Wanted to get some thoughts on our play list

[lweastdad]

I'm in a new band with some long time friends. we've been going at it for about two months now and have started to develop an identity and sound. It's one that we are getting pretty good at and the songs are ones that are fun for us and we enjoy playing. What I am wondering is how this list would play out in bars and local venues where we would play

If my TB brothers wouldn't mind, I'd like your opinion on the list - what would play well and what would not.. here it is:

Too Tired - Albert Collins
No One Left To Run With - Allman Bros
One Way Out - Allman Bros
Ramblin Man - Allman Bros
Whippin Post - Allman Bros
Takin Care of Business - Bachman Turner Overdrive
Them Changes - Buddy Miles
Hush - Deep Purple
China Grove - Doobie Bros
Knock on Wood - Eddie Ford
Fools Hall Of Fame - Foghat
Foot Stompin Music - Grand Funk Railroad
Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad
Louie, Louie - Kingsmen
Little Latin Lupe Lu - Mitch Ryder
Good Lovin' - Rascals
Too Rolling Stoned - Robin Trower
Last Time - Rolling Stones
Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Santana
Evil Ways - Santana
Oye Como Va - Santana
Shades of Time - Santana
Soul Sacrifice - Santana
Gimme Some Lovin - Spencer Davis
I Got A Line On You - Spirit
Love Me Two Times - The Doors
Roadhouse Blues - The Doors
American Girl - Tom Petty
Stealin - Uriah Heap
Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett/Rascals

If you have any suggestions on additional songs that would be fun to play and would fit our list - feel free to suggest..
Thanks!

[Chasbo]

It looks good to me. I played all or most of those songs at one time or another. I still enjoy playing them and if played well, I think the crowd will enjoy them also. What kind of Keyboard are you using. A B-3 Maybe?

[lweastdad]

Originally Posted by Chasbo

It looks good to me. I played all or most of those songs at one time or another. I still enjoy playing them and if played well, I think the crowd will enjoy them also. What kind of Keyboard are you using. A B-3 Maybe?

In the practice room its an old M-3/Leslie. Keyboard player has a portable B-3/Leslie for gigs

[jive1]

What kind of crowd and bars do you want to play to?

The material is good, but I can't see a bunch of 20 somethings dancing to it. To me, it looks like it would be great for the over 45 crowd that still likes to rock out, occassionally get on a motorcycle, and reminisce about their hippie stage. Great crowds to play for, IMO.

[lweastdad]

Jive - thanks. That's the type of crowd that we think we would go over best with.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by lweastdad

Keyboard player has a portable B-3/Leslie for gigs

Portable is a relative term.

[KillianRussell]

I also think it is a great biker bar set list

[oldrocker]

Nice set list, let me know if you guys need a sub bassist

Maybe add some Skynyrd, SRV, ZZ Top, Cream/Clapton, CCR and some more Stones

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by jive1

What kind of crowd and bars do you want to play to?

The material is good, but I can't see a bunch of 20 somethings dancing to it. To me, it looks like it would be great for the over 45 crowd that still likes to rock out, occassionally get on a motorcycle, and reminisce about their hippie stage. Great crowds to play for, IMO.

You'd be surprised. My band played a bunch of Zeppelin, The Who, and a few other classic rock bands at our last gig and they all went down very well.

[scootron]

I would love to attend a gig where your band played that setlist. True, I'm one of the old guys, but the songs you picked have a lot of life in them.

My only criticism...it's Eddie Floyd, not Eddie Ford.

[Journey55]

MOAR COWBELL!!!

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by lweastdad

If my TB brothers wouldn't mind, I'd like your opinion on the list - what would play well and what would not.. here it is:

You haven't mentioned what region of the country (presumably US?) you're in, and that information isn't in your profile either. It makes a difference. Audiences in San Francisco aren't equivalent to those in, say Little Rock...

That said, demographic often trumps geographic - and you apparently know your crowd. This list is heavily weighted toward blues rock. If that's what you know and that's what you love, then why not focus in on blues rock much more exclusively?

You've got some fine artists represented, but I think you're missing some of their better material. For example, the ABB did a great rendition of Willie Dixon's Hoochie Koochie Man that would be perfect for you guys - much better than Ramblin' Man. Likewise, you should perform more Foghat (first album), Savoy Brown (early albums), Fleetwood Mac (definitely the early albums with Peter Green), maybe even some Yardbirds!

Definitely include more Robin Trower. And some Rory Gallagher. And some Johnny Winter.

Also, check out John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (any era). If you're going to play the Stones, focus on very early Stones - especially their covers of blues standards. For that matter, why not just go back to the roots, and develop your own arrangements of stuff by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and all the rest? If you select wisely (i.e. for groove and feel), and play with passion and intensity, it could go over big time...

Originally Posted by oldrocker

Maybe add some Skynyrd, SRV, ZZ Top, Cream/Clapton, CCR and some more Stones

Definitely. Especially the Stevie Ray Vaughn and ZZ Top...

MM

[MNAirHead]

Think of call/response tunes... BB has a few.

----

There are a few misfit tunes in your list.... not inclusive for folks that don't like your general vibe.... just misifts.

----

Many of the tunes are guitar wanking tunes... respectfully once we reach 18 guitar solos become a detractor --- meaning it's cool to see the young kid playing ozzy on the ellen show... when he's 25 he'll not be on the Ellen show.

Whippin post is an example of a venue clearing tune... 8 minutes into it the instrumental better be getting better than the first minute.

[bassbully]

For a classic rock setlist its killer IMO. I would love to see a band play some of those tunes and I dont normally ever go see a coverband.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

You'd be surprised. My band played a bunch of Zeppelin, The Who, and a few other classic rock bands at our last gig and they all went down very well.

Actually, I'm not surprised. I've seen older Classic Rock go well with some younger crowds. But, it depends on the audience and the ratio of those who want to dance vs watch the band.

[jive1]

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

Many of the tunes are guitar wanking tunes... respectfully once we reach 18 guitar solos become a detractor --- meaning it's cool to see the young kid playing ozzy on the ellen show... when he's 25 he'll not be on the Ellen show.

Whippin post is an example of a venue clearing tune... 8 minutes into it the instrumental better be getting better than the first minute.

I agree, long instrumentals that are just wankery require some real good wankery, otherwise it gets boring for the audience. But, considering the audience the OP is tailoring the setlist towards, it's not necessarily going to work against them. I find that the hippie and biker crowd to be more accepting of longer jams. If they didn't they wouldn't like bands like the Allmans, Grateful Dead, Santana, etc.

As far as Whippin Post clearing a venue, it depends on the audience and how well you do it. If they are a younger crowd that wants to dance, it will clear the place. But, if you're playing for a bunch of bikers, I think playing Katy Perry or the Cupid Shuffle would clear out the venue faster and might have you leaving sooner than you meant to. The truth is that not all people go to a show to dance, some people just want to listen to the music. I learned this a long time ago when I played a show, and a group of bikers watched the entire show with their arms crossed. No dancing, no cheering, or anything like that. I thought they hated the band, but afterwards they showered the compliments on us, bought us drinks, and invited us to party with them. Turns out they were real music lovers, and they were focused on what we were doing. And that in and of itself was a great compliment, and they turned out to be a fun group of guys to hang with. But you'll probably never see them out on a dance floor, ever.

[KillianRussell]

Always a down and distance type thing, a truncated Whipping Post will fill the floor with the Paul Teutul, Sr. types doing the white man over-bite .

[troy mcclure]

If you only played the popular tunes from that list your are fine, but you got some deep cuts in there that to me are crowd killers

[Marginal Tom]

Originally Posted by oldrocker

Nice set list, let me know if you guys need a sub bassist

Maybe add some Skynyrd, SRV, ZZ Top, Cream/Clapton, CCR and some more Stones

+1 to all of these suggestions, and perhaps cut back on the number of Santana songs, unless they play well for your audience.

[loveandbass]

needs more little feat!