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How do you shoot down song requests?

#61
lfmn16 said:
I play in a Rockabilly, tradition country, 50’s Rick and roll band. Some guy came up and asked if we knew any Zeppelin.:meh:
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Played in a country band, and was asked to play some rock and roll. We smiled as we were all rock musicians playing country because it was where the money was at the time.

After a short conversation we broke into ZEPs rock and roll, but at the end of the intro the drums did a massive ritard and the bass came in with a run up.... boomp boomp boomp...and we did R&R pretty close to the way Buck Owens would have done it. Ala 3 part harmony with twang to spare. The crowd went nuts. Mid song we broke into the drum intro again and did the song right.... Sometimes requests can suck, but if you have skilled enough musicians to pull them off they can be a blast.
 
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#64
Fingerer said:
What is a respectful way to tell someone, or an audience, your band does not take requests? Would making an announcement before the first break help? Or would that be looked at as unprofessional?

We are a new band so our setlist is limited to songs we know we can perform together. I'm sure we will eventually be able to accommodate requests, but would prefer to stick with a setlist to stay in the flow. Anyhoo, curious how you experienced folks handle it.

In an unrelated note, our guitar player actually asked if he was too loud. Yeah, go ahead and read that again. He's not the greatest of players, and doesn't learn songs quickly as the rest of us, but he is very capable with a great attitude. I'll take it. They do exist.
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The ideal way would be to just say we don't know it... If you know another song by the same artist, you can do that one and it satisfies them sometimes.

Unfortunately you have those that persist no matter what you say, as though doing so will miraculously make you know it.

Some people say "we'll do it next set" then hope they forget.

The best I've seen to work is our BL tells them that's a great song, we need to learn that one. It usually satisfies them that you agree it's a good song and they think you may go learn it because they requested it.

Sadly there are those who keep on requesting the same tune all night. I think some just want to play "stump the band."
I've seen them request something then after about the third time we try winging it... About 10 minutes later they are back up there asking for it again... they we out there gabbing and didn't even hear it, so don't feel bad about just ignoring their requests after you've told them no the first time.

Oh and you can just try to brush over and move on by saying "no, but here's one that is kind of like it, it has a some of the same chords and many of the same words, like it and the...".
 
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#65
"I'm sorry, we don't know/can't do that song. However, this next song uses a lot of the same notes!"

We have used that excuse before. It works best a request is yelled out of the crowd and our response goes over the PA to the whole room. It sounds a little snarky when you are talking one-on-one with a requestor. In that case, we we just say that we will try to work in a similar song.
 
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#66
SLO Surfer said:
If you work out tight transitions from song to song you’ll never give an audience member the chance to ask.
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I wish that was true. Maybe there aren’t as many “askholes” where you’re at, but we get drunk people all the time trying to talkshout at us while were in the middle of playing a song, asking if we can do “____” song. We usually just nod and smile, and avoid any eye contact with them between songs.
 
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#68
TomB said:
Yep, a simple "Sorry, we don't know that one" usually ends the matter politely, though a few (usually intoxicated) patrons may persist anyway. At that point you have my permission to ignore them :).
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After multiple same song requests by the same person you also can add. "We played it last set, you must have missed it". They are usually too drunk to figure it out.
 
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#71
On the more polite and professional end of the spectrum, if you really can't or don't want to give it a try, this has worked like a charm for 40+ years, I can't remember it ever failing to at least get someone off our backs and let them down gently:

You tell the patron the band doesn't know their request and you don't think you can pull it off without an embarrassing trainwreck, and they will get no joy whatsoever from us butchering one of their favorite songs. Then I grab the set/playlist for the remainder of the event and start asking them if they like this artist or that song. It never fails they get very excited about something on our remaining playlist (and if they don't we're not the right band for this event, but that also shouldn't happen). Then I tell them we'll play that one "just for them." Sometimes I remember to give them a shout-out over the PA, sometimes not, but I at least give them a smile and a nod when we play "their request" and they end up feeling special just the same. It often results in a trip to the tip jar (at public events).

Yeah, some people are more pushy and not so easily assuaged, and those entitled tools can go take a leap. Sometimes you do have to be firm.

Of course, if there's money involved, a sizeable pledge of some sort, and you can do even a passable rendition from memory, even a verse and chorus before it implodes, by all means pull up the lyric/lead sheet off the internet and give it the good old college effort. I've done this one numerous times over the years too, and it's always a good chuckle at the end of the gig dividing up that relatively huge gratuity for borderline sucking. ;)
 
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#72
If we know the song, we play it. If one band member doesn't know it, I tell the person requesting the song that I don't know it and say, "Sorry". If the bass player doesn't know it, it's not going to work.

Worth noting: I've had tips upwards of $100 for single song requests fulfilled. By the person requesting. It's not the norm, but have had it happen a few times over the over the years. Ya never know......
 
#78
bwildt said:
"I'm sorry, we don't know/can't do that song. However, this next song uses a lot of the same notes!"

We have used that excuse before. It works best a request is yelled out of the crowd and our response goes over the PA to the whole room. It sounds a little snarky when you are talking one-on-one with a requestor. In that case, we we just say that we will try to work in a similar song.
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We use this but a lot of times we'll know something by the same artist and say "We don't know that one but we'll trade you that one for..." whatever we have by the same artist.
 

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