Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 9 minutes ago, Rich said: The best one I ever had was during a gig with my old jazz-fusion trio at a jazz venue in Bristol... ..."Do we sound like the sort of band that does Iron Man by Black Sabbath?" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 5 minutes ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said: As boring as the original in a jazz way. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 5 minutes ago, Hellzero said: As boring as the original in a jazz way. Wash your mouth out with soap and water!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 Cliff Richard got asked to play "Itchy craddock" 😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 6 minutes ago, Crusoe said: Wash your mouth out with soap and water!!! And what about your ears? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franticsmurf Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 21 hours ago, tauzero said: 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. I can sympathise - the singer in a band I was in used to ask for requests all the time, despite us asking and then telling him not to. Inevitably we'd get asked to play all sorts of inappropriate stuff (songs from 'Frozen' spring to mind). And he would often go on to torture and kill the song requested because while he liked to think he could 'wing it', he most definitely couldn't and more often than not he'd give up, play a few random chords and then go on to the next song. Unless I had an idea of how the song went, I'd turn my volume down and do my best TOTP mime act and the drummer would play a basic 4/4 beat. Sometimes the singer would say yes and then not play it, resulting in an upset or angry punter or two. We tried explaining that saying no was infinitely better to playing badly or saying yes and then not following through but our singer, who thought himself a true professional and better than us, 'knew better'. We had our fair share of audience singers all of whom were dreadful apart from one woman who, as we cringed in anticipation, sang a great rendition of one of our setlist songs. We were once asked for 'Another Brick in the Wall' by a older lady and when we played it, the local line dancing club got up to dance to it. A heavy rock band I was in was repeatedly asked to play 'Apache' at one pub gig. We went through a period of playing regularly at one pub where 'Mustang Sally' was always requested. But as it was by young ladies who would join us on stage to help perform it, we usually relented. 😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 4 minutes ago, Franticsmurf said: We went through a period of playing regularly at one pub where 'Mustang Sally' was always requested. But as it was by young ladies who would join us on stage to help perform it, we usually relented. 😄 It's a tune I have played more times than I care to mention but it does get the reaction and it's an easy win. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 'If we've got time at the end' usually works for the more persistently ridiculous, especially when (if) they're still around and bleating at the end, you can blame the venue for having a strict cutoff time... Oh, and 'Alexa, play....' is starting to get shouted at gigs these days...ohhhh, the irony... Apart from the usual things like 'Play Mr Blue Sky' (this one to us as an acoustic trio), there's been... Had a residency in a very Oirish pub* in Manchester City centre for a while, and despite doing a good 45 of Oirish songs, we'd get (usually mid-song, obv) unending requests for obscure stuff: 'Play Paddy McGinnerty's Pig**' 'Sorry, we don't know it' 'Ohhhh, you do' 'No, we don't' 'Sure you do; it goes...' The worst we ever had tho, was some punter at a private gig (bloke, 30s, Weasel Dusted to the eyebrows) with half a dozen mates come up to the singer (at mic's-length away) during the first song of the second set and shout 'I'll sing the next one.' 'No, mate, you won't' 'I'm better than you, you're sh*te' 'Still no...' He stayed there, literally at the other end of the mic from the singer, shouting the lyrics. We stopped, muted the PA, and spoke to the bloke whose Do it was. Apparently Weasel Dust Boy was some kind of local Face, so he paid us off, put the disco on (whilst looking for the karaoke mic for WDB), we packed up and left. Home by ten, full pay. Wasn't so bad, but we thought there'd be a scuffle, and I didn't relax till we were well away from the place... * By which I mean a big Oirish contingent in the crowd, rather than one of these Plastic Paddy places that puts a couple of Guinness pumps in, hangs a couple of plastic shamrocks up and thinks that's what it takes... ** Insert obscure song title here... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicbassman Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 A rather long time ago, I used to do pick-up gigs on the Irish pub scene in London, and getting people up to sing their favourite song was a very common thing. I always remember this little exchange - Irish lady: Do you know '57 Chevrolet? Me: Yes, what key do you usually sing it in? Irish lady: Oh, quite fast............ 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b7l4s Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 Finished a pub gig with a heavy rock type band - landlord has rung the bell and is trying to get people to drink up. It's at that moment a drunk older couple asked (and asked, and asked with increasing mouth foam) to hear My Way, as if that's likely. Bearing in mind that we've switched everything off and started taking stuff out to the van etc. it's a weary but firm 'no' from whoever happens to be their focus at that moment. They persist however until another punter wanders up and tells them to p*ss off, to which they don't take kindly, and before you know it proper fisticuffs are going down, ending with the landlord throwing all three of them out and barring them. We just loaded up fast, got paid and got out of there... still got asked to go back (but didn't)! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 45 minutes ago, musicbassman said: Me: Yes, what key do you usually sing it in? Irish lady: Oh, quite fast............ That'll be the Porsche key. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddo Soqable Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 2 minutes ago, TimR said: That'll be the Porsche key. As opposed to the Don-key 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 (edited) The opposite effect here. Some decades ago, I was playing (drums...) at a wedding 'do' at a small local restaurant, as a duo with my buddy on accordion and organ. The landlord had warned us that he had a strict 2am curfew to respect, so we had to be finished by then (these weddings can go on till dawn, otherwise..!). We agreed, and played our usual repertoire of slows, waltzes, musette, some light rock, until we got the nod that it was time to wrap up. The ambience was hot; all were mightily enjoying their evening, but when it's time, it's time. We launched into two numbers, guaranteed to clear the dance floor and shoo everyone out: an accordion/drums rendering of 'Saucerful of Secrets', followed by 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. It was glorious, for us, playing, but the surprise was total, as (maybe aided by the liquid refreshments of the event...) the reception was rapturous..! Applauded as heroes, we passed the curfew and played on for over an hour more... That's not the end of it, though; I now come to the 'requests' part... Two years later, we are booked again for another wedding at this same restaurant (we'd not played there since...). Immediately upon arrival, the patron's eyes lit up and we were greeted like rock stars, with the 'request' (rather more an injunction..!) that we play the same numbers at the end. We obliged, of course, and another wedding 'do' ended in a vacarme of cymbals and accordion, to the delight of all. Happy daze..! Edited July 17, 2023 by Dad3353 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snorkie635 Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 4 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said: As long as he doesn't ask for an encore. Could be the start of your becoming a stand-up comedian? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adey Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 If we get asked for requests by the crowd, our singer will usually ask them "do we look like a fecking juke box?" Usually does the trick... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franticsmurf Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 7 hours ago, Dad3353 said: an accordion/drums rendering of 'Saucerful of Secrets', followed by 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. You, sir, are an absolute star. Glorious indeed! 😄 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbiscuits Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 Got asked if we could play any Girls Aloud once on stage in a pub gig. We were a five piece band of 40/50-something men… so no. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickyk Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 i got asked to play any Irish song, so we played Hit me with your rhythm stick, the guy said that's not an Irish song ,so i changed the words to ..Hit me with your shovel Mick ,they loved it😂 2 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddo Soqable Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 1 hour ago, bassbiscuits said: Got asked if we could play any Girls Aloud once on stage in a pub gig. We were a five piece band of 40/50-something men… so no. Always take 5 long wigs with you in your leads bag.. You just never know... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 We don't mind doing some requests even if we have only the vaguest idea how the song goes. Our usual fare is 70s dad-rock btw. Anyway we were asked for Billie Jean and I launched into a fairly reasonable approximation of the riff (nope, never tried to play it before) but the guitarist thought I was playing Livin' On A Prayer! (What the flip?!) Anyway once I'd pointed out how the chords went over the top of the riff it didn't sound too bad. I don't think it will be added to the set list though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted July 17, 2023 Share Posted July 17, 2023 On 16/07/2023 at 11:13, warwickhunt said: 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? Why Does It Hurt When I Pee? 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cetera Posted July 18, 2023 Share Posted July 18, 2023 (edited) During one of our 'Classic Rock Anthems & Power Ballads' shows a couple of months ago we had a chavvy lady (who'd obviously bought a ticket knowing, you would have thought, what we do!) approach us with a request. We don't do requests - it's a theatre show. We do Boston, Journey, Foreigner, Toto, Aerosmith, Heart, KISS etc.... She asked us for........ yep, you've guessed it..... Wonderwall...... Edited July 18, 2023 by cetera 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted July 18, 2023 Share Posted July 18, 2023 11 hours ago, bassbiscuits said: Got asked if we could play any Girls Aloud once on stage in a pub gig. We were a five piece band of 40/50-something men… so no. We play love machine, and we are a 4 piece band of 30-50-something men. Goes down a storm. We get stupid requests, although the most stupid are oasis. as they say, I'll do anything for love, but I won't do that! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted July 18, 2023 Share Posted July 18, 2023 A few years ago my last band were playing at the White Horse in Clun, Shropshire - they don't often do music but for some reason had booked us, a hard rock originals band. We were a couple of songs into the set when a coach load of young farmers turned up; the girls promptly went to the (tiny) loo, which was right next to where we were playing. As Tim was in the middle of a solo, guitar held aloft with pained guitar-solo face and closed-but-expressive eyes one of the farmeresses came and shouted in his ear "Can you do "Summer of 69" ?" To his credit, he held the note for a second longer, then nodded at us which we somehow understood to mean "stop", and launched into the "69" chorus on his own. We then continued with the song we'd been halfway through. And did the Young Farmers cheer? Nope... They'd gone outside to throw beer at each other. 5 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted July 18, 2023 Share Posted July 18, 2023 13 hours ago, Adey said: If we get asked for requests by the crowd, our singer will usually ask them "do we look like a fecking juke box?" Usually does the trick... This has now morphed into people shouting the (not) hilarious 'Alexa! Play xxxxx...!' 😡 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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