OT: How much would they have to pay you to play...?

[jcadmus]

Okay, brought this over from another thread.

 

We all know them -- those crowd favorites we can't stand to play one more time. They usually fall into one of two categories:

1) A decent song you used to like, but that has been played to death

2) Something so foul and hideous to hear, you want to claw your own ears off.

 

Assuming you could charge anything you wanted, what songs would you be willing to play and for how much? Here's my starter list:

 

1) Sweet Home Alabama -- $20

 

2) Play That Funky Music -- $25

 

3) Mustang Sally -- $15

 

4) Like a Virgin -- $100

 

Go!

[Tenstrum]

Any Maroon 5 song - $1000

[jcadmus]

Even "Harder to Breathe"?

 

Heh, probably ESPECIALLY "Harder to Breathe."

[Ross Brown]

Gimmie three steps is getting old.... $40

American Band (every fickin night) .... $400

 

I offer a 100% discount if the crowd is dancing...

[Eric VB]

2) Play That Funky Music -- $25

4) Like a Virgin -- $100

I have never played either of these songs, on stage or otherwise. (I've only played "Brown Eyed Girl" on stage twice and had to wing my way through it. I've never played "Sweet Caroline", either.)

 

Up until 3 years ago I'd never played "Mustang Sally", either. We've shelved it but I still like playing it because I add one of the horn parts with two-hand tap and help with background vocals. (It's a complete snore for everyone else, though.)

 

For me the music I've played my whole life is Zep and other Classic rock that used to be called "hard rock". Lucky for me not that many people request "Dazed and Confused".

 

[edit: The Skynyrd requests are annoying.]

 

"Freebird" - $1,000

"Sweet Home Alabama" - $10

[duff beer]

$100 to play White Wedding...

[biguglyman]

"Freebird" - $1,000

 

+1

 

I have been playing bass for 38 years and have NEVER played Freebird and don't intend to any time soon. For $1000 though...

[fingertalkin]

Freebird is about the only Skynyrd song that I don't mind playing. Never actually played it in public though. Jammed on it in practice a few times.

 

Totally off topic, we started playing "Saturday Nights alright for Fighting" by Elton John recently. That song is a blast to play.

[Groove Mama]

Totally off topic, we started playing "Saturday Nights alright for Fighting" by Elton John recently. That song is a blast to play.

And I'll bet the dancers loved it!

[E Z dog]

It's nice to hear about the tunes that are played in other parts of the country. I thought that the cultural waste land here in NC and SC were the only places where Skynyrd was still in demand. I'll play about anything an audience wants to hear that we can do well. I guess my one song is, "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones. It should be worth $100.00, but we don't get it.

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

I'll play about anything an audience wants to hear that we can do well.

 

+1

 

It's nice to sit here and have a chat about all the songs we hate to play. Truth is, unless you are some hot-shot singer/writer, or some "name" band playing out at arenas and festivals, you're a performer. You get paid to perform. If you don't perform, you don't get asked back. So, you have to have those three or five songs that you can't stand in your pocket. You know everyone loves them, you know they get requested every night, you know they get green in the tip jar.

 

In my current situation (being primarily a bar band), I can't afford to feel superior to my audience and lecture them on what songs are or are not appropriate based on my personal feelings on a particular song. Despite all the bluster of $1, $5, $100, $1000, whatever, if my band can pull it off and someone requests it, it gets played.

[b5pilot]

I'll play about anything an audience wants to hear that we can do well.

 

+1

 

It's nice to sit here and have a chat about all the songs we hate to play. Truth is, unless you are some hot-shot singer/writer, or some "name" band playing out at arenas and festivals, you're a performer. You get paid to perform. If you don't perform, you don't get asked back. So, you have to have those three or five songs that you can't stand in your pocket. You know everyone loves them, you know they get requested every night, you know they get green in the tip jar.

 

In my current situation (being primarily a bar band), I can't afford to feel superior to my audience and lecture them on what songs are or are not appropriate based on my personal feelings on a particular song. Despite all the bluster of $1, $5, $100, $1000, whatever, if my band can pull it off and someone requests it, it gets played.

 

+100

[Groove Mama]

I'll play about anything an audience wants to hear that we can do well.

Truth is, unless you are some hot-shot singer/writer, or some "name" band playing out at arenas and festivals, you're a performer. You get paid to perform. If you don't perform, you don't get asked back. So, you have to have those three or five songs that you can't stand in your pocket. You know everyone loves them, you know they get requested every night, you know they get green in the tip jar.

Even the "name" bands playing out at arenas and festivals probably get sick of playing and replaying and replaying their hits from yesteryear. 40+ years of "Satisfaction" probably wears on the Stones as well.

[b5pilot]

Perhaps but they sure get paid well for playing it!

[lug]

When Doves Cry - Free

[Eric VB]

It's nice to sit here and have a chat about all the songs we hate to play. [...] Despite all the bluster of $1, $5, $100, $1000, whatever, if my band can pull it off and someone requests it, it gets played.

You're right, of course. I took this topic with a bit of tongue in cheek. My bad for not including smilies.

 

That said, what are your "three or five songs that you can't stand"?

[Eric VB]

When Doves Cry - Free

You, sir, never fail to crack me up.

[b5pilot]

When Doves Cry - Free

 

Any time, any where!

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

It's nice to sit here and have a chat about all the songs we hate to play. [...] Despite all the bluster of $1, $5, $100, $1000, whatever, if my band can pull it off and someone requests it, it gets played.

You're right, of course. I took this topic with a bit of tongue in cheek. My bad for not including smilies.

 

That said, what are your "three or five songs that you can't stand"?

 

Mustang Sally - Because I'm a bassist. We all hate that sone. It's in the contract. I play this.

Rough Boys (ZZ Top) - We don't modulate to the C(C#). Play the song one-handed. Drives the guitar nuts. I play this.

Anything by Nickelback - How a band gets so far on one riff is beyond me. Current band doesn't play any.

Most Eagle's songs - They sound and play a lot alike to me (no offense to Mr. Schmitt). I play four of them.

 

<humourous Nickelback related ancedote>

 

Project Doomed was trying out a female singer. One of the songs the bandleader sent was "Something in Your Mouth". I asked where his head was and when was he going to pull it out. His response was "It's OK. I saw Nickelback play this in concert and the girls went nuts!". I asked him how many were chunky, 40ish, Christian and sang high alto.

 

That said, I completely understand the premise of the topic. It still kills me how many people I deal with locally that "won't play that crap" and fail to understand why they are stuck in the garage (i.e., Project Doomed).

[picker]

Something to consider; there is a band here in KC called Koolaid and The Exact Change Band. My band went to play a Katrina benefit and they were on the bill with us. Koolaid is an amazing guitarist who happens to be missing a finger off his left hand. You'd never know it was missing by the way he plays.

 

In any event, they got up and played Mustang Sally. But, they did it RIGHT. I mean to tell you, they played that tired, hoary old warhorse with real, honest-to-goodness old school SOUL. It was an amazing performance, inspiring even. And bear in mind, I don't use alcohol, I was stone cold sober when I heard it.

 

After that, I decided I need to stop saying there is any such thing as a song that is too worn out to play. It's really all about how it's played.

[jeremy c]

Buddy Guy does a nice rendition of Mustang Sally.

 

and he sings "I bought you a vintage Mustang" instead of the original lyric.

[jlrush]

After that, I decided I need to stop saying there is any such thing as a sing that is too worn out to play. It's really all about how it's played.

Agreed.

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

Not worn out so much as done so many times by so many different people that we can't seem to lock on to one way or version consistantly. This includes rehersal.

 

We play in A (detuned a half because the singer ain't what he used to be). Sometimes going into the chorus we do a walk-down through the A-G-F#-F-E. Sometimes before the solo. Sometimes both. Sometimes not at all. Everything else is well rehersered. I'm not sure why. Sometimes we let slightly inebriated FOTBs jump up on stage and sing the backing on the chorus. I'm never sure what we are going to do. It's a pain in the ... ear.

[Ross Brown]

Buddy Guy does a nice rendition of Mustang Sally.

 

and he sings "I bought you a vintage Mustang" instead of the original lyric.

 

I tried to get our singer to do this... he didn't understand... Still sings about a brand new mustang, 1964...

[Tenstrum]

.. an amazing perfgormance, insoiring even...

 

You're an amazing perfgormance, insoiring even!

[jcadmus]

Even the "name" bands playing out at arenas and festivals probably get sick of playing and replaying and replaying their hits from yesteryear. 40+ years of "Satisfaction" probably wears on the Stones as well.

 

On the other hand, I was in a audience a few years ago for a former arena star from years gone by. As he was playing one of his hits -- a ballad -- you could hear the entire audience singing his song back to him.

 

And I thought, "How cool must that be for him"?

 

If it were me, I think I would weep with joy.

[Eric VB]

OT WARNING! OT WARNING! OT WARNING!

We play in A (detuned a half because the singer ain't what he used to be).

We agreed to do the 1965 Wilson Pickett version. The reference copy I found was in C. Guitarist learned it in A long ago. I made him switch to C so I could play the WP bass line on a 4er in standard tuning. For whatever reason guitarist decided to just capo 3.

 

One night he forgot to put the capo on. I, not paying attention, came in solidly on a rather "artistic" C. We gave each other a quick WTH look. I sorted it out right away and guitarist kept mouthing "I'm sorry" until he started singing.

 

[Note also that I made him sing it up a minor third and he had no problem with that.]

[The Bear Jew]

If you don't wanna play the same hack songs over and over again, you probably shouldn't join a cover band that wants to make money.

[Ross Brown]

If you don't wanna play the same hack songs over and over again, you probably shouldn't join a cover band that wants to make money.

 

yes.... this...

[jeremy c]

I'm posting this here. It's also in the classic bar standards thread, but it's just as relevant here and maybe more so.

 

Even John Fogerty didn't want to play Proud Mary.

 

His sidemen talked him into it, saying "you don't want your song to be remembered as a Tina Turner tune, do you?"

 

I've also heard Grace Slick yelling back at the audience when they requested "White Rabbit".

 

If you have one big hit, you have to play it for the rest of your life. I hope you like your own song enough to do that.