• 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.

Show me your setlist

TJBass

TJBass

Jul 3, 2000
1,003
103
Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Visit site
#1
Had a gig in Ramona last night that didn't go very well. We do mostly obscure blues, songs that many people don't really know, and we seemed to "blues them out the door." Not exactly what I thought would happen!

So what I am looking for is to see how your setlist are arranged, what setlists make people get up and dance as well as keeping them in the bar.

I'm not looking just for blues, any type of music setlists would be great, just to get an idea of what we are doing wrong.

Thanx...
 
#2
Try playing hot blues...SRV, J.J. Cale or Skynard type sutff to pick up the pace of your set.

It's close to impossible for people to not rock out to a catchy tune like "Gimmie Three Steps" or SRV's "Pride and Joy" or J.J. Cale's "They call me the Breeze".


Blues, to me, is pretty predictable, and if it's too slow, your audience might get bored and walk out to smoke a cigarette while you drone on.

**If you're in a cover band...play popular music.**


I'm in a original band right now, but we have added 4 covers to our set list. None of them are obscure songs because I think that would defeat the purpose.
 
#3
TJBass said:
Had a gig in Ramona last night that didn't go very well. We do mostly obscure blues, songs that many people don't really know, and we seemed to "blues them out the door." Not exactly what I thought would happen!

So what I am looking for is to see how your setlist are arranged, what setlists make people get up and dance as well as keeping them in the bar.

I'm not looking just for blues, any type of music setlists would be great, just to get an idea of what we are doing wrong.

Thanx...
Click to expand...
Well, since you asked....

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Very, very good tunes.

Joe.
 
#4
Use lots of "strong songs":

- covers that people know (and might want to dance to if that's your bag)
- songs that allow various members of the band to showcase things they're good at (and make sure each song has a different 'trick')
- songs laden with catchy hooks

If the audience isn't full of ardent blues fans, then the danger of doing lots of obscure tracks is that, to the average listener, they might all start to sound the same (in which case, where's the motivation to stay to the end of the set?).

You can also add a bit of spice by how you present the tunes. If each of them has a story, why not share a bit of it. Don't turn it into a lecture, but give them something to listen for (which, in turn, makes each song more identifiable).

Wulf
 
#5
Our set list contains a bit of variety, I think ! You can find it at Invalid Link Removed just follow the link. We usually choose from the list, but do tend to get carried away and sometimes play for several hours - and people stay ! I can understand your reaction to losing an audience but don't let it be a knee jerk reaction, don't change your whole set because of it, the venue probably wasn't suited to your band. In general I would always say stick to your guns so don't move to far away from what you're really about.
 
#8
I don't think I'm going to let it be a knee jerk reaction but I do want to have people jammin near the stage, thats the reason I'm up there. Unfortunately I think I'm in another situation where I will be taking my band with me and leaving the guitarist alone. I'm lucky I have a couple guys that are looking for the same thing I am that will follow me, so I think its time to move on yet again. The guitarist is headstrong and just wants to relive his past bands, hence we don't have much say over the music selection. I know this guys is good but he just can't get over the tunnel vision, and I can't get over not having people groovin to our music.
 
#9
I got a good piece of advice regarding setlist structure from a teacher. Make sure you mix up the keys. If you play too many songs in a set that are in the same key, the audience might not realize that they just heard a few songs in G, but to their ears, they all will sound an awful lot alike.

With my band a few songs that always get a crowd up are:

Keep Your Hands To Yourself - Georgia Satellites
New York Groove - Ace Frehley
Hard to Handle - Black Crowes
New Orleans is Sinking - The Tragically Hip
Tuff Enuff - Fabulous T-Birds

We struggle with setlists too though. The same set on two different nights will get two different reactions. I guess that's where you have to be able to read the crowd and give 'em what they want...and close with Roadhouse Blues...If they don't like that, they don't deserve you...

d
 
#11
Most recent shows...

1. QUEST OF FOOLS – Villas
2. PULL YOU BACK – Villas
3. MORE THAN I CAN DO – Steve Earle / Villas
4. YOU KNOW BETTER – Villas
5. WAY TO GO – Villas
6. IT'S ONLY LOVE - Beatles
7. TICKET TO RIDE - Beatles
8. ANOTHER STAR - Villas
9. CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE – Villas
10. TOPPERS -Villas
11. ALWAYS ENDING - Villas
12. TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW – Villas
13. I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW - Villas
14. LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW – Villas
15. JUST LIKE A GENIUS - Villas
16. PERSONAL PROPERTY - Villas

SET 2
1. DREAMLAND - Villas
2. TO BE IN LOVE - Villas
3. YOU'RE LAUGHING - Villas
4. THE WISH - Villas
5. BABY IT'S YOU - Burt Bacharach
6. EXCLUSIONS - Villas
7. ALISON - Elvis Costello
8. WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT PEACE, LOVE & UNDERSTANDING - Elvis Costello
9. SAVOY TRUFFLES - Villas
10. D-TRAIN - Villas
11. SO LOW - Villas
12. IT HURTS TO BE IN LOVE - Gene Pitney
13. BIG TEARS - Villas
14. WHEN WE WERE FRIENDS - Villas
15. WE'LL SHOW 'EM -Villas
16. HE THINKS HE'LL KEEP HER - Lucinda Williams
 
#12
Theres already a thread pertaining to this

a search yields many great results.

song list thread


This list of mine isnt quite etched in stone yet, but the bulk of the songs are gonna remain on it. Dont hate me cause its such a great list. :p

Song List (R&B/Dance)

1. Superstitious – Stevie Wonder
2. I Wish – Stevie Wonder
3. Lets Groove – Earth Wind & Fire
4. Jungle Boogie – The Commodores/Earth Wind & Fire???
5. Burn Rubber – The Gap Band
6. No Parkin’ (On the dance floor) – The Gap Band??
7. I Feel Good – James Brown
8. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag – James Brown
9. Misled – Kool & The Gang
10. Lets Get It On – Marvin Gaye
11. Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
12. Diggin’ On James Brown – Tower of Power
13. It All Comes Back – Tower of Power
14. Boogie Man – KC & The Sunshine Band
15. Get Down Tonight (Shake Your Bootie) KC & The Sunshine Band
16. She Bangs – Ricky Martin
17. Livin La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin
18. Brick House – The Commodores
19. Oh No – The Commodores
20. Chain of Fools – Aretha Franklin (Vh1 Divas Live with Maria Carey)
21. Play That Funky Music White Boy – Wild Cherry
22. Cant Get Enough of Your Love – Barry White
23. Walk The Dinosaur – Was Not Was
24. Soul Man – The Blues Brothers
25. Jungle Love – Morris Day & The Time
26. I Want You Back – The Jackson 5
27. Super Freak – Rick James
28. You Cant Touch This – MC Hammer
29. Maria, Maria – Santana
30. Roll With It – Steve Winwood
31. Please Believe In Me – Phil Collins
32. Electric Slide - ????
33. Escape – Enrique Iglasias
34. Hero – Enrique Iglasias
35. Musicology – Prince
36. Mambo #5 – Lou Bega
37. I Need You – Mark Anthony
38. Something Got Me Started – Simply Red
39. Dirty – Christina Aguilara
40. Everybody Plays the Fool – Aaron Nevill
41. Black Cat – Janet Jackson
42. Pimp Juice – Nelly
43. Crazy – Seal
44. Ladies Night – Kool & The Gang
45. Oh What A Night - ???
46. Turn Your Love Around - ????
47. This Love – Maroon 5
48. Bad Mama Jamma – Stevie Wonder
49. Secret Lovers - ???
50. Breezin – George Benson
51. Give It Up – KC & The Sunshine Band
52. Dancing in The Street – Martha & The Vandells
53. Rubber Band - ???
54. Red Red Wine – UB40
55. Funky Broadway - ????
 
#13
wulf said:
Use lots of "strong songs":

...the danger of doing lots of obscure tracks is that, to the average listener, they might all start to sound the same (in which case, where's the motivation to stay to the end of the set?).

Wulf
Click to expand...

This is so true. Some of my favorite songs to play don't necessarily generate the same passion in patrons of the establishment. We are primarily classic and modern country with some classic rock and do a slow ballad called "Silver Wings" by Merle Haggard. I would say that this is a sad, whiney, sappy sort of number, but the dance floor fills everytime that we play it. "Who's your daddy," "Good hearted Woman" and "Your mama don't dance" get a similar response, but are much more fun to play.
 
#14
Unless your band is very serious, consider arranging a few songs to let you play around with different "tricks". The 'jones gave its first outing to Cramp Your Style (by All the People) at our last gig. It's a really simple song - a short tag at the top and then a repetitive, grooving riff throughout (mainly in E although it changes to A for a couple of bars). At the bottom of the page, it's tag, rinse and repeat.

So, on Thursday evening, we finished the song by playing the tag. Pause. Play the last four bars and the tag. Pause. Play the last four bars and the tag. Pause. Play. Etc.

It's not an original idea (I picked it up from one of the tunes on King's X's "Faith, Hope, Love" album and I've heard it elsewhere) and we didn't overdo it (only four or five repeats) but it worked really well. Things like that are playing games with the audience - gently teasing them but only so that they stay awake and keep having fun.

You can overdo gimmicks and they won't work for every band or on every song but there's nothing wrong with a having a few surprises up your sleeve in most situations.

Wulf
 
#15
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

There is a link to all of our setlist. We try to mix our originals in with covers that are well known and typically people stay on the floor and dance to our originals. We also try to play covers that maybe your typical band wouldn't play but at the same time people hear it and think "oh yeah I kinda forgot about that song"
 
#17
WickdMOnkey said:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

There is a link to all of our setlist. We try to mix our originals in with covers that are well known and typically people stay on the floor and dance to our originals. We also try to play covers that maybe your typical band wouldn't play but at the same time people hear it and think "oh yeah I kinda forgot about that song"
Click to expand...


I had a look at your sets...They look awesome. How many songs do you have in your catalog to pick and choose from??
 
#19
Here are a few that always light up the crowd for us:

(I play bass on these)
Brick House - Commodores
Play that Funky Music - Wild Cherry
Red Red Wine - WD40

(I play keyboards on these)
Fast As You - Dwight Yoakam
Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
Tom Sawyer - Rush

(I sing lead vocals on these)
My Sharona - The Knack
When I Come Around - Green Day

-b

edit: One that we used to do, that people loved and is my favorite cover song thus far is Josie - Steely Dan
 
#20
"Fortunate Son" - CCR, and "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World." 'Nuff said.

Edit: Pearl Jam covers these songs live at almost every show. Their live version of "Fortunate Son" is great (some versions of "KORITFW" are good as well). They almost always end on "KORITFW," and it's a good closing song.

"Roadhouse Blues" is hard to beat, though. You can't go wrong with that. I would OPEN with it. ;)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back