Song Order - Could use some input

[drpepper]

Alright, I realize this could be viewed as an over the top request, but if you have have any input, I'd be glad to hear it. I'm feeling stuck.

This is most of our current/active list. If this is what you were working with, how would you start the night off (first few songs)? Mixed-age, small bar, 10:00 PM start time.

Cheap Sunglasses - ZZ Top
Dancing In The Moonlight - King Harvest
Easy Like Sunday Morning - Commodores
Finish What Ya Started - Van Halen
For Shame - Kix
Hey, Soul Sister - Train
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' - Journey
Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley
Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
The Jack - AC/DC
The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
Ain't Talkin' Bout Love - Van Halen
Beast of Burden - Rolling Stones
Breakdown - Tom Petty
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Cant Get Enough - Bad Company
Come Together - The Beatles/Aerosmith
Drift Away - Dobie Gray/Uncle Kracker
Friends In Low Places - Garth Brooks
Hard To Handle - The Black Crowes
Honky Tonk Women - The Rolling Stones
Hot Legs - Rod Stewart
I Got You - James Brown
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor/Cake
It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over - Lenny Kravitz
It's My Life - Bon Jovi
It's Over Now - LA Guns
Jammin' - Bob Marley
Kiss/Keep Your Hands To Yourself - Prince/Georgia Satellites
Make Love To Me - B.B. King
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
Miss You - Rolling Stones
No Matter What - Badfinger
Pink Houses - John Cougar
Play that Funky Music - Wild Cherry
Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughn
Rock and Roll All Night - KISS
Run To You - Bryan Adams
Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad
Summer Of '69 - Bryan Adams
Sweet Home Alabama/All Summer - Lynryd Skynyrd/Kid Rock
The Joker - Steve Miller
Tush - ZZ Top
Waiting In Vain - Bob Marley
Walking the Dog - Aerosmith
What Is And What Should Never Be - Led Zeppelin
Wind - Child's Play
Word Up - Cameo/Korn
You Really Got Me - Van Halen
You're No Good - Van Halen

 

[ForSix]

First song, first set at a bar gig.

Consider doing something smooth and easy. You won't run the crowd off, and you'll get them used to how you sound.

After that, do a current tune, then follow with three songs, each being a different tempo.

 

[drpepper]

Interesting thoughts. Thanks for the input.

I've been with the band for about a year and they've been together for a lot longer. We've played out 18 times in the last 11 months (we're trying to get to a solid twice a month thing). The set list has always been the singer's to deal with and even though he's tried to mixed things up, when he looked at the lists over the last year, he found a pronounced pattern. He wanted to get a fresh perspective from me. I know I haven't been thrilled with our approach, but I'm coming up blank myself. One thing I'm finding is that looking at the list really highlights for me how much we need to get some different songs in there (IMO), but that's neither here nor there in terms of this Friday.

Anyway, what we have largely done is to start with BB King - Make Love to Me or Tom Petty - Breakdown. We just kind of walk into it as a sound check and slow and easy start/warm up.

A typical first 5 has been

Breakdown or Make Love To Me
Beast of Burden
Summer of '69
Come Together
You're No Good

I know there's got to be a better approach, but I'll be damned if I can figure out what it is. I feel like jumping off more right at the start...Cheap Sunglasses or No Matter What.

 

[jive1]

Depending on what your start time, I would adjust what I open up with.

Since you're in the same area as me, you know that in Virginia there are no bars. They are all restaurants that serve alcohol. Lots of Maryland establishments seem that way as well.

So if you're doing a 8 or 9 PM start, there's a good chance that people are still eating dinner. So, it's not a bad idea to do more dinner music, and then crank it up when people are ready to drink and dance.

If you're doing a 10PM start, then just go all out, and start strong because people are usually ready to drink and dance by then.

 

[drpepper]

Depending on what your start time, I would adjust what I open up with.

Since you're in the same area as me, you know that in Virginia there are no bars. They are all restaurants that serve alcohol. Lots of Maryland establishments seem that way as well.

So if you're doing a 8 or 9 PM start, there's a good chance that people are still eating dinner. So, it's not a bad idea to do more dinner music, and then crank it up when people are ready to drink and dance.

If you're doing a 10PM start, then just go all out, and start strong because people are usually ready to drink and dance by then.

Thanks Jong.

Yes, it's a "Sports Grille." The bar and restaurant areas are fairly well defined (doorway, but not a door). We seem to have a 9:30 start time on paper, but 10:00 seems to be the actual norm from looking at other bands' listings.

It's definitely a more quiet venue than anything we've done before.

 

[guitarhuckster1]

Start with this:

Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad

End with this:

Miss You - Rolling Stones

 

[jive1]

Thanks Jong.

Yes, it's a "Sports Grille." The bar and restaurant areas are fairly well defined (doorway, but not a door). We seem to have a 9:30 start time on paper, but 10:00 seems to be the actual norm from looking at other bands' listings.

It's definitely a more quiet venue than anything we've done before.

I love and hate doing sports bars. I love them in that I like watching sports, and have found myself more into the college football game that's on than playing Mustang Sally for the millionth time. On the other hand, you have the game to contend with.

Maybe you can have fun with it. You can call out tunes, depending on what's happening in the game. If you're playing during March madness you can play something like Rock N Roll All Nite after a big basket has been scored. Play Tush when the cheerleaders come out. Play your upbeat "stadium music" like Hard to Handle or Sweet Emotion during commercials. Play We are the Champions at the end of the game.

But, since the bar is seperate from the restaurant and has a 10PM starting time, then you can start out strong. I find that it's best to put your strongest stuff into your 2nd set, to get people to stay for the 3rd or 4th set. No use putting all your strongest material at the end of a show, if there's no-one there to see it.

Where are you playing, BTW?

 

[drpepper]

Start with this:

Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad

End with this:

Miss You - Rolling Stones

Thanks. Interesting suggestion. We tend to "save" Some Kind of Wonderful until random point when people are lubed up and the singer calls it.

I had actually thought of putting Miss You first.

 

[drpepper]

I love and hate doing sports bars. I love them in that I like watching sports, and have found myself more into the college football game that's on than playing Mustang Sally for the millionth time. On the other hand, you have the game to contend with.

Maybe you can have fun with it. You can call out tunes, depending on what's happening in the game. If you're playing during March madness you can play something like Rock N Roll All Nite after a big basket has been scored. Play Tush when the cheerleaders come out. Play your upbeat "stadium music" like Hard to Handle or Sweet Emotion during commercials. Play We are the Champions at the end of the game.

But, since the bar is seperate from the restaurant and has a 10PM starting time, then you can start out strong. I find that it's best to put your strongest stuff into your 2nd set, to get people to stay for the 3rd or 4th set. No use putting all your strongest material at the end of a show, if there's no-one there to see it.

Where are you playing, BTW?

Thanks again, Jong. The owner said he's going for a "neighborhood bar" fell - whatever that's supposed to mean. It's pretty small. I think if there are 50 people in the bar area, it'll be pretty well packed. We're kind of looking forward to that aspect.

It's called The River Hill Sports Grille, Columbia/Clarksville. Invalid Link Removed They grabbed a picture off of our website on their own - not the one we would have picked out :scowl:

We need a promo picture.

I've checked out a couple of the other bands that play there regularly. The seem to all be pretty good.