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A good intro mash up to a set

Jimmy4string

Jimmy4string

Sep 6, 2006
3,936
9,910
Austin Texas
#1
When i saw Motley Crue on their Shout at the devil tour the did the "in the begining .." part of the album to a dark smokey stage then the lights came up and they went into shout at the devil. It was truly awe inspiring. I am looking for something like that. Something to shock and awe right out of the chute.
We may even try that shtick a couple of times -i thinking of having some attractive girls hold up a black sheet and drop it when the song begins. Does anyone use anything like that?
Hokey sounding?
Motley+Crue+Shout+At+The+Devil+461782.jpg
 
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#2
A few weekends ago, I was at a festival......( welcome to Rockville) and alot of the bands had intro music.....even older acts like megadeth and anthrax. Many bands like the crue, maiden, metallica...etc.....have always played some intro stuff. *shrug*

While it may seem a bit hokey.....it DOES imply that you're trying to actually create a show/performance and not just be up there shoegazing. Also, I've noticed alot of the newer hard rock/ popmetal acts are going with costumes and theatrics and the crowds are eating it up......so I say go for it.
 
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#7
I have a feeling that big name bands can pull that stuff off better than smaller time bands. It runs a huge risk of being cheesy (which can be good or bad). If you really want to do it, I would try it out at practice first and see if it looks good. For some reason I imagine "the attractive girls" having big poofy 80s hair-dos... Maybe because you mentioned Motley Crue.
 
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#8
Steel Panther had dwarf versions of them playing instruments from behind a sheet so when a light was projected from behind the silhouettes looked like their regular size, then they kicked in the show.

They are very not PC....

You could go cutesy and if you have kids have them playing toy instruments whilst you play shielded?!
 
#9
really what i had in mind was some kind of intro music or old fashioned movie excerpt or something just before going into a power chord song. MOtley also did it well with that Ambulance part before Dr Feelgood and "God bless the childeren of the beast" before Helter skelter. I like the juxtoposition of the soft sound to power chord. or even "bassically" before NIB in Black Sabbath. Maybe i have had too much coffee :)
coffee.jpg
 
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#15
I think much of what you ask depends on the type of venue/audience you're playing to, and obviously to what genre your band leans. A "soft" intro breaking into a house rocker and things of that nature have been practiced as far back as I remember -- and I'm talking seeing Zep in 1970 -- yes, I'm as old as dirt.

One of the first times I saw Earth, Wind & Fire (one of, if not the pioneers of stage theatrics), they opened in darkness with just a kalimba (if you don't know, look it up) playing, and as the lights slowly raised to show the band in place, they busted into a long version of "Power" that alone was worth the price of admission. I like the Bassically/NIB idea, or something like Robert Lamm's soft piano intro breaking into "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" - but as I said, it depends on your style of music.

Your only problem in what you're looking for is that most of it's been done, and like someone else here mentioned, it usually works better for mainstream acts or established, but over "reunion" gigs. I would choose something that starts soft and gradually escalates - think "Stairway" - then choose the nearest thing on your set list.

When it comes to the arts... there's nothing new under the sun.
 

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