Americanhoser

You should have at least twice as many songs down than ones your planning on playing that night..... Besides if your going to play another gig soon possibly at a different nearby venue, no one wants to hear the exact same set of songs again...

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palefire

On the subject of talking with the crowd...

There are certain things that you need to get across to the audience. The point of you playing a gig is to build a fan base. This is difficult if they don't know who you are. You *NEED* to get people to know your name, your website, if you have anything for sale, and you need to say it as a human; don't read it out like the script from a salesman. You want people to come to your next gig, and to do that they need to be able to find out about it.

BUT! Remember that you're there to play music. Not to have a conversation. Not to be a stand-up comic. All the time you're not playing on stage is a rest, is inactive. Too much of this becomes boring and irritating for the crowd.

So time any points that you're going to speak. If the band frontman only sings (as opposed to playing guitar as well) the best time for this would be while the band retunes or checks tunings for songs. Set out the gig so that there's as little pauses as possible between songs. A short introduction of "this song is called..." doesn't count, but any more time you take is pushing it. I'd suggest playing about two songs, taking a break to tell the crowd who you are and where they can find out about you, playing the rest of the set with minimal conversation between, and then making a reminder of your name and thanking them etc. before the last song. You might take longer pauses if you get longer gigs or more faithful crowds, but when starting out i'd call this a good guideline.

P.S. it changes slightly in the case of anything going wrong. If (and at some point, there will) there is any problem on stage - guitar string breaks, microphone decides to stop working, drummer bursts into flames etc. DON'T just ignore the crowd and let them watch you all stumble around stage in a panic. While watching a band struggle to keep a gig alive can be entertaining, its not in a flattering way. Someone should talk to crowd a little while the others deal with the problem, just to keep the show going, and at the very least to keep them informed as to what's going on, before they get bored and wander off to the bar...

SomeEvilDude

That's all good, and I'd certainly like to elaborate on that last point slightly. This is where your band needs to be tight and together. If your band cannot improvise a jam, or have something pre-written to transition into and play around on while the problem is being sorted, things will get very hairy.
A band crashing around, regardless of problems, makes them looks like amatuers. A band who, when a problem occurs, are able to pull an impromptu jam together while someone gets the problem sorted out will gain you plenty of crowd support and give the impression that you're all very talented players.

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gopherthegreat

this is useful. thats why blondies shows suck. no stage prescence (at least the shows ive seen). im not a blondie fan though.......

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TasianSensation

i've got a question on the order that these songs should be played in:

when i come around by green day
the judge's daughter by green day
she by green day
longview by green day
dammit by blink 182
feeling this by blink 182
a little less 16 candles, a little more touch me by fall out boy

please don't criticise on the song choice, as it's the music we decided on. also, the show is only about a 15 minute thing (battle of the bands at a school)

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SomeEvilDude

I'd open with 'Feeling This' because it's a fast energetic song to get people into it in the first place, and then close with 'When I Come Around', because let's face it, everybody knows that and it's easy to sing along to.
As for the rest the set, it doesn't really matter which order, but try not to play two songs by the same band in a row.

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Stumpo

How bout the song order of:
Top Of the World - All American Rejects
I Dont Love You - MCR
Dance Inside - All American Rejects
River - Good Charlotte

This is the one i've been considering and have not discussed with my band members.
Any feed back?
I mean besides the song choice and with the order =X

SomeEvilDude

Alas, I cannot say I've heard any of the songs and thus cannot really help you on which order to play them in. But, if you listen to general mood and pace of the song, and then apply it to the original post, then it should help you along a fair bit.
That said though, it'd probably be best to talk it over with your bandmates and make the final decision as a group.

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METSOAD

The order you have wirtten it in is a good order to play, except maybe swapping the AAR songs

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Stumpo

Ok. thanks.
I think they're quite agreeable to it.
Bout the Swapping.
I'll think bout it.
Thanks anyways. =D

properBo

I have something to add that helped us at our first (and only) gig. If you're playing at a show with lots of bands and you're pretty unknown, try and play just before a band you know are awful... It makes your band look a lot better.

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Freunleven

The band I manage (in my sig) played at their high school last week. Their set list was as follows:

1. You Really Got Me (Van Halen)
2. Land of Confusion (Disturbed)
3. Paralyzer (Finger Eleven)
4. Lonely Train (Black Stone Cherry)
5. Summer of '69 (Brian Adams)

Compared to the two bands who went before them, one of which was definately emo and the other was some sort of nu-metal, they rocked the house. And given that "Summer of '69" was the senior class song, much insanity ensued.

Gawdz, it was fun.

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METSOAD

we have a gig coming up, we have a set list of songs which you beautiful people are going to order or us

Possiblilites- On our myspace, fast paced, short snappy
the last time- on our myspace, no words in recording, mid paced, starts off clean and quiet, builds up to 'stadium ending'
Forsaken- Slow burner, heavy, almost Sabbath-esque
Back at the start- Mid paced, melodic, progressive, longest song in set
Dream on- fast-ish, Saxon-esque, shorter solo section than others
blues jam, just a bit of fun in A

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warlockking

yeah, i guess you could do a ballad for an encore, but i've always thought more of a fast paced rock "anthem" style would be better. i guess it just depends on what you want to do with it.

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Zen5887

Punk Rock 101 - Bowling for soup
Zombie - The Cranberries
Smells like teen spirit - Nirvana
Whats up - Four not blondes
Back in black - AC/DC

This is our set for our first real gig (we've done little two song ones and some comps..again..only 2 songs)

Also..What do you think of having a little improv thing (a la the chilli peppers) before our first song sorta just to warm up.

I think if somthing goes wrong (string breaks or lead shorts out) you should keep playing. I saw a band a bit ago who were playing and the guitarest broke a couple of strings so he ran off to borrow another guys guitar. The rest of the band kepted playing so it was only drums bass and vocals. They al lhad a laugh at the end of the song

It really showed that they knew what they were doing..no one freaked out like "Holycrapwegotnoguitar!"

eckmann88

Can anybody give me some tips for somebody with the whole singer/songwriter vibe?

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axe_2_grind

Agreed.

I tend to hit a lot of wrong notes at certain gigs. It depends on how nervous or confident I am that day. Some shows go better than others. Some are rife with PA or equipment issues. But, so long as you can recover from your mistakes and have a good time with it, then it will keep the crowd going as well. Besides which, only the musicians in the audience (and perhaps your band members as well) will be able to pick out your screw ups. Most non-musical people will not notice, or even remember your mistakes. So don't be afraid of screwing up. It happens, you're human after all.

Just practice as much as possible, and try to adapt as best you can come gig time. Stuff always happens. I have yet to play a "Perfect" show. But some are definitely better than others.

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zeroprezens

i HIGLY agree with you, on my first gig my drummer smoked a joint (it was at freakn school too for a telent show battle of teh bands -__-) and he was TERRIBLE but everyone else was great

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frustrat62

I think for encores that you should if you do a ballad still end on an up-beat song. Every big band I can think of does.

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