covers band

[Kevin Dean]

When doing say 4 songs from the same band ,do you separate them or put a couple together or doesn't it matter ?

[paul h]

I'm not sure there is a right answer. I think I would lean towards putting the songs in the best position in the set overall.

Alternatively one could approach it as a mini tribute section of the gig.

I don't think it really matters

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1466067386' post='3073101']
I think I would lean towards putting the songs in the best position in the set overall.
[/quote]

This.

[chris_b]

Sometimes they are together and sometimes apart.

Our set list is changed for most gigs depending on the audience we think we'll get and based on the last gig we did there.

[Chrismanbass]

Medley!!!!

[LewisK1975]

[quote name='Chrismanbass' timestamp='1466073328' post='3073159']
Medley!!!!
[/quote]

We've done this - but we call them 'mashups', being 'down with the kids' and all that...

[JTUK]

Only 2 by the same artist in the entire gig and never together.

[dudewheresmybass]

We spread them out across both sets.
However, our set list is fairly fluid, so we will change them if needs be

[sykilz]

Usually spread a bit, but when Foo Fighters were over a while back, we were playing the same day as them ( some televised festival or other ) so did a tribute section with 4 of theirs in a row and it went down a storm, absolutely brilliant.

[Phil Starr]

I think the deal with cover bands is that you are there to entertain. I've been at a gig where people were shouting out for AC/DC. No-one was leaving so we kept them to the end of the set and played them together. That went down a storm but all situations are different and normally we'd spread them out.

I think the thing is to be flexible, try and read the audiences but also to plan what you are trying to do with your song choices. It won't always work but if you know what you are doing it does transmit confidence to your audience.

TBH I think there are more important factors than who the song is by, what are your floor fillers, what are your sing along numbers, where do you put the singer's big no. or the gutarist's chance to show off but generally I'd avoid putting two songs by the same band together without a good reason.

[bonzodog]

Spread out I think is better. Song order is usually determined by the tempo rather than the artist.

[odysseus]

Years ago I was in a band that did a lot of grunge. If we did one of the first tracks off an album, we often used to play the second one just after. Pearl Jam's Once was followed by Even Flow, Alice In Chains' Them Bones was followed by Dam That River etc. Dunno why but some punters used to go nuts over that. *shrug*

[Cat Burrito]

Go with the flow, whatever works

[mrtcat]

Set lists are just a starting point. Be flexible and just go with what feels right on the night.

[BottomE]

We start out with the intention of keeping them apart. Sometimes a tune will jog the audience into requesting another one by the same artist/band. Happy to play it if fits the situation.

[blue]

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1466079376' post='3073215']
The most I would put together is two. Any more than that and they get spread out. Possibly two lots of two, but either end of the gig.
[/quote]

We have rocking/bluesy covers of "Come Together" & "Get Back". We usually run them back to back.

Blue

[ubit]

I agree about a mini tribute , but there's always the risk that lots of people don't like that particular band and would hate four in a row. You would have to gauge your audience

Edited June 17, 2016 by ubit

[TimR]

It depends what the songs are.

The whole cover band thing fascinates me. You're playing a song originally written by another artist. Unless your singer is doing impressions of the original artist, you're going to sound completely different from the original anyway.


You may get some narrow minded audience members being picky about what artists they'll listen to, but I doubt it.
.

[JTUK]

Tend to plan and pace the set... so two from the same artist would be kept apart...and if playing 2 sets, 1 in each.

Where they went in that set would then depend on how we wanted to pace that set.
We wouldn't just pluck them out of thin air or memory.

If you do gigs that are not in pubs, this is even more important... which is why we get in the regime of pacing the whole thing.

Obviously there are certain songs you pick to do as they are starters, middle songs and closers etc etc

[lowhand_mike]

we tend to keep them apart as we do two songs from a couple of artists, except the elvis ones our singer wanted to do so they get done together (gets them outta the way).
But if one of them goes down particularly well we may play the other one straight after and usually goes down well. Just see how it goes really

[thatgrantboy]

[quote name='odysseus' timestamp='1466098731' post='3073379']
Years ago I was in a band that did a lot of grunge. If we did one of the first tracks off an album, we often used to play the second one just after. Pearl Jam's Once was followed by Even Flow, Alice In Chains' Them Bones was followed by Dam That River etc. Dunno why but some punters used to go nuts over that. *shrug*
[/quote]

I'd love this...I think because you hear these albums so many times on repeat, you know what the next track is etc... If you hear a band covering Once, then in your head you've got the intro to Even Flow going on, and then the band actually plays it...I can see the appeal!

[blue]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1466135192' post='3073577']
I agree about a mini tribute , but there's always the risk that lots of people don't like that particular band and would hate four in a row. You would have to gauge your audience
[/quote]

Rule number 3

You can't please everyone.

Blue

[ubit]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1466386768' post='3075462']


Rule number 3

You can't please everyone.

Blue
[/quote]

But you CAN please some of the people all of the time and some of the people are gonna be in your audience , so you gotta get it right

[Conan]

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1466111152' post='3073494']
Set lists are just a starting point. Be flexible and just go with what feels right on the night.
[/quote]

To an extent, yes - but as the person who does the setlists for my band, you have to be aware of other factors like changing instruments, different tunings, effects settings, switching from fingers to pick (and finding a bloody pick!), etc...

I hate it when singers suddenly decide to "go with the flow" - especially when they have limited ability to read an audience anyway. Grrrr!.

Rant over

[chris_b]

Set lists are fine. . . . as long as you know how to construct them and you're starting with a list of the right songs.

It's obvious you're not going to please everyone but if you're playing well you can change some people's minds. In my experience people walk out on cover bands because they don't like cover bands, the band is too loud or the band is crap. It's hardly ever the songs. Unless of course you really have chosen a bunch of terrible songs.