Some thoughts on our set list
 

We are a five piece cover band playing local area bars and clubs and the occasional wedding or private affair. On Friday we're playing our favorite venue. Its a bar and grill that caters mostly to folks in their 40-50's. We've played there about a dozen times and we've never not had a good time. Folks that frequent the club are there to have a good time and dance. And that's just the way we like it.

When the band started we dipped heavily into 60's pop/rock and Motown. But in recent times I've tried to steer the band into adding less old stuff from the 80's and beyond. The band is a lot of fun for us because its so eclectic and because everybody is cool with whatever anyone wants to try.

Anyway, below I've posted the three sets for Friday night. One of our more popular tunes is 'Love Shack'. Folks seem to love dancing to that tune as much as we love playing it and I had thought about starting the second set with it but am afraid that it might catch folks by surprise and not have as much success as it usually does. What do y'all think?

Set 1

1 Saw Her Standing There
2 Come See About Me /
3 Stop In The Name of Love
4 Blue Moon
5 Game of Love
6 I Only Wanna Be With You
7 This Boy
8 Different Drum
9 Shoop Shoop Song (In His Kiss)
10 Runaway
11 Chain of Fools
12 Build Me up Buttercup
13 It Hurts to be in Love
14 Pretty Woman
15 Tears of a Clown
16 Start Me Up

Set 2

1 Locomotion
2 California Sun
3 Surfin’ USA
4 Brown Eye Girl
5 These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
6 Love Potion #9
7 You Never Can Tell
8 We Got The Beat
9 Miss You
10 Tempted
11 At Last
12 Lying Eyes
13 Hang On Sloopy
14 Love Shack
15 Centerfold
16 Brown Sugar

Set 3

1 Addicted to Love
2 Groove is in the Heart
3 Satisfaction
4 Goodbye To You
5 My Girl
6 Folsom Prison Blues
7 Mustang Sally
8 You Know I'm No Good
9 Cherry, Cherry
10 Crocodile Rock
11 Higher and Higher
12 Soul and Inspiration
13 Rock 'da Cashbar
14 Honky Tonk Women

The list is fine, too many oldies for my taste. The easiest way top get a good set list for dancing is google the DJ top 200 and pick out the songs that are danceable. AC/DC You Shook me all night long is #1.

Isn't that an oldie too?

I like the googling thing, although we get a fair amount of dancing going on.

+1

don't forget guitar hero type games too

What do you mean?

I googled the AC/DC tune mentioned. I don't think it's one that is really in our wheelhouse so to speak but thanks for the heads up on it.

If your target audience is 40-50 yr olds most of that material is way too old.

I am 48, and would not stay to listen.

+1 I'm 55 and ditto. This list would impress my 65 yo friends IMO.

I can't do anything about the material between now and Friday. And in any event much of the older material has been quite successful at the venue. You can see there is plenty of stuff creeping in from the 80's and beyond, which I think would hit the target range. At this point I'm really just wondering whether or not there was some suggestions related to the order of material, etc.

I like the fact that the set list is different than what most cover bands are playing. I have seen some old songs go over very well. Having said that, you must also know your audience and the venue. Make sure you are not booking the band in clubs that typically have hard rock, metal or country bands.

Based on some of your choices you must have a girl singer. That does help open things up a bit. I'm 55 as well (as of 3/21/13) :bassist: and agree that about 50% of your list def caters to the over 60 crowd. It is most certainly not the end of the world though. Have fun with it.

Yes we do have a fine female singer and we don't necessarily want to walk away entirely from our older fans. Its just that I think the 'future' is gonna be a bit younger. Like I said we've played the club many times and always done well even with older material. I just wondered if there was anything with respect to ordering or pacing that y'all might have some suggestions on.

I appreciate the input.

IMO, song order ultimately should be determined by your singers so they can warm up their pipes and mix your singers back and forth. Set list looks a good time to me though. :D

Thanks. I do try and not bunch up too much on one of our 4 singers. I like to not only give them breaks but figure the variety of voices benefits the audience too.

Strikes me as you got a good handle on the whole thing. Just keep doing what you do and enjoy the fruits of your labor. :bassist:

Thanks smogg. I'll try and remember to come back and let y'all know how it went.

I dig the setlist and at 51 would enjoy it. Yes, it has allot of oldies but some some good ones at that. Played well these will work in most places maybe not a younger hip club. The Animals clubs like my band plays this setlist would kill.

I would rather sit thru tunes like this than another state your name cover band churning out Guns and roses tunes or @razy @itch..ugh :rollno:

Much appreciated. Its a nice place to play. The folks really seem to want to dance and have fun. That makes it fun for us.

I hear you. I played my first show last weekend with a country/oldies band I was a member of 5 years ago. I have rejoined and it was so great seeing all the folks dancing all night. slow songs, fast songs, young and old...really cool.