Covers Bands......How long is yours???

[rory]

Morning, 

 

I'm in a classic rock covers band (Thin Lizzy, ACDC, The Who etc) at the moment and just wondering how long similar bands sets are? 

 

We total about 2 1/2 hours split over two sets with 13 tracks in the first and 15 in the second. How long are yours (if it's not too personal a question)?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

[Rich]

Ska/reggae band. Our normal is two sets, set 1 is 45 mins and set 2 is 55ish, with a 15 minute encore. If they're really raising the roof, we drag Night Boat to Cairo out for ages with a bunch of solos. We can do up to 2x60+enc, but none of us are getting any younger    

[Chienmortbb]

It varies by venue. some want 2 x 45 mins some want 2 x 60 mins. We have enough to play for about 3.5 hours. covering rock and pop from the 60s and 70s.

[Gasman]

4 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

It varies by venue. some want 2 x 45 mins some want 2 x 60 mins. We have enough to play for about 3.5 hours. covering rock and pop from the 60s and 70s.

We do 2 x 60 usually. 

 

After-midnight finishes due to multiple calls for 'One More Song' (never just one) are getting beyond a joke, however nice it might be to feel appreciated!

[Greg Edwards69]

Usually plan for 2 x 45mins or 2 x 60mins (or a single 90min set if no break), with a couple of extra songs, just in case, as many gigs end up with the "one more song" chant. So having one or two ready at the end of the set list is quicker than deciding one on the spot.

[acidbass]

Usually 2 hours straight through.  Depending on the venue we either hammer straight through with minimal gaps between songs (7 second rule) or take a more relaxed approach.  The difference in numbers of songs between these two approaches is staggering!  Ranges from 35-ish for the former to around 22 for the latter. 

[Len_derby]

For the pubs we play at it’s 2x45. They generally want us to start at 9 and finish around 11, with a break in between. There can be a bit more variety for the Sunday afternoon pub gigs, which have become more common in the last 10 years. 

[tony_m]

Country-rock / blues (CCR, Doobies, Eagles, Petty + assorted randoms) here. We started off with 2 x 45, but these have now grown to 2 x 60 due to an inability to decide which songs to drop whenever we've added new ones. We're making an effort (or at least, I am as Keeper of the Setlists) to be more ruthless for our upcoming birthday party gig and cut them back down to 2 x 45 as it's their party, not our show, but after that... 🤷‍♂️

[dudewheresmybass]

2x 45-60 is the norm around this way plus a couple 'spare' just in case

[police squad]

normally 2 x 1 hour for my 80s band, 80s duo and Police Tribute.

I did a gig late last year and we did 2 x 45 mins. It was over in a heart beat

[neepheid]

3 hours with maybe a 15 min break.  Second set longer than the first, generally.

[Dad3353]

For the variety bands we used to have, in the '70s, we played from 21h00 till 02h00, non-stop, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night in the summer season. The drummer was the only one who got no break (some songs needed no guitar, others no keys etc; all needed the drummer...). I had a bottle of diluted orange juice on the floor, to take a sip now and again, and just played through. I couldn't do that now, of course, but it was a Good School. Happy daze... 

[tauzero]

Nominally 2x45 plus 10 minutes or so encore. In practice, the 45s are more like 55s.

[Rodders]

We have 40 ish songs on the set list, including a few spares, spread over 3 hours with a short break between sets. 

[casapete]

I think this topic has surfaced before not long ago, but anyway -

 

Pub bands round here generally do 2x45 to 2x60 min sets. My old theatre band

used to do 2x55/60 min sets with a 20 minute interval. We found this an optimum

playing time, especially for older folk who’d had a couple of beers before 

the show ( and the audience too!). I think doing 3 hours even with a break half way

is usually too much for band and audience, unless you’re someone like Springsteen

with a massive back catalogue and adoring fans who expect it. 
Personally I prefer to do one long set, say 90 / 100 mins - it’s easier to develop a

strong set with variety and pace that keeps the crowd more involved & engaged. 
(The old saying ‘leave ‘em wanting more’ is very true IMO.)

Also saves them wandering off after the bingo / meat raffle / happy hour etc…..😆

Edited July 18 by casapete

[neepheid]

6 minutes ago, casapete said:

I think this topic has surfaced before not long ago, but anyway -

 

Pub bands round here generally do 2x45 to 2x60 min sets. My old theatre band

used to do 2x55/60 min sets with a 20 minute interval. We found this an optimum

playing time, especially for older folk who’d had a couple of beers before 

the show ( and the audience too!). I think doing 3 hours even with a break half way

is usually too much for band and audience, unless you’re someone like Springsteen

with a massive back catalogue and adoring fans who expect it. 
Personally I prefer to do one long set, say 90 / 100 mins - it’s easier to develop a

strong set with variety and pace that keeps the crowd more involved & engaged. 
(The old saying ‘leave ‘em wanting more’ is very true IMO.)

Also saves them wandering off after the bingo / meat raffle / happy hour etc…..😆

 

That's nice, but in general we do what the venue asks us (and indeed pays us) to do.  Up our way, that's 3 hours.  The night often ends up being a game of two halves and we (well, I) talior the set accordingly - somewhat lighter stuff in the first half, getting heavier in the second.

[casapete]

1 minute ago, neepheid said:

 

That's nice, but in general we do what the venue asks us (and indeed pays us) to do.  Up our way, that's 3 hours.  The night often ends up being a game of two halves and we (well, I) talior the set accordingly - somewhat lighter stuff in the first half, getting heavier in the second.

Blimey, respect for doing 2x90s then.  That’s a lot of playing and songs to get through.

 

If I go to see a ‘name’ band gig, I’d probably be well chuffed if they did more than say

1x90 min set plus encores, maybe 2 hrs if you’re lucky. Just hope they’re paying you

well up there! 

[warwickhunt]

I've been doing 2 x 45 mins for the last 40 years (I do stuff other than covers) and it is the expectation of every venue I've played; we generally keep 2-3 songs back to do at the end if it's going well. 

[neepheid]

8 minutes ago, casapete said:

Blimey, respect for doing 2x90s then.  That’s a lot of playing and songs to get through.

 

If I go to see a ‘name’ band gig, I’d probably be well chuffed if they did more than say

1x90 min set plus encores, maybe 2 hrs if you’re lucky. Just hope they’re paying you

well up there! 

 

TBF we do take a break of 10-15 mins.  We usually make the first half slightly shorter than the second as a result, so it's more like 75-80mins then 90.

 

Of course, this is cover band land.  With the originals band we're typically on a three band bill and play a single 45.  On the rare occasions we get to spread it out (like last Saturday when the support act bailed) we do something like 2x45.

[Cliff Edge]

The duo I’m in we decided not to have any breaks so it’s frequently two and a half to three hours, bar gigs mainly. We find this actually keeps more people from sodding off half way through. The last four piece country rock band was usually 2 x 45 minutes or there abouts. It was never set in stone and depended a lot on crowd reaction. 

Edited July 18 by Cliff Edge

[spacecowboy]

Funk / soul / Motown here! Our typical bar / club sets are 3 hours, 9pm till midnight.
 

Weddings, events and parties differ between clients, but around the same with breaks.

[asingardenof]

Mixed fare from late 70s onwards. We tend to do 2x45 mins + encores, but can go straight through for 1½ hours plus encores if needs be, depending on the gig.

[meterman]

My wife assures me it's the standard British average, really, er...

 

Back when I was doing the pubs and working men's club circuit as a teenager we'd do an hour of chart hits, then have a 15-20 minute break for a pint, then do an hour of classic rock - AC/DC, Zeppelin, Free, Bad Company, Stones, Faces, Little Feat, Deep Purple, Sabbath etc. Basically two hours with a break halfway through.

 

Function gigs? We'd just ask the organisers and play as long as they wanted (if the money was there)

 

I played in an Afrobeat band once and I swear this is true - we'd often play 3 or 3 and a half hours non stop, and all the songs seemed to blur into each other after about an hour. Weird thing is, a 3.5 hour set of Afrobeat might only have 12 or 13 songs in it. The intense repetition would make you sort of zone out but focus right in, if that makes any sense. 

 

Nowadays I'd be gauging audience reaction to figure out how long to play for and whether to take a break or not. Also, "where's my money?". Or "Are there any pies?" etc

[Mykesbass]

30 minutes ago, Cliff Edge said:

The duo I’m in we decided not to have any breaks so it’s frequently two and a half to three hours, bar gigs mainly. We find this actually keeps more people from sodding off half way through. The last four piece country rock band was usually 2 x 45 minutes or there abouts. It was never set in stone and depended a lot on crowd reaction. 

I don't know if singers do need a break as I'm not one, but I'm not a fan of the break. Lose momentum, lose punters, and as a non-drinker/non-smoker what do you do for 15-20 minutes in a busy pub where you only know you band mates?

[Dad3353]

7 minutes ago, meterman said:

...I played in an Afrobeat band once and I swear this is true - we'd often play 3 or 3 and a half hours non stop, and all the songs seemed to blur into each other after about an hour....

 

I can echo this; I played quite often with a Caribbean band; I was the only white bloke in the group. I can attest to the myth that all Blacks have natural rhythm as being patently false, as, to make up numbers on stage, the BL took his mates as conga, maracas and bongo players just as 'fillers'. Everyone kept dancing as long as I kept the beat going, whatever these fellows were playing (or not...). Again, normally five-hour stints, 9 till 2. Happy daze.