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

[Wally Malone]

Over the years I played with Bo Diddley there were periods that he didn't want to play his hits. That's what those in the crowd wanted to hear. When we did the documentary for Swedish TV, that was eventually released world-wide, Bo's manager at the time convinced Bo that he should be playing the material that brought him the recognition in his career. I'm happy that we played his most popular songs that night. I believe anyone who gets a hit should be happy to give their fans the songs that gained them fame.

 

Wally

[Imogene]

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.

 

Exactly. People like those songs. They are fun to put new twists on. I've played most the ones mentioned hundreds of times. I almost never play them the same way twice. Take a risk on some different note choices or rhythms or something.

 

As far as Freebird, its a great song. I've never seen a band that actually could cover it (either at all, or worth a damn), yet it's cool for cover bands to take shots at.

[jcadmus]

People like those songs. They are fun to put new twists on.

 

I was at a wedding reception last year, and the band was playing "Play That Funky Music."

 

I realized that the rhythm section was playing under the bridge ("Yeah they was dancin', and singin', and movin' to the groovin'...") -- couldn't quite figure out what they were doing.

 

The second time through it hit me -- they were vamping on Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

 

Made me smile -- and it worked!

[5 string Mike]

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.

 

Over the years I played with Bo Diddley there were periods that he didn't want to play his hits. ... I'm happy that we played his most popular songs that night. I believe anyone who gets a hit should be happy to give their fans the songs that gained them fame.

 

Wally

 

Yeah, there is a balance of playing the stuff that made you famous and moving on to something else.

 

On a related topic, when David Gilmour released his last solo album (On An Island), there was talk over whether it was going to be a Pink Floyd album or a solo, and a big part of David doing it as a solo album was he knew what it would have to be if it was a Floyd album and tour and he didn't want to deal with the weight of that.

 

He had most of the '94 Floyd crew and played a lot of Floyd songs on tour like Echoes, C.Numb, Time, Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, etc., but he could get away from the enormous stadium show and playing songs like 'Money' and 'Another Brick in the Wall pt.2'. It was win-win. He got to do what he wanted and the fans still got to hear Floyd.

[Tenstrum]

Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a "I hate this band/song" bashing thread.

 

Even "Harder to Breathe"?

 

Heh, probably ESPECIALLY "Harder to Breathe."

Bingo! And also "Makes Me Wonder".

I never really realized how much I hated Maroon 5 until I learned those 2 songs for that chicky pop rock cover band I some how ended up in. Its not that I think they are bad musicians or that their song writing sucks. Its just that...that...I HATE THAT EFFIN BAND!

[Eric Iverson]

THE "EFFIN BAND" MIGHT BE A GOOD BAND NAME... SORRY, THAT'S ANOTHER THREAD, AIN'T IT?

 

Reminding me how Frank Zappa had something else in mind for his band name, but the label made him add "of Invention" after "Mothers".......

 

Songs I hate to play? Right now, no, because I haven't been gigging lately.

[b5pilot]

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.

 

Ok, I'll play. Proud Mary is a song I can do without unless we could find a singer and do the Tina Turner version. Other songs I can do without are Tush and LaGrange. We've been playing them about as long as ZZ Top has. They're still cool tunes but I can do without playing them EVERY BLOODY GIG!