What are your most requested cover songs?

[junplugged]

At your solo acoustic gigs?

I get James Taylor - anything

That's pretty much, Fire and Rain, Sweet Baby James

Like a Rolling Stone - Dylan was a request, but I didn't actually know it

Someone told me they were an acoustic duo and the request was for Piano Man and he said that he couldn't do it w/ a guitar, but I think it would be pretty easy, I'd attempt to learn it.

Beatles, Yesterday was recent, so I'm gettin into that now.

Howabout yous?

 

[rpe]

My acoustic solo gigs occur in the livingroom with an audience of one (wife). She most often requests Mr. Bogangles, Killing Me Softly, or Longer Than.

rpe

 

[Garry Sharp]

My acoustic solo gigs occur in the livingroom with an audience of one (wife). She most often requests Mr. Bogangles, Killing Me Softly, or Longer Than.

rpe

A wife (or husband) who loves music is an untold blessing. I'm doubly lucky - mine sings. I hope you have many happy years of playing her Mr Bojangles etc. That is what music is meant to be all about. Before the record companies and lazy consumers fucked it all up.

Garry

 

[rpe]

What a coincidence, they're playing Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone on the radio right now. It must be in honor of junplugged.

Gary,

you are right, my wife of 33 years is my biggest fan.

rpe

 

[ROblows]

Freebird.

 

[Bassman Brad]

Freebird.

Yeah, I can picture that. Those people don't care WHAT kind of band you're playing in. I'm sure that, if you go to a Schustenfest (sp?), you'll see some drunk guys up by the stage yelling to the polka band "PLAY SOME SKYNYRD, MAN!"

Oh God. Now, I'll probably have nightmares of a polka band playing their rendition of "Gimme Three Steps." [shudder]

Seriously, though. With the acoustic trio that I've been practicing with, we seem to get the most requests for anything by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, or the Eagles. The Beatles' Yesterday is a really good suggestion, though, too. I think I'll suggest that one to the guys, myself.

 

[Bassman Brad]

A couple of others that seem to be real popular requests would be "Melissa" by the Allman Brothers and "Aimie" by the Pure Prairie League.

 

[erosconpollo]

I get a lot of John Denver requests. Some Buffett too -- everyone in Florida is 'sposed to be able to play his stuff!

 

[ggunn]

I just left the cover band that I was in for almost 19 years. Lately our most requested songs were (in no particular order):

YMCA
Play That Funky Music White Boy
Dancing Queen
Love Shack
Jenny, Jenny (8675309)
Shining Star

And of course, the obligatory Stairway to Heaven and Free Bird, but to that band's credit we never learned either one of them.

I joined a consortium of 3 songwriters doing all originals, and <Dieter voice> I'm happy as a litttle girl.

 

[andyhix]

Oh God. Now, I'll probably have nightmares of a polka band playing their rendition of "Gimme Three Steps." [shudder]

you would need to change the polka version to "gimme two steps", though. (Can't find the right smiley to indicate self-dork-awareness)

 

[freshmattyp]

The surf band I'm in always gets requests for "Sweet Home Alabama". I have no Idea why. We get around the inevitable requests for Freebird by doing what we call "The Worlds fastest version of Freebird". We play "If I leave here tomorrow"....then go straight into the outro with the big rockstar finish. It usually clocks in at about 50 seconds.

 

[Ed Dixon]

Freebird, Rocky Top, Buffett songs, Elvis tunes, and misc line dance songs.

Ed

 

[apl]

Some of Short Sircuit's most requested were:

Get Off The Stage

Shut The F^@& UP

 

[ROblows]

Some of Short Sircuit's most requested were:

Get Off The Stage

Shut The F^@& UP

When playing all original music at the wrong venue, we used to get frequent requests for "Play something we know!" and "Play something good!"

 

[ROblows]

Freebird, Rocky Top, Buffett songs, Elvis tunes, and misc line dance songs.

I'm so very, very happy that I don't play in cover bands anymore. I'm never going down that road again. I'd honestly rather stop playing altogether.

 

[Ed Dixon]

It can be interesting at times. Sometimes you end up playing for folks you did not expect. We've had requests for Tennessee Waltz.

We play mostly private parties where the need for known dance music, generally from the 50s-80s, is common.

Ed

 

[Bassman Brad]

you would need to change the polka version to "gimme two steps", though.

Good point! I suppose it would have to be "Gimme Two Steps," wouldn't it?

You know what's scary though? I can actually HEAR what a polka arrangement of that song would sound like in my head. And I'm telling 'ya, it's pretty disturbing! It reminds me of the time that I stepped into an elevator and heard a Muzak version of Purple Haze. With a STRING section! I remember thinking to myself, "Noooo man! That just ain't right!"

 

[Bassman Brad]

We get around the inevitable requests for Freebird by doing what we call "The Worlds fastest version of Freebird". We play "If I leave here tomorrow"....then go straight into the outro with the big rockstar finish. It usually clocks in at about 50 seconds.

The only problem I can see with that approach is that, if you play the song like that in the wrong places, it could get you beaten up! It really IS "The Redneck National Anthem." They not only think every band should be able to play the song, they expect you to show the proper respect, too!

Yeah. That's one of the reasons I dropped out of doing live gigs for several years. And it's one of the reasons that I now go to great lengths to make sure that I am NEVER in a situation where I have to play some of those songs again.

 

[tjohnston]

............................................

 

[Clive Hugh]

Years ago we used to play at a large tourist hotel, it was a very good paying gig and in addition to us they had a pianist in the lounge bar. The guy was a real piss head and as the evening went on he would slide into a state of drunkenness(?). He hated requests, in fact he hated the general public, so someone would come up and ask for something and he would say OK and then play a nursery rhyme. Eventually they had to sack him, it was funny to us but it was the stupid bugger's full time job, and he got his booze cheap.