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medleys?

Should a bar cover band do any medleys?

  • Yes

    Votes: 105 87.5%

  • No

    Votes: 15 12.5%
  • Total voters
    120
#21
Well, they can be mundane or they can be well thought out and spark interest in your audience. Dixie/Can't You See was a staple in my gigging days. Performed late when the revelers were getting wound up..... You said you noticed that some of your audience glazed over. Well that is your answer. Be astute and tuned in to your audience. If they are playing with phones rather than dancing, mark that one off the list the next gig. Your employer is paying you to keep them engaged and entertained.

Big Thumbs up to you for paying attention to your audience. Seems such an obvious key to success but is often overlooked by us performers.
 
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#22
Our stage show and entertainment value improved exponentially with the elimination of dead air and introduction of medleys when possible. Our first couple of gigs were marred by dead air sucking the energy out of them, and at the next rehearsal I insisted we create medleys, segues, key change progressions, etc. to eliminate the dead air. Now, when people finally do get a chance to applaud it's pretty much a standing ovation.
 
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#23
Depends on the situation and your ability to make the transitions properly...

if there's a crowded dance floor - doesn't matter if it's a rock, disco, funk, blues, or country set - it means there's a groove going on. Don't disturb it. The kick/snare/bass thing must remain intact.

Now this is a bit hard to imagine in a Rush or similar prog-rock situation. Not hating on Rush or the like BTW...but the fact is that at least 75% of that crowd is made up of dudes. Dudes generally don't care to shake their asses while this type of music is playing. Chicks, on the other hand, generally like very much to shake their asses to music. Ass-shaking is made so much easier - sometimes even involuntary - when the groove is good. And booze. Plenty of booze. So consider that.

An earlier post mentioned frustration when an expected section of a song is replaced with a transition to another tune.. the musician in me can completely relate to that. On the other hand, I kinda dig when that happens...reminds me of funk bass lines that build tension tension tension and then BOOYAH the rug is pulled out from under you for a millisecond before the tension starts again. This is also a sensation that can be made even more tingly with booze BTW.

Sorry to be long winded. To summarize, know your audience, make the changes smooth and tight, and it can be rewarding for both you and the crowd under the right circumstances.
 
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#25
To me there are two different things. A "medley" proper is a string of best-known parts of songs strung together and maybe cross-cut into each other. Personally, I despise them, in just about any setting. Rather than let people actually listen to a song, it's more like it just reminds them of the song and then cuts to the next one without letting the first one develop and mature for full effect.

It sounds like what you're really talking about, though, is not medleys but segues - finding songs that have similar tempos and are in the same key (or can be put in the same key), and transitioning from one to the next without stopping and starting. I think that's a very good idea. We had some in a former band - Weezer's "Beverly Hills" transitioned into "I Love Rock and Roll" and "Gold On the Ceiling" segued into "Exes and Ohs." I think that can work really well. Just let each song run its course.
 
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#26
1. Every second the band is silent seems like a minute to the audience. Novice bands do not realize how true this is.
2. Once they are up and dancing/bopping, do NOT let them sit down.

One of the most popular bands around here plays their entire set with no more than one or two stops per set. Even if it isn't a medley, the drums will keep the beat going.
 
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#27
AztecViking said:
I like the head to Smoke On the Water played over KC and the Sunshines Band's Get Down Tonight. You can also throw The Tony William's Lifetime's Snake Oil over that. That way you get Funk/Disco, classic rock and fusion all in one package.

Another great one is taking Kool And The Gang's Celebrate and combining elements of Van Halen's Best Of Both Worlds and Yes's Roundabout with it. Throws people for a loop! But if done right it really works. :laugh:
Click to expand...

THAT would be a keen trick.
 
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#28
We do Drift Away into Can't Always Get What You Want....first song pretty much all the way through and one verse and as many choruses we can get away with. Always been a hit for us...

A former band of used to from New Orleans is sinking into Enter Sandman.
 
#29
hrodbert696 said:
A "medley" proper is a string of best-known parts of songs strung together and maybe cross-cut into each other. Personally, I despise them, in just about any setting. Rather than let people actually listen to a song, it's more like it just reminds them of the song and then cuts to the next one without letting the first one develop and mature for full effect.

It sounds like what you're really talking about, though, is not medleys but segues - finding songs that have similar tempos and are in the same key (or can be put in the same key), and transitioning from one to the next without stopping and starting. I think that's a very good idea.
Click to expand...

This. Exactly. I hate medleys. Always figured, if a song's good enough to play, it's good enough to play in its entirety. And if it's not good enough to play in its entirety, then it shouldn't be played at all.

Most recently, my band sequed from Will It Go Round in Circles into Lady Madonna. That's fun and both are crowd pleasers.
 
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#33
morgansterne said:
In my previous band we did a medley of five different Rush songs mashed together and I think we all agreed this was a bad idea. Ten full minutes of Rush will really make non-Rush fans' eyes glaze over. We also did a medley of "all summer long" with "sweet home alabama" and it made OUR eyes glaze over.

However, in my new band, we play Pink Floyd's "young lust" and as we jam out the end we've started to drift into playing "Riders on the storm." Same key, very similar tempo. It's just been a little tease so far but we've talked of actually learning it and playing it for real, going straight into it from young lust. Good idea or bad idea?
Part of the reason I'm asking is we're working on doing "Billie Jean" and the instrumental section has proved very difficult to really nail. Our guitar player stumbles over that clean funky lead, and the overall arrangement there doesn't sound very full at that point of the song. Also, trying to work out a good ending for the song has proved surprisingly difficult.
However, the verses and choruses sound really good and I'd hate to ditch the whole song. So it occurred to me that we could go into some other song at that point and end with the second song.
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Absolutely! I think Joe Audience-Member will be entertained! I think Joe Musician will be interested.
 
#38
These two are absolute stoaters!
ABBA - Money, Money, Money>Waterloo>Mama Mia
Rock n Roll - She's So Fine>Great Balls of Fire>Jailhouse Rock>Do Ya Wanna Dance>Johnny B Goode

Gotta make the changes have impact, we get a cheers and a wee spike of energy every time we transition into the next song.
 
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