the benefit of the listening audience means you're screwing customers.

I play in a 2/3 originals, 1/3 covers band. The number of times we get asked to play Freebird is not large, but it happens. We could indeed learn to play it well.

But why? We seem to draw enough people to make playing worthwhile. Some drunken fool will always ask for the familiar, will always resist hearing something new. Why not challenge them? All songs were new once.

The bar put us in charge of entertainment for the evening. We'll play what we want. We'll listen to requests and decide which ones suit our style and set-list, and if we can't play them on the spot eventually the ones we consider "good" will get into the set list.

What could we gain by playing Freebird? It doesn't really fit our style. We pick covers that match our style. All that gives us is "yet another bar cover band" vibe. That actually _detracts_ from the way we want to be perceived.

Yes, we earn lots less money than a cover band. What's the point of pushing the originals hard, if we're going to just revert to a cover band whenever someone asks for a song? Is not a band's set list part of what they offer? They are "curators" of a set of music that meshes well together. Why throw off the whole vibe for one song, however popular? Are there not hundreds of very popular songs out there?

[NYCbassist]

Originally Posted by 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.

I will give you a full course meal to play freebird if You come to one of our shows here in NC. I have seen bass players that really do the song justice and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

[SactoBass]

Originally Posted by Joe Murray

With all due respect....that's pretty obnoxious.

I certainly won't argue that point!

Originally Posted by Joe Murray

Do the notes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, and Nickelback songs hurt your fingers to play more than the notes of other artists?

Yes. It hurts my head too, and induces vomiting in my case. That's why I won't do it. I can't help what I like and don't like. Kinda like food.....why do I like shrimp and despise lima beans? I don't know why, but I do know that I couldn't change it even if I wanted to. For example, I can't stand rap or country music. Why is that?? I honestly don't know, but I know it's true about me.

I guess it all comes down to personal choice. We all make choices, and we each have that right. That's the beauty of it all....we each get to choose what we do and don't do in our lives. I respect others' choices to do what they want as well. I'm not saying my choice is better or more right than anyone else's choice. I'm just saying what my choice is. It is what it is.

I have always been opinionated when it comes to music. I have noticed that about myself, even when I was a youngster. I couldn't change that attribute of me even if I wanted to. Fortunately, I don't want to, so that works out rather well for me (no inner struggle....niiiiice!!) I'm having too much fun being me! It's all good! I sincerely feel sorry for people who play music for the sake of others rather than for enjoyment for themselves. If they can do both, that's a win. Perhaps I am just willing to be more honest with myself and with others. Sometimes that level of honesty rubs people the wrong way. Sorry! I'm just being honest and open about it. Do I expect others to share my sentiment? Not in a googolplex years. (ha...and by then, it won't matter much, will it.)

[bassfran]

Originally Posted by Bradass

I really don't understand the enmity towards this song...

I don't think it's the song, per se, but the dead-horse cliche of some dork yelling out the title that annoys most people.

(And, I'm with lowfreq33- I smells me a troll.)

[SactoBass]

Originally Posted by kozmikyak

Maybe you're needlessly living in a world where the band doesn't get to play for itself. Maybe you're needlessly living in a world where curating the set list for the benefit of the listening audience means you're screwing customers.

I play in a 2/3 originals, 1/3 covers band. The number of times we get asked to play Freebird is not large, but it happens. We could indeed learn to play it well.

But why? We seem to draw enough people to make playing worthwhile. Some drunken fool will always ask for the familiar, will always resist hearing something new. Why not challenge them? All songs were new once.

The bar put us in charge of entertainment for the evening. We'll play what we want. We'll listen to requests and decide which ones suit our style and set-list, and if we can't play them on the spot eventually the ones we consider "good" will get into the set list.

What could we gain by playing Freebird? It doesn't really fit our style. We pick covers that match our style. All that gives us is "yet another bar cover band" vibe. That actually _detracts_ from the way we want to be perceived.

Yes, we earn lots less money than a cover band. What's the point of pushing the originals hard, if we're going to just revert to a cover band whenever someone asks for a song? Is not a band's set list part of what they offer? They are "curators" of a set of music that meshes well together. Why throw off the whole vibe for one song, however popular? Are there not hundreds of very popular songs out there?

Interesting points, Koz! I like your "open thinking" style.

About ten years ago, I was in a YES tribute band. Can you imagine playing something by LS in that situation?? LOL!!!

[MysticMichael]

Why is everybody getting on the OP's case about turning down the cash to play Freebird?

Enough already! They didn't want to play the tune. There's no law that says they have to. Apparently they don't feel bad about their decision. Why should you?

Believe it or not, it's not always about money. Duh!

MM

[SactoBass]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Why is everybody getting on the OP's case about turning down the cash to play Freebird?

Enough already! They didn't want to play the tune. There's no law that says they have to. Apparently they don't feel bad about their decision. Why should you?

Duh!

MM

Well spoken, MM!

Ya mean we each get to make choices for ourselves? Imagine that.

[Ric5]

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!!

What the Bleep!!!

For $420 I would play Gaga Bieber or Freebird.

[BuffaloBass]

Naw, tis BS. But if tru. its a FAIL!

[Joe Murray]

Originally Posted by SactoBass

I certainly won't argue that point!



Yes. It hurts my head too, and induces vomiting in my case. That's why I won't do it. I can't help what I like and don't like. Kinda like food.....why do I like shrimp and despise lima beans? I don't know why, but I do know that I couldn't change it even if I wanted to. For example, I can't stand rap or country music. Why is that?? I honestly don't know, but I know it's true about me.

I guess it all comes down to personal choice. We all make choices, and we each have that right. That's the beauty of it all....we each get to choose what we do and don't do in our lives. I respect others' choices to do what they want as well. I'm not saying my choice is better or more right than anyone else's choice. I'm just saying what my choice is. It is what it is.

I have always been opinionated when it comes to music. I have noticed that about myself, even when I was a youngster. I couldn't change that attribute of me even if I wanted to. Fortunately, I don't want to, so that works out rather well for me (no inner struggle....niiiiice!!) I'm having too much fun being me! It's all good! I sincerely feel sorry for people who play music for the sake of others rather than for enjoyment for themselves. If they can do both, that's a win. Perhaps I am just willing to be more honest with myself and with others. Sometimes that level of honesty rubs people the wrong way. Sorry! I'm just being honest and open about it. Do I expect others to share my sentiment? Not in a googolplex years. (ha...and by then, it won't matter much, will it.)

That works for me. Carry on, good sir.

[sforzato]

I guess I'm a musical slut. I'll play anything for money. A polka, country heck I'll even play Berry Manilow for the the right price.

[turbo chicken]

I keep telling my band we all need to learn it...

They absolutely refuse... right along with the other "standards" that coverbands should be able to play...

that would have been a nice bonus at the end of the night... heck i would have done it for and extra 5 bucks.

[jumblemind]

Originally Posted by NYCbassist

I have seen bass players that really do the song justice and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

We have a standing rule that we only take Freebird requests written on the back of a $100 bill. We've played it four times. It weeds out the people that shout it just to be "hey I'm being ironic!"

That said, I'm always happy to play it. If you don't get your rocks off straight pounding a 1-3-5 driving jam with kick-ass meat-and-potatoes cliches/turnarounds, find a new drummer.

[CTC564]

Originally Posted by hdracer

Why?
Didn't you know it or what?

For $420 + the gig money I would do 3 45 min sets of it.
And I don't like the song.

LOL

+1,000,000