Opening with a slow instrumental?

[Alexis Duntov]

So this band I've been with for 3 years opens every show with this Woody Herman tune "Blue Flame", and we play it even slower than the studio recording. My issue with opening with such a slow number with so much space is it puts so much pressure on the soloists. Maybe we just aren't such great soloists but I feel like it's better to open with a mid to uptempo number so everyone can warm up and get comfortable. Starting on a slow number with so much space is like having a spotlight on you and everyone in the room watching. Even as the bassist. Give me some time to warm up! Amirite? Thoughts? Experiences?

 

[TedH]

Ask the jazz aficionados; but for my taste, it is supremely slow already. Hard to judge without context of the band setlist and venue - Is the whole set old, standards, Gershwin-esque jazz, or is this song an outlier to more modern stuff?

The other question is what does the crowd say? Anyone who will give you honest feedback?

 

[growlypants]

I'm with you. Opening with a true "warm-up" number, of a moderate tempo, gives everyone a chance to get their respective comfort levels going, and helps the overall band sound better later!

 

[RustyAxe]

My classic country band starts every set with up tempo tunes ... gets 'em up and dancing. Followed by another up tempo tune to keep 'em there. We end every set with an up tempo tune to keep 'em wanting more.

 

[INTP]

This song as the first tune says to me, "good evening ladies and gentlemen. We'll be your wallpaper for the evening. No need to pay attention, just go about your business..." I suppose that if your solos are really noteworthy, that might help, but if I were in the group, I'd suggest something more catchy.

 

[filmtex]

My classic country band starts every set with up tempo tunes ... gets 'em up and dancing. Followed by another up tempo tune to keep 'em there. We end every set with an up tempo tune to keep 'em wanting more.

That's exactly how I've done it for years. As far as the OP's tune "Blue Flame", I'm not really in to that kind of music, but it strikes me as very much "good evening ladies and gentlemen. We'll be your wallpaper for the evening. No need to pay attention, just go about your business..." (INTP)
I'd NEVER open with something like that, but, it's not my band. Things must be very different out there on the East Coast.

 

[dbase]

We open with "Some Days are Diamonds" by John Denver.. That puts the crowd to sleep and they don't notice how bad we sound.

 

[elgecko]

That's a great tune to open with...if your audience is composed entirely of people in the throes of heroin nods.

I guess it'd be less detrimental if you were playing background music but the use of the word "show" suggests there is an audience specifically there to watch you play. If that's the case, you really need to up the energy level!

 

[OldManMusic]

I think setlists are like records or CDs - if it doesn't grab you right away, I may not stick around for the rest. Jazz, country, rock, metal, latin, whatever... Get their attention in a positive way right from the start. And like RustyAxe said, end your set strong too.

 

[jthisdell]

That song is going to neither loosen and warm up the band or get the audience excited. In fact, they may not even notice that you are playing.

Should be something that warms you up as musicians and gets your head into the gig. Louie Armstrong warmed up for years and years with Sleepy Time Down South and if you listen to it it is primarily an exercise to loosen up his chops.

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

This song as the first tune says to me, "good evening ladies and gentlemen. We'll be your wallpaper for the evening. No need to pay attention, just go about your business..." I suppose that if your solos are really noteworthy, that might help, but if I were in the group, I'd suggest something more catchy.

The tune is slow and you don't need super soloist for it bit good band member who stay and fit their role precisely.
Compliments to the ensemble if you have got all the horns playing in this song.
It would be difficult for me however to imagine a casual venue suitable for playing it and getting a lot of attention for it unless we are talking about shows dedicated to the jazz of the 30s or 40s a la Glenn Miller.

 

[rtslinger]

We are open with Santana's Europa which starts out slow and builds at the end so just when you thought we would be your wall paper it cooks

 

[elgecko]

We are open with Santana's Europa which starts out slow and builds at the end so just when you thought we would be your wall paper it cooks

Europa absolutely burns at 90 bpm compared to slower than 65 bpm!

 

[devnulljp]

Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line and an associate will speak with you shortly...

 

[BassBrass]

That song is pretty intense IF it's played by the original W.Herman Band, doubt many could do it justice now a days. Bass trombone, wah wah trumpets and old time blues clarinet virtuosi...sorry I don't believe you. Winton M. at Lincoln Ctr does recreations and so do some colleges like New England Conservatory, but they sound like recreations.

 

[McG]

We always open with a toe tapper.

I love Woody Herman and it could be a good song to play when you want to slow things down after a few of uptempo songs.

We all know slow tempo is harder to play than medium or fast. Especially when not warmed up. And as others have said, it sends a we'll-be-your-bacground-music-while-you-talk message.

 

[Alivefor5]

Bad idea in my book. First impressions rule in everything. How they hear you in the first tune is how they hear you all night (if they stay that long).

 

[dbase]

That's a great tune to open with...if your audience is composed entirely of people in the throes of heroin nods.

I guess it'd be less detrimental if you were playing background music but the use of the word "show" suggests there is an audience specifically there to watch you play. If that's the case, you really need to up the energy level!

We play shows at senior centers, a captive audience where volume is not a problem ... Its hard to keep people from nodding off

 

[Biggbass]

I learned a valuable lesson about 10 years ago when our band was competing for a recording deal in a competition sponsored by a big beer company, a radio station, and a record company. We were doing quite well, moving up through the competition, week after week, until we finally got to the semi finals.
Two bands left, and one of them was going home with a record deal.

that night, at the SFs we decided to open our show, a 30 min set, with a slow tune. We lost that night. The other band opened with an up tempo barn burner that invited the crowd to clap and join in on the last chorus. We played first and when I watched them open their show I knew it...we were done.

One of the judges was football legend & Dallas Cowboys coach, Joe Avezzano.
When the night was done I was talking with Coach Joe, ( may he RIP, what a great guy) and he was complimenting our band, our music, and said the choice we made to open with a slow tune did us in.
"Never, ever open your show with a slow song. Open strong with an up tempo song and take control of the room right away" were his exact words. I have never forgotten that great advice. And I have had to stand that ground a few times over the years and reinforce that strategy to my band mates.
And it has always been the right decision.

 

[electracoyote]

We come out of the gate like gangbusters with a couple of crowd favorites. No warming up with a throw-away or "saving the good ones for later." In most of the rooms we play, people are trying to decide in the first 5 minutes whether they want to stick around and pay $6.00 for another drink or head home, grab a Big Mac along the way, pop open a Bud Light from their own fridge, and watch Netflix.