The Real Reason Why Bands Play the Same Old Tired Covers

[Downunderwonder]

That's not how it works sir.

What, are country fans touchy about off genre lyrics? Ime off genre covers get a great reception.

 

[aborgman]

The tired covers are like McDonalds, people eat there because it's convenient, cheap, and they know what to expect. But, it's rarely their favorite place to eat.

...but they eat there... and they eat there a lot... to the tune of doing more business than any other restaurant on earth.

...and McDonalds turns massive profits.

People SAY they don't like McDonalds - but their dollars tell us different.

As for playing easy covers - it's a cost-benefit analysis. Do you increase your overhead 50% to increase your revenue 10%?

 

[marmadaddy]

So Nickleback is not popular with the ladies where you are?




Did it work?

It killed. Sometimes we'd finish up with our own modern rock arrangement of Argent's "Hold Your Head Up" also in Drop D. The people who liked that the most were the kids in their twenties. It really reinforced my belief that people mostly want to hear songs that they know, that they can dance to and that are played well. Beyond that, it's just details.

 

[aborgman]

Next time you're out, and a cover band plays Yer Blues, I Know a Little, Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo, or Miss You, do me a favor and videotape it. I have never, in all my 51 years, heard any of these songs in a bar.

My last cover band did -

Don't Let me Down
I Know a Little


My current cover band has done:

Train Kept a'Rolling
Whole Lotta Love
Voodoo Child
Rocky Mountain Way

The following are done by almost every rock cover band in my area:

Sweet Emotion
Freebird
Money
Whipping Post
Slow Ride
Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

The set has to rotate quickly, to be sure...and that does mean he bandmates have to have the talent to grasp a passable delivery quickly.

Seriously! I suggested to my almost-ex-band (last gig this Saturday!) that we learn "Happy". You know, the Pharrel Williams song? The one out of three which he was charting with earlier this year? Band leader's response was: "Yeah that is a good idea, I guess it would go down well. But we're gonna learn The Doobie Brothers' "Listen To The Music" first." Dude is younger than I am, and I'm 33 ...

At one point recently, someone suggested we learn "Prayer in C". Now, at this point I'd already announced my departure but it's a 4 chord song with not TOO much going on (check it Invalid Link Removed) so I agreed to it. Last gig is this Saturday and we will NOT be adding it to the set list, because he feels it would not be "gig ready". Heck, the drummer suggested we learn it during sound check. At my last gig. To which I agreed. Singers will be using lyric sheets for other songs anyway. And still the BL won't do it.

I think the issue you get at is deciding how much effort any song is worth going to. I think you need to decide to add a song either because a) it's a very popular song that will go over well, or b) it's an obscure but awesome song that the band can "sell" even if it's not well known.

My previous band would give a song 3 tries during rehearsal. And usually after one run-through we'd realize whether it would be worth pursuing. Early on we worked on a few tunes which went relatively easy (and one not so easy) but they tanked when played live so we dropped those. Plenty of songs to chose from and if you're gonna rehearse, you may as well do it with new material sometimes

At the end of the day it comes down to risk-reward (as does most of life)-
What is your expected pay-off for the time put in to do something. If learning a "current" song is simple, and can be accomplished with minimum fuss, and goes over well. The risk-reward is good.
If the "current" song is very difficult to learn, has instrumentation that the typical bass,vocals, guitar, drums band doesn't have and requires too much prep and work and only has a slim chance of going over then the Risk may be too great for many..

I think the BL of my current almost-ex-band has this issue. I'm not sure what the deal is with him but he's stuck on oldies. Hardly anything contemporary in the set list. I think at one point the Cranberries' "Zombie" was the most recent thing they played. And subsequently decided to drop

 

[BassGuyFL]

What, are country fans touchy about off genre lyrics? Ime off genre covers get a great reception.

Country fans are touchy about the wrong kind of country music. It's a judgment call about what's more important. Make the one guy happy for 4 minutes for a tank of gas or risk alienating the whole bar and the managers and possibly jeopardizing future gigs.

 

[Tonegasm]

We play what people dance to. A lot of that material happens to be older, tired hits. We play a lot of modern dance stuff, too. Either way - the dance floor determines the set lists.

People dancing more = us getting paid more

 

[lowfreq33]

What, are country fans touchy about off genre lyrics? Ime off genre covers get a great reception.

No, it just wouldn't be good. Worst of both worlds, and disrespectful to both genres.

 

[Altitude]

I don't know...it's a long thread and I haven't read it all, but I think bands play "tired old covers" because that is the way to remain gainfully employed.

I have consistently tried to play in groups that do innovative nu-jazz, acid funk, and covers chosen carefully to express our artistic intent in context. A few people here and there seemed to get what we were doing and expressed their appreciation, but the vast majority of people wanted to hear the stuff they were used to hearing.

 

[bluesblaster]

Now we're getting somewhere....the emergence of the " Updated Modified Cover " band.

It's not whether you play Mustang Sally....it's how you play it and what you do with it that counts.....

There ya go

 

[pklima]

Seriously! I suggested to my almost-ex-band (last gig this Saturday!) that we learn "Happy". You know, the Pharrel Williams song? The one out of three which he was charting with earlier this year? Band leader's response was: "Yeah that is a good idea, I guess it would go down well. But we're gonna learn The Doobie Brothers' "Listen To The Music" first."

A perfect example of what this thread is about. "Happy" is a song all cover bands should have learned back in January, basically.

 

[Yango]

The real reason why bands play the same old tired covers? Lazy musicians. Over the years, I have been surprised at how many musicians cannot put in the time to learn a tune. It could be that they don't have time, don't have the ability, don't want to learn one for whatever reason, think they can wing it, etc. But, in the end, they don't learn the tune, so we have to punt and do a tired-old cover instead because everyone already knows it.

There's lots of older, experienced musicians who still play the same stuff that they played decades ago and think that Bon Jovi is modern rock. There's guys who think they can wing it, and it can work until you get the bridge that follows a different chord progression. There's guys who think a song is just 3 chords, so they don't bother to learn the harmonies, dynamic changes, etc. because they think it's easy. Yes, it's easy, but you can still suck at it. There's players who don't even touch their instrument outside of a practice or gig. And I can go on and on about the various issues, but it still comes down to effort, and there's lots of musicians who won't put in the effort.

Luckily, in my current band through some lineup changes, we have folks who will actually learn a tune. What I've learned is that there's lots of covers that aren't being played that go over well. It's just that you need to spend a little time listening to the tune and learning it. And it's usually not a tune you learned in the garage 20 years ago. No-one specifically requests Brown Eyed Girl, Mustang Sally, Sweet Home Alabama, and lots of other tired covers from my band. Although we could do those tunes, none of them go over as well as the songs that lots of cover bands don't do that we do such as 'Impression That I Get' by the Bosstones or Reel Big Fish's version of 'Take On Me'.

And outside of my band, I've seen several examples too. Although 'American Girl' and 'Free Falling' by Tom Petty go over well, so does 'Running Down a Dream', 'Don't Do Me Like That', and 'The Waiting'. The way bands cover Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Skynyrd, and other iconic Classic Rock Bands, you'd think they only had 2-3 hit songs. But they actually had a bunch of them, but too many bands gravitate towards the 1-2 easiest songs they do. And even though Steely Dan had a bunch of radio hits, very few bands play their material because it takes some effort to learn. Actually, there's lots of hit songs that would go over well that are left on the table because people won't bother learning it.

Musicians put a lot of blame on the audiences, and sure they are part of the equation, but I don't buy it that it's the majority of the problem. The tired covers are like McDonalds, people eat there because it's convenient, cheap, and they know what to expect. But, it's rarely their favorite place to eat. I've heard plenty of musicians complain about apathetic audiences, but if you're being lazy and apathetic, they will pick up on that. Expecting audiences to be passionate about your apathy is pretty narcissistic and unrealistic, IMO. Although I've seen some non-tired covers clear a floor, I've seen so many of them work out well that I feel they are worthwhile doing. A song can be a hit, recognizable, and easy to dance to without being one that every band does.

In addition to lazy musicians, lazy and unimaginative promoters and booking agents contribute to the phenomena I call "same band, different name". Booking agents especially tend to be more conservative in their dealings and are loathe to take risks. For example, even though Modern Country has become mainstream and audiences are craving it, most booking agents will book another 80s-90s Rock cover band over a solid Country act.

Anyway, that's my rant.

I think this can be distilled down to: ...Because they're tired old cover bands.

 

[bluesblaster]

I've seen tired old, three chord playin, mini van drivin bands fill a dance floor with there very tired sounding rendition of mustang sally and I've seen younger high energy bands have people just sit and stare at them while there playin there butts off, theres really no ryhme nor reason for any of it except try to be entertaining and if your audience is in a good mood everyone has a good time, and really isnt that what its suppose to be about anyway ?.... if your flash or trash, who cares, go have fun or get a different hobby.

 

[Winfred]

I don't know...it's a long thread and I haven't read it all, but I think bands play "tired old covers" because that is the way to remain gainfully employed.

That is spot on.

 

[Downunderwonder]

No, it just wouldn't be good. Worst of both worlds, and disrespectful to both genres.

I think the answer was yes, the fans would be touchy, and the band not far behind.

Disrespecting music genre is an anathema to me as a dodgy part time jazz musician. If it works it works and anyone who doesn't like it can take a running jump.

I'm sure I've read of other bands killing it with off genre requests done on genre style, in "that guy" threads. Obviously that won't fly with your crowd.

My band throws a hiphop beat into So What? It's a jazz gig, is that disrespectful to jazz "purists"? They already left, what's left is people that enjoy what we do.

 

[86general]

Great, provocative thread. I'm 50 and the only gigs I played before age 45 were concerts with choirs that I sang in. My wife and I began working on a cover band project a few years ago and have been gigging for a little over 2 years. I am the bass player. We play some of the songs mentioned in this thread as "tired old covers," and we also play a few some that you would probably consider cool or unique (Life During Wartime, Good Times Bad Times, Pulling Mussels From a Shell).

Our band spends a considerable amount of time debating what songs we should cover. We have a democratic process and allow each member the freedom to choose an equal number of songs. Suggestions run the gamut from 1950s stuff (one guy suggested we cover "Build Me Up Buttercup" because old ladies love to dance to it) to more modern songs (Icona Pop "I Love It").

I don't think there is one correct answer. If your bands are like mine, your members are all a little different in terms of what floats their boat. Some want to do songs they personally love, whether they just like the tune from their youth or they love singing or playing it. Some people like songs that get people singing along, or dancing. Some people want to play songs that get them noticed as a musician. Some people want the challenge of mastering a difficult tune. To varying degrees, all of these things matter to me.

But in general, what I like to see is our band members connecting on stage. Usually this happens when the song is difficult enough or compelling enough that it feels good to actually play it, _and_ when it is a good enough song that it seems to connect with the audience. When we are smiling at each other up there, that is what makes me the most satisfied.

To that end, I don't think there is any song that is absolutely verboten because it is tired or old.

I will play almost any song anyone suggests. Like the OP suggested, alot of times the bass parts in rock and pop songs are simple, but you can generally still tell the difference between a good bass player and a bad one even on the easiest of songs. In some ways, the real simple stuff can be the hardest, because you have to be restrained, and you have to pay attention and not lose the groove, as simple as it may be.

 

[TinIndian]

I think all areas are different in what works and what doesnt. I think as musicians we should be adventurous and try to push ourselves. I think that after playing whatever it is that you choose to play as long as you play it well is how well you can entertain on stage. It is my experience that the crowd really gets into a band that is enjoying what they are playing and having fun on stage. I think that there is more than one way to skin a cat and no one way is right for everyone or every situation. I think that we all need to really appreciate that we are the ones onstage doing the entertaining and not the ones just sitting in the crowd.

Live it and Love it people!

 

[mellowinman]

That goes for the entirety of one band's "drop D mini set. Ask me how I know ;-)

I could live without ever tuning anything to D unless I'm actually playing in D.

 

[mellowinman]

My last cover band did -

Don't Let me Down
I Know a Little


My current cover band has done:

Train Kept a'Rolling
Whole Lotta Love
Voodoo Child
Rocky Mountain Way

The following are done by almost every rock cover band in my area:

Sweet Emotion
Freebird
Money
Whipping Post
Slow Ride
Rock and Roll Hoochie Coo

Two questions:

1. Are they done WELL?
2. I notice you didn't mention anyone covering "Yer Blues." (not an actual question)

 

[tbirdsp]

2. I notice you didn't mention anyone covering "Yer Blues." (not an actual question)

I'm fairly up on Beatles tunes - but I had to look that one up to refresh my memory. Pretty straight blues song, not danceable, kinda depressing - not something I would want to hear a bar cover band play - maybe a blues band. Just my opinion.