Great Closing Songs for Cover Bands

[two fingers]

So, we had a rare "rehearsal" last night (which is to say we set up gear, played a few songs, ate some good food, and maybe had a beer....maybe).

We close our shows currently with this.

Brothers Osborne - Shoot Me Straight (In The Studio) - YouTube


It goes over well. It ends big. And there's a breakdown in the middle that allows us to say goodnight and still end big. I think it's fine.

However, my band mates brought up last night that we need another closer. They think not enough people can use this as a sing-along. I'm fine with their reasoning. I'm not emotional about this at all.

We play a wide variety from rock to country (modern, classic, and 90s) to pop to funk to soul, etc. We have a ridiculously good guitar player, good keys, slamming drummer (but with dynamics), and three part harmonies for days (two male and one female singer). So options are wide open.

Suggestions that were floated last night included things like Living on a Prayer - Bon Jovi, Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith, and stuff like that.

What say you? What's a great bar band closer?

Carrots Song as promised.
Carrot Song - National Carrot Day Anthem - YouTube

 

[Spidey2112]

We do 'Subdivisions'.

 

[two fingers]

We do 'Subdivisions'.

Go on and break you off some Rush, man!

 

[friskinator]

My band has had good luck with Let's Stay Together (Al Green) and Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

 

[bholder]

These guys have a helluva closer, though it might be tough to cover (unless you're up on your Mongolian and throat singing!)

Mongol Bilyee! hehe \m/

 

[kesslari]

Green Day's "Closing Time"

 

[bholder]

REM's "Closing Time"

Tom Waits has quite a few that would also be suitable in that same vein. What's the one I'm thinking of? Hmmmm....

...featuring some lovely fretless work:

 

[bwildt]

This year we picked up "Roll With It" by Steve Winwood. It works well as a closer. Everybody knows it. We have 2 guitars + keys, but for this song, we don't use any guitar. One guitar moves to sax. The other goes to piano. The keys guy gets a great B3 sound.

 

[bholder]

Tom Waits has quite a few that would also be suitable in that same vein. What's the one I'm thinking of? Hmmmm....

...featuring some lovely fretless work:

"Don't you know there ain't no Devil, there's only God when he's drunk."

 

[JW56789]

Back in my mis-spent youth, where yours truly spent more than a few nights in goat roper palaces, this often went down pretty good as the last one, and does, indeed, speak a universal truth.



Gilley was one of the three piano-playing firebreathers from Ferriday, Louisiana: He and Jerry Lee Lewis and TV Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart are all from there, and are all first cousins. Listen to the three, and they all play alike. As much as I like a Charley One Horse hat, I NEVER wore one of those monstrosities with all the idiot feathers, etc., my real cowboy friends would have roasted me !

 

[Holdsg]

in my country cover band, with a female singer, we close with a burner, Melissa Etrhidge "I'm The Only One", so the female singer can blow out her voice on the last song.

 

[two fingers]

in my country cover band, with a female singer, we close with a burner, Melissa Etrhidge "I'm The Only One", so the female singer can blow out her voice on the last song.

We do that one about halfway through the second set most shows.

 

[pglaser01]

Journey- Any Way You Want It
Cheap Trick- Want You to Want Me

those have always worked for us.

 

[datasmog]

Running Down A Dream.

 

[Plectrum72]

Lately we've done Come Sail Away/Styx or Jump /Van Halen. Both get good responses as closers. YMMV

 

[T-boneParish]

If I close my eyes I hear Mongolian AC/DC! Love it!

 

[Jamvan]

We usually do this Brothers Osborne song to end the night…



…or this one unless we did it to start the set earlier in the evening.



I'm a firm believer in leaving them wanting more and these two have proven elective at whipping the crowd up.

 

[tgriley62]

Well, If I ever get into another band I'm going to push for "Roll on Down the Highway" by BTO as the closer

 

[makaspar]

Sweet Child of Mine! Get all of the females on stage, blow out the singer's voice, showcase a good guitarist, and close things down big. That being said, we closed with Paradise City last gig, and it killed...

 

[two fingers]

We usually do this Brothers Osborne song to end the night…



…or this one unless we did it to start the set earlier in the evening.



I'm a firm believer in leaving them wanting more and these two have proven elective at whipping the crowd up.

We actually close out first set with Stay a Little Longer, which is another reason they wanted to pick something else to end the show. Closing both sets with a Brothers Osborne song bothers some of them.