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Opening Songs

#41
scottbass said:
+1. Start big. The classic rock band I played in for 7+ years always started with "Surrender" by Cheap Trick.
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that sounds awesome!

I have always been in bands that started big...I was not the band leader, but they always cracked the audience right in the face.....


like, the orignal band, had a song that sounded like it started slow......but , then you got backslapped. bad hard and fast....

it was more a build for us as musicians for the first verse, then ripped into the chorus, then the second verse continued on at full full throttle.

or, the original band would start with a big barn burner, that flew 1000 miles per hour, right from the start.

I dont mean speed metal, but just rip your face offf stuff.....

In fact, I would have to have my back to the crowd, to just lock in with the drummer, for the first verse .. maybe first chorus as well...... just to be sure the energy wouldnt pullme out of the game.

now, the cover band....we would do Elevation by u2 to start...and the other cover band we would do radar love...


Start them off hard... and leave them with big stuff too....

we would always play straight thru the first three songs, non stop, just to keep it going....

tell them what you wanna tell them...tell them...tell them what you just told them.

Rokkitt
 
#42
I've never played at a place that wanted you to "start slow", eg: dinner clubs, etc.. so I don't know what would work in that case.
But..... the last few times that we played out, we started off with "Good love is on the way" by John Mayer and it worked out Very well.
 
#45
ksandvik said:
Frankly speaking I don't know where slower songs fit a bar scene, maybe the last song of the night, maybe.....
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Completely disagree with this. Even in a club where dancing is the main thing (e.g. a DJ spins top 40 music between band sets), sometimes the only chance for couples to get close and grind comes when the band plays ballads, and from my experience they appreciate it. Even in a bar/pub scenario where dancing isn't the main thing, I've been in multiple, very successful working bands that played at least one slow song a set such as Little Wing, Comfortably Numb, Melissa. Just make it good.

Could a band NEVER play a slow song and be successful? Sure. But to say there is no regular place for slow songs in a bar environment is a little odd.
 
#46
Here's the setup I use when I'm programming:

*Opening three songs: Splash
*Something fun, but lower key
*Something Ballad-y
*Bring it back up
*Build till end of set (leave them wanting more)

break

*Ease them in, but make it dancable, or if people are jacked, hit them with a big fun song (like the B-52s, Abba, or something)
*once you are established in the second set groove, give them something to chew on.
Go back to hit after hit for the rest of the set, doesn't matter so much if it is a ballad or up song, just remember that if you've got them up, you can go higher or give them a breather. Learn to gauge where the audience is, and remember grooves are your friend, in lieu of other concerns. Let them surf the evening with contrast, but without big jolts.
 
#48
Vij -that's what I was thinking up until I read your post. Then I was thinking "yeah"

Another one I like is the Cheap Trick Budokan method - same song (Hello there/Goodnight)

Also good openers or closers, specific to shows I've been involved in: Pat Benatar - Heart Breaker, Cum on Feel the Noize, Heaven's on Fire, Dreams (van Halen) and my personal favourite Still of the Night
 
#49
duff beer said:
If you have a vocalist, you should NEVER open the night with an instrumental. Unless you are at a Steve Vai or Joe Satriani show, 95% of people want to hear the singer. Instrumentals bore most people.
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Yes and no. We are an 11 piece band with horns and 3 vocalists doing R&B covers. We have an instrumental "theme" song-ette to start the gig. We then repeat the theme song to signal breaks and then begin each set with it again. Works well. It is "Bringing Down the Byrds" by Herbie Hancock. It's the song DeeeLite sampled for for their hit, Groove is in the Heart.
So, the band plays 30 to 60 seconds of the songs then the vocalists walk out and banter for a few, then we start our set.
The great thing about playing it again before breaks is you can play it for 10 seconds or 10 mins depending on if you need to eat up time and the horn players love soloing over the instrumental.
 
#50
In our case, it's not so much the first song that is the
difference; it is how we open it. The drummer counts us in and
we hit a big, loud, noisy note to wake everybody up and get
their attention.

While we hold the note, our front man starts introducing the
show - DJ/professional wrestling-style -- often from the
wings where he can't be seen. Using a deep, articulate voice,
he welcomes everybody and sets up the show. It sounds
really big and has huge impact.

Then, while we continue to hold the note, the drummer counts
us in again and we go right into a rockin' (but easy to play)
tune. We always start with a few easy tunes to make sure we
have the sound dialed in and there are no bugs in the system.
 
#51
It seems like everyone wants to boil down art into rules and formulas. Rules and formulas are for science and the insecure.

What interests me is a band that can break the rules, dispense with the formulas, and make it work.
 
#52
DBCrocky said:
It seems like everyone wants to boil down art into rules and formulas. Rules and formulas are for science and the insecure.
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The easiest way to become a professional chef is to learn how to follow a good recipe; the only way to become a famous chef is to deviate from the recipes using your own tastes and "feel" for food.

What does this have to do with music? Playing in a cover band is a lot like being a professional chef: follow the recipe correctly, use good ingredients, and you will have what is called "success" in cover band circles. Orginal bands are searching for that just right new and different "flavor" that will make them famous. Frankly, either way is fine-just satisfy the "hunger" of your clientele.

BTW, I'll take my rules, formulas, and insecurities to the bank along with all the great pay I made playing in bands by using them (well, the first two anyway).
 

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