• 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 freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Rate Your Set Lists

BTW, you play in 2 cover bands, how do you handle double bookings?


Not a problem because the guitar player in my power trio is also the guitar player in my acoustic duo(fools without stools with me on upright). We typically book the electric band at bigger venues and on weekend nights and the acoustic act on weeknights at restaurants and smaller venues.

Problem now is I am playing DB in a new roots country act that just recorded our first album at a small but respected studio in the roots scene. Well actually it's more of a prob for my guitar player from the covers bands because I will soon be putting those projects on hold when the album comes out this Spring. We have an extensive tour planned covering much of the country for Spring and Summer and will be playing some good venues and festivals. It's pretty exiting for me since I have mostly played in cover bands for money and a few original bands that never got off the ground. At the few gigs I've played so far with the original act I actually had several people come up and ask for my autograph! I obliged of course but had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.
 
At the few gigs I've played so far with the original act I actually had several people come up and ask for my autograph! I obliged of course but had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

Lol, that has happened to me at gigs too.

People asking me to sign a cd, funny I have no idea why they would want autographs from a bar band. I'm not even on the cds.

I sign them a do a little small talk, a little weird, but it's all good at the end of the day.

Blue
 
This was our Sat night set list: we had the dance floor full at song 4 John & Yoko.
in Set 2 - GTBD and Tired of Waiting gave them a break but they grooved at the tables. For what it's Worth had the whole room singing along. Probably would take out Rock and Roll Star next time and put in a more danceable tune.

1
Sunshine Superman
Lay Down Sally
Into the Mystic
John & Yoko
Let it Bleed
It’s my Life
Strange Brew
Under my Thumb
Love me Two Times
Mary Janes Last Dance
Green River
Stuck in the Middle
Have You Ever Seen Rain
Amy
We Gotta Get Out
If I Needed Someone
Mr Space Man
You Can’t Do that
WG Fooled Again



2

Saw her standing there
Honky Tonk Women
Ain’t too proud to Beg
Bang A Gong
Listen to her heart
Gloria
Good Times Bad Times
Tired of Waiting
You Wreck me
White Room
Rock & Roll Woman
Ohio
Get off of my Cloud
Feel a Whole Lot Better
Ticket to Ride
So U wanna be a Rock and Roll Star
For what its worth
Heart full soul
You Really Got me
Revolution
 
This was our Sat night set list: we had the dance floor full at song 4 John & Yoko.
in Set 2 - GTBD and Tired of Waiting gave them a break but they grooved at the tables. For what it's Worth had the whole room singing along. Probably would take out Rock and Roll Star next time and put in a more danceable tune.

1
Sunshine Superman

Wow! You do Sunshine Superman, that's a 45 year old tune and a personal favorite. How does it go over in general?

Blue
 
Hi,

I read the above. I would have to say , it doesn't seem like you have seen many "A" list cover bands recently. I have, and would say they more than defy all the negatives you listed.

Is it that you just don't like cover bands, to me.

Blue

Negatory, Mr. Blue. I love a good coverband, and I rarely see one. I live in FORT WAYNE INDIANA. All I can say is, a good percentage of cover bands in the area just aren't good. Not even a little. I don't know what an "A" list cover band is! Link me to a couple, and get me excited.
 
for venues that usually only allow short, 20 minutes sets, we have
Flavor of the Week - American Hi Fi
Over the Edge - Zebrahead
The Sweater Song - Weezer
All the Small Things - Blink-182
A Little Less Sixteen Candles - Fall Out Boy
Who Wrote Holden Caulfield? - Green Day
 
We don't have a full night of music yet due to chaning singers and guitarists and working them both in at various times but here is what we play as our "set" usually an hour and a half with another band and some of the songs we have in the works and will be adding shortly:

Our main set (in the usual order):
Cumbersome- Seven Mary Three
Old Apartment- Barenaked Ladies
Are You Gonna Be My Girl into Cold Hard Bitch- Jet
Keep On Rockin’ in the Free World- Neil Young
Living after Midnight- Judas Priest
Summer of 69- Bryan Adams
Fight for Your Right- Beastie Boys
Whole Lotta Rosie - AC/DC
I Believe in a Thing Called Love- The Darkness
Possum Kingdom- Toadies
Sorry- Buckcherry
Creep- Radiohead
You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC
Highway to Hell- AC/DC
Voodoo Child- Jimi Hendrix
All My Life- Foo Fighters
Crazy Bitch- Buckcherry
Slither- Velvet Revolver

These are all close to being added and will probably come out at our next gig:
Brown Sugar- Rolling Stones
Runnin Wild- Airbourne
Everything About You- Ugly Kid Joe
Brain Stew - Green Day
Man in the Box- Alice in Chains
Hash Pipe- Weezer
Roadhouse Blues- The Doors
Danzig- Mother
Glycerine – Bush
Jenny (8675309)- Tommy Tutone
Keep Your Hands to Yourself- Georgia Satellites

We're kind of all over thep lace is types of rock music. Were goign for the hard rock stuff but the new singer is adding in a lot of the older standards and the new guitarist brought in the Airbourne song which I love.
 
I am going to disagree on this one. The biggest problem I see is that most cover bands play the same songs. Please don't try to convince me that they are just playing what people want. Until you survey your audience, you have no idea what they want.

Here's what I have done when playing in cover bands and have had great success with it

Instead of playing "Walk This Way" or "Sweet Emotion" we played "Walkin' The Dog" and "Rats In The Cellar"
Instead of playing "Tush", We played "Thunderbird"
Instead or playing "Rock and Roll All Night" we played "Deuce"

You get the idea. The truth is that the reason clubs and bands do not draw the way they used to is because everyone is playing the same songs.

I agree and felt this way 15 years ago when I was in cover bands. I always preferred to play a b side type of song and not the same songs that every other band and FM radio beat to death on a regular basis.
 
Are the soundtracks to those two videos actually from the performance we're seeing?

Good question - I don't know. I'm confident the band is performing the songs - on the montage maybe in a studio synched with the vid later though.

The second vid sure seems live. Must have been digital multi-track and then mixed down later by someone who really knows what they are doing.

Like you guys seem to - I think this is about the best audio I've heard on a demo vid.

I've never seen them live.

I know the bassist, haven't spoken to him for quite a while.

This is what I would call an A list cover band. Not so sure it's what I personally would want to do now (as a 50-year old). If I was 25 or 30 - hell yeah!

My current band is more of a blues thing - mostly covers but our own versions. Some pretty oddball stuff. Just getting started playing gigs. Our female lead vocalist has a TON of raw talent - one of the best I've heard. I don't think we'll ever be "A list" mostly because we are weekend warriors and too busy with life to get it REALLY tight.