They are both legit, but there is nothing like playing with a cat that can read the room and play the crowd.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
Set List, Show, or just 'Wing it?"
- Thread starter 51PRI
- Start date
A good set list sets the stage for a dynamic show that takes the audience on an adventure. Definitely need to be aware of the vibe and audible accordingly. In the infamous words of David Bromberg.."you may know what you want to hear, but you dont know s h i t about 'crafting' a set list"
setlists, with extra songs on the backburner for just in case..
Written set-lists every show - no exceptions.
We hit it hard the first four or five songs. No breaks, no dead space. The only exception is if someone has a technical issue in which case it's story time with the singer or shots with the audience until the issue gets resolved. A lot of songs are paired together as the end of one naturally lends itself to the start of the next.
The only scheduled breaks are for the guitars to down-tune for a few songs. I don't down-tune; I just transpose.
Any talking between songs is limited and pre-planned. We crank through songs with a vengeance. We do have a couple of "encores" that we do but they are already on the set-list. There have been a few occasions where we have done a couple of extra encores and the decision on those comes very quickly - usually the singer calling it out and away we go.
We despise dead space between songs. Our goal is not to let the music stop. We only play an hour to an hour and a half so it's not that hard to keep things flowing.
We hit it hard the first four or five songs. No breaks, no dead space. The only exception is if someone has a technical issue in which case it's story time with the singer or shots with the audience until the issue gets resolved. A lot of songs are paired together as the end of one naturally lends itself to the start of the next.
The only scheduled breaks are for the guitars to down-tune for a few songs. I don't down-tune; I just transpose.
Any talking between songs is limited and pre-planned. We crank through songs with a vengeance. We do have a couple of "encores" that we do but they are already on the set-list. There have been a few occasions where we have done a couple of extra encores and the decision on those comes very quickly - usually the singer calling it out and away we go.
We despise dead space between songs. Our goal is not to let the music stop. We only play an hour to an hour and a half so it's not that hard to keep things flowing.
This has been mentioned a few times - it's what we do.
And I am the maker/keeper of the set lists - we use them as our practice guide also.
One of the complements we get when we play out is the pace we maintain - Lead singer does a little intro that lets us check our tuning - then like they say at the barbershop: "Next!"
FullumMusic
Commercial User
- Oct 13, 2022
- 2,008
- 5,683
- Disclosures
- Audio/Music software developer, contracted with a company you've heard of and deving my own stuff.
If a band is going to do no set list, they still need a kinda non-set-list group of songs they know well enough to play when called, and a band leader who can read the room and only pick songs the band already knows. The band has to be well rehearsed enough with any tune on that list that when the BL calls it, they can the band can nail it. They can’t be calling songs off-list, or taking requests that aren’t on the list. So even if it isn’t a set list as in the songs for the set in order, there needs to be an official collection of songs that everyone knows.
That way there’s no calling songs people don’t know or confusion about what to pick next or whether or not the band knows it. It’s either on the list or not.
When you hear stories about certain amazing band leaders calling the set right there on stage, they’re not picking songs all Willy-nilly. Their backing band most likely is expected to know any song from their back catalog to a certain extent, and that was made clear before tour, and the band then learned all the songs that could be called on any given night.
Otherwise it just comes off as unprofessional, amateurish, and disorganized. Nobody in the audience wants to watch a band figure out what they’re doing between songs. Having a set list fixes that problem. You know where you are and you know what’s coming next, and you’re ready to play when it’s time for the next song.
That way there’s no calling songs people don’t know or confusion about what to pick next or whether or not the band knows it. It’s either on the list or not.
When you hear stories about certain amazing band leaders calling the set right there on stage, they’re not picking songs all Willy-nilly. Their backing band most likely is expected to know any song from their back catalog to a certain extent, and that was made clear before tour, and the band then learned all the songs that could be called on any given night.
Otherwise it just comes off as unprofessional, amateurish, and disorganized. Nobody in the audience wants to watch a band figure out what they’re doing between songs. Having a set list fixes that problem. You know where you are and you know what’s coming next, and you’re ready to play when it’s time for the next song.
Bwawaahaha!
We like using a setlist, well in advance for our gigs. Our guitarist does the pedal dance (custom built by him, with presets for each song) and our keyboardist loads in his patches from a laptop... all in the name of saving time between songs.
And we rehearse from said setlist, to check the general flow of music we'll be playing, depending on venue/audience. It's a pretty good system for us.
We have four one-hour set lists. We usually get through the first and half of the second before the BL goes off script. He'll start by skipping songs but by halfway through the third set, it's a free for all. He'll call out songs, or worse, just start playing them and the rest of us figure out what we're doing as quickly as possible. This is NOT my way of doing anything, but we've all learned to have our heads on a swivel and know our material cold.
Winging it is hit or miss, unless you're a jam band, and that's your thing, or you have a band leader who can read the room and call the tunes.
As an artist, I want the show to have a narrative arc, with rising and falling action that tells a story.
If that sounds too highfalutin, think of it as the energy if the band following the audience's eventing. First set, maybe people are still eating, so you open with some laid back stuff, and work into the danceable stuff in the second set. Third set, everybody's getting loose, crank out the high energy jams, you get the picture.
Most bands need a set list to do that, in my experience.
As an artist, I want the show to have a narrative arc, with rising and falling action that tells a story.
If that sounds too highfalutin, think of it as the energy if the band following the audience's eventing. First set, maybe people are still eating, so you open with some laid back stuff, and work into the danceable stuff in the second set. Third set, everybody's getting loose, crank out the high energy jams, you get the picture.
Most bands need a set list to do that, in my experience.
I worked with a guy who's whole night was "wing it". He played plenty of tunes I knew but played plenty I didn't. I have a decent ear but it was always maddening. You can never relax and just groove.
We ALWAYS have a set list for every show. We also ALWAYS end up calling a few audibles during a show to adjust to the energy of the audience. The set list is important, but so is maintaining some flexibility to be able to maintain the flow and energy of the experience. Works for us, ymmv…
No set list is one of the main reasons I left a working band. It looks like amateur hour and time between songs is way too long. Winging is great if you know the song it's embarrassing if you don't.
The last straw for me was when we shared a gig with a band that was prepared and entertaining. When we got up it was "well...wudda y'all wanna do?" after I had begged for a list.
The last straw for me was when we shared a gig with a band that was prepared and entertaining. When we got up it was "well...wudda y'all wanna do?" after I had begged for a list.
Last edited:
All of the above. Depending on the band. One artist I work for is strictly by her set listworked out a month earlier. A local band I work for has a list every night but we will deviate very often through the night. And yet a third band I work for is totally winging it (for 20 years running, apparently - I only joined last summer), often half a set I've never heard in my life (which I've learned real fast is no excuse - roll with it and smile). Believe it or not, of the local bands, the one that wings it has the better following by far every single weekend.
One of our guitar players will text a list. Occasionally someone will say “ Hey! I’d like to add XXX. It usually gets added. We will shuffle the deck sometimes depending on crowd (no matter how small) dynamics. Life is good
Cover band here, 3 or 4 sets, varied material. Set list needed and used, always. It's not law, more of a guide to keep things on schedule and moving professionally and efficiently. Still gotta read the room & expect substitutions. Without a list the inevitable fumbling and indecision is a real buzz kill. Making a list can be a hard and thankless job, gets easier after a few successful gigs.
Set list, and it's programmed in sequence into my pedalboard patch controller - which via MIDI also instantly changes patches for the pre-programmed digital mixer, the guitarist's rigs and the electronic drum kit.... Benevolent dictatorship, cruel but fair! 
Generally Jan-March we rehearse our 2023 set list and once we hit the festival circuit starting around April, we are good to go for the year.. we have set lists for 60, 90 and the occasional 2 hour shows. And occasionally a song might get dropped or added.. but it’s pretty specific set list..
The rehearsal time allows for us to strategically place certain songs at specific points in the set, to accommodate different band members switching guitars, piano, fiddle & banjo, etc.. I really enjoy the organization and preparation involved, so when I hit the stage, I’m totally relaxed and comfortable knowing exactly what we’ll be playing.
The rehearsal time allows for us to strategically place certain songs at specific points in the set, to accommodate different band members switching guitars, piano, fiddle & banjo, etc.. I really enjoy the organization and preparation involved, so when I hit the stage, I’m totally relaxed and comfortable knowing exactly what we’ll be playing.
Set list? Yes.
Wing it? Yes.
It’s music. Have fun with it.
Wing it? Yes.
It’s music. Have fun with it.
I know all the songs. I know there's no filler. Anyone can call em in any order. Cuz predicting audiences is impossible. I, and my band(s), gotta sell the tunes to the audience using smiles and conviction. Generally, if we are enjoying ourselves, our audiences are, too. Part of our fun is appearing semi human, NOT perfect. So a bit of surprise for each of us during a show is part of our fun.
