• 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.

Most outlandish audience requests ...

#22
powderfinger said:
I had a guy once asked my classic rock cover band back in the day if we knew "Detroit Rock City" by KISS. I told him I love the song, but that we don't know it. He asked, "could yall learn it tonight?". Um......
Click to expand...
Geez... that reminds me... venue manager requests a pretty damn difficult Polish song, the singer tells him that she sort of knows it but the band doesn't. So, he tells her that that's OK, she can just play it with the bassist, right? As soon as I heard that the guy thinks I can play songs I don't know, my ego blew up to even more ridiculous proportions than it usually achieves, so I said fine, we'll give it a shot. I really had no idea how to play the song but could vaguely remember how the vocals went, so I randomly picked the key of A minor I faked it and we went ahead.
 
#25
Lowest End said:
Exodus is still very much recording and touring (in fact I think their last few albums have been the best they've ever done). I'm 32 and am a big fan still.


However, it's a bit silly to request Exodus at anything other than a metal night.
Click to expand...

Very true. Whenever they come through Chicago they play at bigger venues and I've seen them draw up to around 500 people. I'd say their crowd is 60% teenagers and 40% older people.
 
#27
thomasthecat said:
i knew there was gonna be a skynyrd request or two (hundred) hahaha, that seems to be the only thing drunks wanna hear



.....FREEEEE-BIRD!!!! ;)
Click to expand...

AHHHH the cliche.... I love hearing that because at that point I raise ol middle finger and say there's your "free bird".... man they "love" that..... but we do play Simple Man and at the end have a Free Bird solo jam session that goes over like butter on a pancake...

But in my band we cover everything from 70's to now but mainly new stuff and 80's rock.... and I've heard requests for Scott Joplin and Irving Berlin... had many requests for songs we've already played... and for the right price I will make an ass of myself and play something me/band have no business even thinking about (this past weekend threw together "Watermelon Crawl" on the fly... it was EPIC... our singer looked at me and said into the mic "did that really just happen")
 
#29
southgabass said:
AHHHH the cliche.... I love hearing that because at that point I raise ol middle finger and say there's your "free bird".... man they "love" that..... but we do play Simple Man and at the end have a Free Bird solo jam session that goes over like butter on a pancake...

But in my band we cover everything from 70's to now but mainly new stuff and 80's rock.... and I've heard requests for Scott Joplin and Irving Berlin... had many requests for songs we've already played... and for the right price I will make an ass of myself and play something me/band have no business even thinking about (this past weekend threw together "Watermelon Crawl" on the fly... it was EPIC... our singer looked at me and said into the mic "did that really just happen")
Click to expand...

We had All Along the Watchtower requested once. I was doing vocals, and for some reasons, could barely recall the lyrics (I assumed I knew them, until I tried to sing them). So I made up my own verses and words. I sang verses about whatever came to mind.... the light fixture... the rickety old stage.... the idiot drunks on the dancefloor. It was ugly. But only 3 chords so musically we kicked ass. We did the Dylan version of course.
 
#32
My current band, Tex Gruuven, we play Rock and Southern Rock...and alot of ZZ Top...Drunk lady stumbles to the stage and requests "Nights in White Satin"...***?

Another show, some guy kept yelling "play some rap!!!" I wanted to shoot the guy.
 
#33
Not so much outlandish due to the material of the request, but the source.

This was at a Cinco de Mayo festival/ marathon, and my band finishes Crazy Train at the end of the set. We all get offstage and this very elderly lady (white hair, walker, the whole shebang) inches up to and says, "You guys ROCKED Crazy Train!... Do you know any Offspring?"

That made my day. :bassist:
 
#35
I have had the "play some skinnert" calls and "Freebert" while playing acoustic jazz as well as prog-rock.

I am pretty sure the folks that yell this out are just trying to be funny.

I have had a table full of uber hot ladies call out some "Clapton" (this was the prog-rock band) and we busted into "Cocaine" and the tops came up for the band. Nice to have a few in reserve.
 
#38
Early on as a band at our second gig (80-00 rocky stuff foos , muse Lenny k killers Kaisers etc ) our singers friends all started a chant trough the audience for some GNR.


Luckily me and the singer had done a version of sweet child in our acoustic group so whilst one guitarist sat and watched we absolutely rocked a version of It.
 
#40
I don't know about unusual requests, but here is a stupid one:
Just last weekend my piano, bass, drums trio is playing a cocktail jazz/standards hour for a college reunion when a women waits around (until we finished Stella By Starlight), and then asks if we could play some Jimmy Buffet. Yeah, right, with no guitarist and no singer.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back