Mostly wing-it for me. As BL, I'll do a setlist, more as a courtesy to the guys I hire, and try to stay close to it. Still, there are times I'll mix it up in response to reading the room, finding out what general direction they're responding best to, and where we are on the path.
Though I'm currently doing mostly sideman gigs. As a hired gun, I have absolutely no control. I usually get a setlist before the gig to woodshed, though that's no guarantee we'll even play all the songs. Neither does it insure there won't be audibles - off-list songs I may have heard, but never played.
One guy I work for on guitar once or twice a year never provides or uses a setlist, and it rarely comes across as professionally as I would have it if I were in charge. But I'm not. Often, he doesn't get the best read on the room and sometimes stretches songs out too long, but I just do my best, and if he signals for me to take a solo, I step up and do my trained-monkey-act, keeping it short and to-the-point. His gigs sometimes seem to drag out, and I try to mitigate by reminding him I don't need or want a solo every song. He plays plenty of those on his own. At the end of the night, I get paid and go home (and the next morning my child bride relieves me of carrying around all that bulky & burdensome cash in my wallet).
In contrast, another sideman gig I do on bass: BL provides a setlist, then four or five songs into it, he tosses it out the window and starts calling out tunes, maybe a third are audibles. Thing is he's great at playing the room, is an engaging front man and provides concise, easy-to-read onstage direction. He's popular and gets a lot of repeat business in choice rooms, and he pays well. I love working for him, and the challenges of doing his gigs are kind of fun - When he throws out one I'm absolutely unfamiliar with, in addition to faking my way through it watching his hands on his guitar and playing a lot of ones and fives, I'll write down the song title and key on my tablet when we're done.
Another wing-it deal: There's a weekly soul/r&b/blues jam house band thing I'm in where the BL never uses a setlist (he does use a list on regular band gigs he hires me for so I know his material, though he's not beyond adding something new we've never played). He does well at reading and engaging the room. He's an incredibly versatile, accomplished and powerful vocalist with a background as an actual pro-musical-instrument musician. His on-stage band direction is some of the best in the area, and his idea of winging it comes across as professional. We all find the gig to be a pleasure to play.
There're also two super-talented guitarists I back on bass who never provide or use setlists and just wing it. With one, they're mostly blues and blues/rock standards. With the other, some of the songs are either originals or kind of obscure, deep tracks. He makes it easy because he's super-concise at calling out songs - "This is a one-four-six-four-five-sharp-five in Bb; Watch me for the breaks".
Seriously, whether we use a setlist or not, I just try to roll with it. Fear of the unknown is just not something I waste a lot of thought or energy on in these situations. Just going with an "Ok - I wonder where this is going to take us" attitude helps keep my head clear, which keeps the path moving forward uncluttered. Wherever the heck it takes us next.
Though I'm currently doing mostly sideman gigs. As a hired gun, I have absolutely no control. I usually get a setlist before the gig to woodshed, though that's no guarantee we'll even play all the songs. Neither does it insure there won't be audibles - off-list songs I may have heard, but never played.
One guy I work for on guitar once or twice a year never provides or uses a setlist, and it rarely comes across as professionally as I would have it if I were in charge. But I'm not. Often, he doesn't get the best read on the room and sometimes stretches songs out too long, but I just do my best, and if he signals for me to take a solo, I step up and do my trained-monkey-act, keeping it short and to-the-point. His gigs sometimes seem to drag out, and I try to mitigate by reminding him I don't need or want a solo every song. He plays plenty of those on his own. At the end of the night, I get paid and go home (and the next morning my child bride relieves me of carrying around all that bulky & burdensome cash in my wallet).
In contrast, another sideman gig I do on bass: BL provides a setlist, then four or five songs into it, he tosses it out the window and starts calling out tunes, maybe a third are audibles. Thing is he's great at playing the room, is an engaging front man and provides concise, easy-to-read onstage direction. He's popular and gets a lot of repeat business in choice rooms, and he pays well. I love working for him, and the challenges of doing his gigs are kind of fun - When he throws out one I'm absolutely unfamiliar with, in addition to faking my way through it watching his hands on his guitar and playing a lot of ones and fives, I'll write down the song title and key on my tablet when we're done.
Another wing-it deal: There's a weekly soul/r&b/blues jam house band thing I'm in where the BL never uses a setlist (he does use a list on regular band gigs he hires me for so I know his material, though he's not beyond adding something new we've never played). He does well at reading and engaging the room. He's an incredibly versatile, accomplished and powerful vocalist with a background as an actual pro-musical-instrument musician. His on-stage band direction is some of the best in the area, and his idea of winging it comes across as professional. We all find the gig to be a pleasure to play.
There're also two super-talented guitarists I back on bass who never provide or use setlists and just wing it. With one, they're mostly blues and blues/rock standards. With the other, some of the songs are either originals or kind of obscure, deep tracks. He makes it easy because he's super-concise at calling out songs - "This is a one-four-six-four-five-sharp-five in Bb; Watch me for the breaks".
Seriously, whether we use a setlist or not, I just try to roll with it. Fear of the unknown is just not something I waste a lot of thought or energy on in these situations. Just going with an "Ok - I wonder where this is going to take us" attitude helps keep my head clear, which keeps the path moving forward uncluttered. Wherever the heck it takes us next.
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