Inappropriate requests

[Mickeyboro]

We are a blues band. I gigged my Flea Jazz for the first time last night, and when he’d set up our guitarist teased with the intro of Under The Bridge. 

At half time we were asked when we’d be playing it! Thankfully we didn’t try. 
 

Any similar stories?

 

[Marvin]

I was in a blues band that got asked midway through a gig if we did any ABBA.

[Old Horse Murphy]

We were once approached by a lovely lady who asked if we did requests. We asked her what she wanted and she said "oh, anything" and then walked off

[police squad]

My 80s duo (and band) often get asked to do stuff not from the 80s and often I asked if we do any Whitney Houston!!

[Marky L]

"Play an Oasis song."

[Doctor J]

A guy used to come to our gigs and scream for 'Hammer Smashed Face' every time.

 

We never did covers but I was at other gigs he attended and seems he wanted every band to to play it. He must have really, really liked that song.

[mcnach]

40 minutes ago, Mickeyboro said:

We are a blues band. I gigged my Flea Jazz for the first time last night, and when he’d set up our guitarist teased with the intro of Under The Bridge. 

At half time we were asked when we’d be playing it! Thankfully we didn’t try. 
 

Any similar stories?

 

 

 

 

Originals band, playing a mix of ska/funk bouncy stuff at a busy local venue.

 

"Play Wonderwall!" kept yelling the special brigade (you know the type, upturned collars etc). Finally our singer acknowledges the loudest guy and indicates we will next. Next song is inroduced as Wonderwall... but we play another of ours. It was funny to see the guys face turn from happiness to confusion. He protested and singer motioned "next one, really". Next one... he did the same thing. Ah, was the boy whizzed... and his mates making fun of him... 

 

 

 

[mcnach]

didn't say whizzed

 

[ahpook]

I once got asked by a chap a gig  'What note are you playing?"

 

He was quite obviously well on a chemical journey to some other, very ecstatic plane (it was a sort of space rock/techno band, so not unusual for our gigs).

 

"G! ", I shouted back to him.

 

He danced off, arms in the air, gurning a huge smile, shouting "I f$$king love G !"

 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

The reply "We don't play that song, but the next one has some of the same notes in it" is often acceptable to a punter making an unsolicited request.

[Lozz196]

In the punk band I was briefly playing guitar for we had a drunk lady continually shouting for some Irish music.

 

So we said we’d play some for her, cue Suspect Device by SLF.

[warwickhunt]

Where to start...   

 

Almost every gig someone will ask for a song in a genre we patently do not do.  The usual, 'Sorry we don't do that one.' is invariably followed with the punters response 'But everyone knows that one!'  One drunk lady recently came up to the band (obviously mid song when we were playing and singing) and started shouting 'Play that one by what they called again, you know... the one that goes Da da da da, de de dooh!'.  

 

There's a venue I used to play regularly and EVERY band was aware of the punter who was there every week and without fail he would stand dead centre in front of whoever the singer was and shout at them to do some Zappa!  The first time it happens, it is disconcerting but you get used to it.  I did once suggest we learn a Zappa tune for him... where the hell do you start with that one?

[bassace]

‘Do you play requests?’  ‘Only when we’re asked’ seemed to work well enough for us.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

"Requests can only be considered if they are submitted in writing on a fifty pound note"

[Cat Burrito]

I was in a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute that was once asked if we knew any covers!?

[Hellzero]

Joe Jackson response to this is quite clear: "No requests, please!"

[casapete]

In the early days playing in our ELO tribute band we would often get requests for ‘Mustang Sally’,

‘Brown eyed girl’, etc etc. This was from people who had paid for a ticket to come and see a 

band playing solely ELO stuff.

 

In my acoustic duo, we often do gigs entirely based on requests. We put out request slips on 

all the tables in the room, and do our best to play most of them. The hardest are usually obscure

songs / artists which I’m sure people write to test us out. I’d say our ‘success’ rate is around

90% on average though, so usually punters go away having heard stuff they wanted. 

[Lozz196]

Being mainly in originals bands this is something I’ve not really had too much, at times we were asked for obscure album tracks that we’d never played live so not really doable if asked mid-set, though if asked beforehand we’d sometimes give it a go.

[MacDaddy]

2 hours ago, bassace said:

‘Do you play requests?’  ‘Only when we’re asked’ seemed to work well enough for us.

 

Do you do requests?

 

- Yes, and if it's on the set list we'll play it!

[Jackroadkill]

I used to roadie for a Stones tribute band, and the amount of times we were asked for Beatles songs was ridiculous.

[MacDaddy]

56 minutes ago, casapete said:

In the early days playing in our ELO tribute band we would often get requests for ‘Mustang Sally’,

‘Brown eyed girl’, etc etc. This was from people who had paid for a ticket to come and see a 

band playing solely ELO stuff.

 

 

 

I once saw a Coldplay tribute band (not intentionally) and the best reaction they got was when they played 'I believe in a thing called love ' by The Darkness 😕

[MacDaddy]

1 minute ago, Jackroadkill said:

I used to roadie for a Stones tribute band, and the amount of times we were asked for Beatles songs was ridiculous.

 

Like 'I wanna be your man' ? 😉

[Jackroadkill]

1 minute ago, MacDaddy said:

 

Like 'I wanna be your man' ? 😉

 

I knew someone would mention that one!

 

No, it was usually for stuff like Yellow Submarine, oddly.

[Jackroadkill]

An audience member once asked if I wanted to go horizontal jogging with his missus whilst he watched; does that count?

[tauzero]

The singer with a club band I was in used to ask first, were there any birthdays? Second, were there any requests? Third, would anybody like to get up and sing a song? We kept trying to stop him, but he just kept on doing it. So either we were lucky and they asked for something we knew (10%) or we couldn't play whatever it was (90%). And of course the occasional singer from the audience was almost always awful, and would almost always be singing to a song that we would be busking.