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What is the ultimate cover band set list

Joe Nerve

Joe Nerve

Oct 7, 2000
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New York City
www.joenerve.com
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Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
#1
Inspired by Jive's tired covers thread.

I just got involved with a startup cover band (lost my evening job and need the money), and there's lots of debate over song choice. My philosophy is play anything and everything from The Who to Meghan Trainer and then be prepared for any gig, and play whatever goes over best. I have no issues playing any song whatsoever. I don't like playing lots of songs, but I like playing bass better than any other job I've ever had in my life so I have no problem making the small sacrifice of playing something I'm not crazy about or have played a billion times.

I'd like to know what you guys consider the ultimate songs... in 2014... to include in a cover band's repertoire. I know what went over 10, even 5 years ago, but what's 2014's American Girl and Blister in the Sun?

What staple old tired tunes never get tired, even in today's bar scene, and what's the most popular current stuff going on. What especially is the popular heavier stuff that's getting played and going over well. I'd like to know what yer all thinkin and doin.
 
#2
Set lists should vary from room to room, crowd to crowd. Unfortunately there is no ONE amazing master list. The best approach is to know as many great songs as humanly possible and be able to call an audible and change it up if the crowd isn't feeling the initial approach.
 
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#3
I don't think there's really any such thing. It depends on the crowd, their age, their class (frankly - blue collar and white collar will react differently), and the region. The "tired old" stuff generally DOES work - Summer of 69 and Sweet Home Alabama and all that - but you're better off not making that stuff your whole list.

AC/DC singles are pretty guaranteed - doesn't just have to be She Shook Me, we do really well with Dirty Deeds in one band and TNT in the other.

We've had some good reaction doing a version of Word Up using the Gun and Korn covers for inspiration.

Chick dancers LOVE dratted near anything by Pink. Even Who Knew, which I never thought was a dance song, gets ladies on the dance floor.

Pop songs also will work. We do I Love It and That's Not My Name and they go over. Not sure what those tunes' shelf life is, though.

Black Keys are good for a guitar-driven band. I had a group that had no clue how to get people dancing score big with Gold On the Ceiling.
 
#7
If I was starting a band from scratch I'd go see the most successful local bands and see what they are playing and what is going over well. It's not an exact science, but if ALL of the top bands are playing some specific songs, you'd probably be smart to include them in your set list. The other often overlooked factor, is what do you do well? It doesn't matter how popular a song is if you butcher it.

Unfortunately it's not an exact science.
 
#10
Go see similar more popular bands in your area and find out what songs zoo the dance floor. Be female friendly in your songs choices.....if all the pretty girls in the short skirts are out on the dance floor then everyone is happy. Every song should be a big hit and dancable. You can never have enough dance songs. Get big songs from 80's 90's 2000's etc. Stay away from deep album tracks....obscure tunes and blues shuffles. Keep from doing everyone's personal favorite song and stick to the hits. Sometimes what lead guitarists think are dance songs and what are really dance songs are 2 different things.... beware of songs that have to much lead guitar wankery like Little Wing which are really performance pieces. The girls want to dance and don't care about guitar solos.
 
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#11
We are including things like Moves Like Jagger, I Kissed A Girl, almost anything by Gretchen Wilson or Miranda Lambert, All About That Bass, Mambo # 5, Cupied Shuffle, Would I Lie To You. They seem to get the gals out there, which seems to get the party started.
 
#15
Joe Nerve said:
What staple old tired tunes never get tired, even in today's bar scene
Click to expand...
Just coming back to this part... the staple old tunes that DJs play around here are "Let's Twist Again" as the definite #1, and a few others from that era: "Hound Dog", "Great Balls Of Fire", "Rock Around The Clock". And the funny thing is, not a lot of rock cover bands seem to do any songs like that - if any band does, it's probably a wedding band. Maybe those songs should be on more bands' setlists.
 

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