Set list blows

[wazzel]

I do not agree with the notion that you have to play familiar tunes, you know the same thing everyone else is playing. As a cover band the set list does need to appeal to the venue. If it is a place that has a dance floor, the list needs to include danceable tunes. If it does not have a dance floor than the list can be different, but you still want to see people bobbing their heads and enjoying themselves. There are a lot of good songs that people forgot they liked that will be appropriate for what ever venue. Look for those tune. You can be successful and not conform.

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

If you can make an instrumental band work for you, great!

But allow me to suggest an alternative. The next time you audition singers, ask them about how they select songs, and how open they are to suggestions. Make that one of the very first things that is covered, and there will be no room later for games.

It wouldn't need to be a succesful band, more a get-together to play instrumental music and see where it lands. Because, let's face it, sooner or later someone will say: "Hey, I know this place where we can gig" ... Just don't wanna deal with the Lead Singer Diva factor for once.

My mate has an instrumental band that does Jazz, Motown & some modern Pop songs. For the premium gigs They have a guest singer for half the songs. They pick one, but have 4 singers they can call on & choose from based on the venue, function, style of music, audience, etc.

I like this idea ....

 

[crazyBassClown]

familiar tunes, you know the same thing everyone else is playing.

"Familiar tunes" are not the same thing as "what everyone else is playing".
Familiar tunes covers a hell of a lot more ground than just "what most bar bands play".

 

[richntiff]

I do not agree with the notion that you have to play familiar tunes, you know the same thing everyone else is playing. As a cover band the set list does need to appeal to the venue. If it is a place that has a dance floor, the list needs to include danceable tunes. If it does not have a dance floor than the list can be different, but you still want to see people bobbing their heads and enjoying themselves. There are a lot of good songs that people forgot they liked that will be appropriate for what ever venue. Look for those tune. You can be successful and not conform.

Sounds great in theory. Do you have any actual, real life examples?

 

[tri2bob]

Playing with a lot of good musicians. Everyone is very talented and been playing for a while. However, the singer is picking the songs and most fall flat to the crowd. I understand not wanting to play the same as everyone else but you have to play songs that the crowd will know. I have tried hinting at it with no avail. How do I tell her these songs suck wile keeping my spot in the band.

Like it or not, I've never experienced a fix for this kind of problem. You're either in the wrong band or you have the wrong singer.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

It's called "popular music" for a reason!

The Art of Programming...good bands do it well...

 

[BassyBill]

It all depends on how low you want to dredge the bottom of the barrel. Playing “standards” can be tolerable occasionally, but anybody wanting to cover “Mustang Sally”, “Sweet Home Alabama” or “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” is really just a walking insomnia cure.

 

[StatesideRambler]

Premise: All cover bands play the same [choose your number of] songs.
Argument 1: People want to hear songs they know (“familiar” songs).
Argument 2: There are only so many songs out there that we can play and people want to hear or dance to.

TL/DR: Look beyond your ossified set list! Learn some new-to-you music!

OK, Professor Google offered me a shot at some Billboard Hot 100 data mining. From 1959 to 2019 the average number of songs on the Billboard Hot 100 is 461. The greatest number was 740 in 1966 and the fewest was 288 in 2001. The total number of songs was 28100 but we know there was overlap from year to year so let’s say 25% overlap from end of year 1 to start of year 2 and 25% year 2 to year 3. That’ll cull the duplication and now we have 14050 songs in 61 years. OK, 75% of those were crap songs so now we’re at 3500 songs (rounding the number for convenience). If you’re in a typical cover band that won’t play what they don’t like then we can knock off another quarter of that bringing us to 2625 songs to choose from. If you’re really a curmudgeonly lot we’ll knock off half so there are “only” 1750 songs to choose from. It’s a good bet the audience will recognize nearly all of ‘em and like most.

Even if you just play songs of the recent 25 years and ignore the 60s, 70s and 80s, that’s a lot of songs! Just how long ARE your set lists? If your band is playing the same songs as the other bands around your region it’s either because those songs are in high demand or none of you bothers to stretch out past your old set lists.

Of course this ignores personnel with personal problems and interpersonal or band dynamics/politics and that’s the OP’s point. YMMV

In case you want to play with numbers here’s an article Hot or Not: Analyzing 60 Years of Billboard Hot 100 Data that’s readable. He also links to his source data via a programming geek.

 

[ryco]

Mebbe time for a side project where you can play stuff you like with like minded players.
But keep your gig if it's working [readaying well].

 

[dspellman]

In our case, the answer was simple.

The discussion was short: "Oh yeah, well if you think you can do better, what do YOU think we should do?"

Almost every DJ worth his salt does a better job of getting people revved up on a dance floor, and will occasionally give them a break in tempo to allow them to press sweaty bodies together, etc. Almost none of their set lists involve lengthy breaks while the singer takes a water break and talks for a while, eventually intoning, "This next song..." Some of them note the BPM of the songs they're playing, and will select those that get progressively faster heart rates going. There's also a certain call and response going, where people will recognize favorites and sing (or shout) along. When we had a three-set gig going, the last song of the second set was always one that left the crowd panting, sweating and wanting more. I think I booked more gigs sitting at the front of the stage after the second set than at any other time.

We always took requests. And mostly ignored them. "We'll try to get that one in sometime next set."
We mostly blend from one song into another with some instrumental segue that didn't slow down the pace, but allowed us to look around and make sure that everyone was ready for the next number. We had signals that allowed us to seamlessly extend a song that was really getting a great response.

But in the end, we had a very *set* set list and crammed a whole helluva lot of music and almost no "talkie" filler into that set. We knew pretty much to the minute how long it would go and what the response would be.

 

[Core Creek]

In my last band (we broke up due to arthritis issues last year after 14 years) we had a method of picking songs. If one of the three of us suggested a song, and one of the others didn't want to do it, there was no discussion...we just moved on.

We played blues, Americana, roots rock and a FEW bar band standards. We really tried to stay away from the bar band standards we had played in other bands for decades, and that other area bands were still playing.

We ended up with a LONG setlist of fun songs we loved playing. They were accessable, danceable, and just fun. Audiences loved them as well, and we got compliments at every gig how much they loved us NOT doing the same old same old.

And I sure miss playing those tunes.

Please enlighten us…. what tunes specifically?

 

[Core Creek]

Premise: All cover bands play the same [choose your number of] songs.
Argument 1: People want to hear songs they know (“familiar” songs).
Argument 2: There are only so many songs out there that we can play and people want to hear or dance to.

TL/DR: Look beyond your ossified set list! Learn some new-to-you music!

OK, Professor Google offered me a shot at some Billboard Hot 100 data mining. From 1959 to 2019 the average number of songs on the Billboard Hot 100 is 461. The greatest number was 740 in 1966 and the fewest was 288 in 2001. The total number of songs was 28100 but we know there was overlap from year to year so let’s say 25% overlap from end of year 1 to start of year 2 and 25% year 2 to year 3. That’ll cull the duplication and now we have 14050 songs in 61 years. OK, 75% of those were crap songs so now we’re at 3500 songs (rounding the number for convenience). If you’re in a typical cover band that won’t play what they don’t like then we can knock off another quarter of that bringing us to 2625 songs to choose from. If you’re really a curmudgeonly lot we’ll knock off half so there are “only” 1750 songs to choose from. It’s a good bet the audience will recognize nearly all of ‘em and like most.

Even if you just play songs of the recent 25 years and ignore the 60s, 70s and 80s, that’s a lot of songs! Just how long ARE your set lists? If your band is playing the same songs as the other bands around your region it’s either because those songs are in high demand or none of you bothers to stretch out past your old set lists.

Of course this ignores personnel with personal problems and interpersonal or band dynamics/politics and that’s the OP’s point. YMMV

In case you want to play with numbers here’s an article Hot or Not: Analyzing 60 Years of Billboard Hot 100 Data that’s readable. He also links to his source data via a programming geek.

This is a great analytical approach that takes some emotion out of the process. Hell. Look at the top ten songs from every year from 1975 until today…. Have everyone pick 10, and figure out some others if there’s overlap. Try out the set lists, and drop what isn’t working, to be replaced with something else from the list….. kind of takes away the idea of personal preference to some degree, but in cover bands, that’s the territory.

 

[Gary Stevens]

change the band name top the B sides !! lol and use this line

"People don't know what they like. They like what they know."

Bebe Buell had a bad called "Bebe and the B-Sides". Early 80s in Portland, Maine

 

[wazzel]

Sounds great in theory. Do you have any actual, real life examples?

A coupe of the acts I like around here do just what I explained. Lots of things people like, but none of the standard cover band stuff. Sorry I am drawing a blank on actual tune names - busy day at work.

 

[3j4f]

I was in a Latin with a Brazilian singer but also a Front man who knew how to work a crowd. What ever song he sang he sold it. All white clothes. Slick back hair. Large silver treble clef medallion on a chain hanging around his neck. Terrible look but a showman. Always turned up late for rehearsal then would want to have coffees first. Sometimes wore his jacket like a cape. Terrible morals but could sell whatever he sang.

 

[Stock]

Premise: All cover bands play the same [choose your number of] songs.
Argument 1: People want to hear songs they know (“familiar” songs).
Argument 2: There are only so many songs out there that we can play and people want to hear or dance to.

TL/DR: Look beyond your ossified set list! Learn some new-to-you music!

OK, Professor Google offered me a shot at some Billboard Hot 100 data mining. From 1959 to 2019 the average number of songs on the Billboard Hot 100 is 461. The greatest number was 740 in 1966 and the fewest was 288 in 2001. The total number of songs was 28100 but we know there was overlap from year to year so let’s say 25% overlap from end of year 1 to start of year 2 and 25% year 2 to year 3. That’ll cull the duplication and now we have 14050 songs in 61 years. OK, 75% of those were crap songs so now we’re at 3500 songs (rounding the number for convenience). If you’re in a typical cover band that won’t play what they don’t like then we can knock off another quarter of that bringing us to 2625 songs to choose from. If you’re really a curmudgeonly lot we’ll knock off half so there are “only” 1750 songs to choose from. It’s a good bet the audience will recognize nearly all of ‘em and like most.

Even if you just play songs of the recent 25 years and ignore the 60s, 70s and 80s, that’s a lot of songs! Just how long ARE your set lists? If your band is playing the same songs as the other bands around your region it’s either because those songs are in high demand or none of you bothers to stretch out past your old set lists.

Of course this ignores personnel with personal problems and interpersonal or band dynamics/politics and that’s the OP’s point. YMMV

In case you want to play with numbers here’s an article Hot or Not: Analyzing 60 Years of Billboard Hot 100 Data that’s readable. He also links to his source data via a programming geek.

A lot of logic in this post. Our approach is similar, I have a matrix of genres/styles/etc. we develop to. It's a good approach especially when someone in the band wants to play a vanity song and the decade/genre/dance style is already well covered. In addition we have all the snippets necessary to play galas, weddings, etc. If a Country Club president walks up to make an announcement, for example, we launch into hail to the chief. If we are at a joint and some guys in uniform walk in we have all the military branches anthems covered, College fight songs, beer barrel polka, here comes the bride, hava nagilla, we have them all up our sleeves. Even some a capella songs- they are great to open sets with. And finally, we have some tejano songs we can do in Espanol!

 

[Lookin4SomFunk]

Love the thread ! I've learned a lot !
With my short time bassing and very limited experience, guess I need to learn "Mustang Sally" going forward !
Playing with a band that really sucks would be my greatest wish right now !

 

[DJ Dru]

A lot of good suggestion and I appreciate all the input. I'm gonna try to answer as many as possible with one post. Drummer and singer married so can't replace the singer. It's the singer and guitar plays band. I'm the newest one also the youngest. Mostly playing in biker bar to an older crowd 50+. We are playing at a new venue which is 21 - 30. I'm 29, I use to work at this venue for a year. I told her our songs will not work there. She is oblivious. I think I'm just gonna let them not ask us back and then fix it then.

Playing a crowd like that you need to be jamming to AC/DC, maybe some fog hat and zz top LOL not MJ and Concrete Blonde. OMG that is too funny!

 

[51PRI]

I do not agree with the notion that you have to play familiar tunes, you know the same thing everyone else is playing. As a cover band the set list does need to appeal to the venue. If it is a place that has a dance floor, the list needs to include danceable tunes. If it does not have a dance floor than the list can be different, but you still want to see people bobbing their heads and enjoying themselves. There are a lot of good songs that people forgot they liked that will be appropriate for what ever venue. Look for those tune. You can be successful and not conform.

This is great...in theory! But I've never been able to make it work, and I've tried, more than once If you are in a working band that gigs a lot and plays an entire show of non-standards, I would love to see your set list

 

[wazzel]

This is great...in theory! But I've never been able to make it work, and I've tried, more than once If you are in a working band that gigs a lot and plays an entire show of non-standards, I would love to see your set list

I am in an original band right now.