We do 2 max. If people want to do more from the same artist we swap em in and out of the setlist.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
How Many Is Too Much ?!?! Set list rant....
- Thread starter chuck65
- Start date
- Apr 11, 2019
- 340
- 381
- Disclosures
- Lincoln Learning Solutions - Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center
I don't really do "set lists." I've got a song list that is currently pushing 160 tracks. I do have 18 Beatles tunes on that list, but I rarely do more than 4-8 in a given night.
i'm with the "it depends" group.
most of my gigs are jazz gigs, however, and an ensemble could play wayne shorter (or ellington, basie, evans, yada yada) tunes all night without ever being considered a "tribute" band (even if that's what it was!
)!
With my hard rock/vintage metal cover band, we are generally setting our limit at 2 per artist, spread over 3-4 sets. 2 Metallica (a medley so maybe it’s just 1), 2 zeppelin, 2 ozzy sabbath, 1 dio sabbath, 2 Judas Priest, 2 Joan Jett, 2 Iron Maiden, 2 guns’n’roses, 2 deep purple, etc. But 4 ac/dc. Man, folks love them some ac/dc.
Cover bands playing 3 or 4 sets is extremely common in the two capital cities I've played music in.
I think a good show is just to play the chicken dance for 4 hours.
As the person who makes the Set Lists, I try to never repeat an Artist in the same set (3 x 16-songs). We do however sometimes play one song a set by the same Artist. (If my drummer had his way, we would do three Stones songs each set!)
A couple of shows we even advertised that all 48 songs would be from different Artists! (Rock-n-Roll Smorgasbord). We've also done "Double Down" nights were we play two songs from the same Artist in a round like "Two for Tuesday"! I try to mix it up to keep it interesting. In over 100 gigs we've never played the same Set List twice!
A couple of shows we even advertised that all 48 songs would be from different Artists! (Rock-n-Roll Smorgasbord). We've also done "Double Down" nights were we play two songs from the same Artist in a round like "Two for Tuesday"! I try to mix it up to keep it interesting. In over 100 gigs we've never played the same Set List twice!
I was brought in to front a garage rock party band a couple of years ago, handling 80% lead vox, keys, and guitar (rhythm and some leads). It was a lot of fun, plenty of "Louie Louie Hang On Sloopy Mony Mony Wooly Bully" type stuff. Our target audiences really dug it, even a lot of younger people, and we stayed pretty busy.
But the "BL" was really hooked on Beatles, Stones, and Elvis. Every time we discussed new songs to add, you could count on him wanting more of those three, and we already had around 5 or more of each on the playlist.
I started to veto those suggestions, which resulted in a lot of butthurt and negativity from the BL and me walking away.
As OP said, there is so much good party music out there, why obviously favor or focus on certain artists (unless you are a tribute of some sort)?
Frankly, hitting an artist more than once per set, for a total of three or four tunes from that artist in a typical gig, is almost too much for me, and I would feel we're not mixing it up enough as a variety band for the mainstream audience.
I believe that, in this cover band context, musicians who want to add excessive amounts of their favorite artists are not acting as entertainers with the greater audience in mind. They are thinking mainly about themselves.
But the "BL" was really hooked on Beatles, Stones, and Elvis. Every time we discussed new songs to add, you could count on him wanting more of those three, and we already had around 5 or more of each on the playlist.
I started to veto those suggestions, which resulted in a lot of butthurt and negativity from the BL and me walking away.
As OP said, there is so much good party music out there, why obviously favor or focus on certain artists (unless you are a tribute of some sort)?
Frankly, hitting an artist more than once per set, for a total of three or four tunes from that artist in a typical gig, is almost too much for me, and I would feel we're not mixing it up enough as a variety band for the mainstream audience.
I believe that, in this cover band context, musicians who want to add excessive amounts of their favorite artists are not acting as entertainers with the greater audience in mind. They are thinking mainly about themselves.
Last edited:
Good point. Also, how many people stay from the first song to the last on a four hour gig? We've usually got some people showing up for the second set and other leaving before we start our last set.
So Bad Company/Free and Skynard so far (at a quick glance). A little dated but you'll be OK in North Florida. Paul Rogers is one of my favorite singers so I'll have a hard time talking you out of his work.
But I do see your point about those two acts. But your audience won't care. Your list is mostly smash hits. They just want to sing along while they drink.
This kind of nails it for me. As a rule of thumb, no more than one per artist per set. Subject to change based on crowd response!
if you are a cover band that plays for 4 hours, i doubt anyone is there for the whole show to even notice if you played the same song twice let alone play too many songs by the same band.
i do agree that you don't want to play too many of the same artist just to mix it up. i also think you may be over-analyzing this a little. this is more of a musician critique over what the average audience member thinks.
i do agree that you don't want to play too many of the same artist just to mix it up. i also think you may be over-analyzing this a little. this is more of a musician critique over what the average audience member thinks.
I have no opinion on your issue but that's a show I'd love to see.
At first I was thinking "1 song per artist per set," but gut sez "whatever keeps the bartenders busy, the floor packed, and the butts moving is what works." Plus you never know when you may have to call an audible.
You would be surprised how many people have NO IDEA what band does what song.
If you were to play Call Me The Breeze, Midnight Rider, and Ghost Riders In The Sky I'll bet a lot of people might think they were all by the same band.
To this day I doubt I could tell you a Def Leppard song from a Bon Jovi song from a Poison song.
I'd be more aware of the genre. If it's keeping within the image you want to portray then you're fine.
If you were to play Call Me The Breeze, Midnight Rider, and Ghost Riders In The Sky I'll bet a lot of people might think they were all by the same band.
To this day I doubt I could tell you a Def Leppard song from a Bon Jovi song from a Poison song.
I'd be more aware of the genre. If it's keeping within the image you want to portray then you're fine.
This for the win. For me its more about not repeating key signature, style, etc too often to where the set starts to sound repetitious. Most people outside of band circles don’t know who the artist is.
I used to play in a blues/rock band where the singer liked to do tunes in Amin. I don’t care how good they are, after a while it starts to blur together.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I like it another way. It's can be fun and popular to play mini-sets of 2 or 3 popular songs by the same artist.
My old band used to do several numbers by the same artists during a show.
Nearly every show we did we played more than one song by the Stones. Loving Cup was a set closer, and we always did Miss You. Often also did It's All Over Now as well. That would be three in one show.
We also used to do - Golden Slumbers -> Carry That Weight -> The End. That's three Beatles songs in a row (although they are short and go together). We would also do I Want You (She's So Heavy) in the same set or same show. So that's 4. I think we were planning on learning the entire Abbey Road album, and doing it as a show or a set... like on a long show with three sets, we could just play Abbey Road as the second set.
I think it's fine - especially if you kind of make a thing out of it. Like playing a mini set within a set.
