Best bar songs?
Hey Guys,
I'm a guitar player, and i'm just wondering, what are the BEST songs to hear someone do live at a bar? I'm talking cover songs that will get most people singing and/or at least recognize the song?
I personally love "walkin' in memphis" but i'm not sure that qualifies...
margaritaville?
5 o'clock somewhere...?
I'm a guitar player, and i'm just wondering, what are the BEST songs to hear someone do live at a bar? I'm talking cover songs that will get most people singing and/or at least recognize the song?
I personally love "walkin' in memphis" but i'm not sure that qualifies...
margaritaville?
5 o'clock somewhere...?
Comments
Can I be frank with you? (rhetorical)
If you are capable of writing a song, you should. Cover bands cause me great pain in my guts.
Tribute bands on the other hand.....I love love love.
Destroyer - The Kiss Tribute
Rawbones - Ramones
Nearly Neil - Neil Young.
I'm a sucker for that stuff.
However, you deserve an answer, so here's some songs I have seen cover bands do that seem to make people who like bad music really happy.
Pearl Jam - Alive
Neil Diamond - Sweet Caroline(PUKE PUKE PUKE)
Nickelback - How you remind me - I can hardly type, I'm so angry right now.
Any band that sounds just like Nickel Back, Creed, Three Days Grace, insert serious sounding name to weak ass fucking lyrics, and stolen guitar riffs.
The Ataris - Boys of Summer ( I know not their original, but people seem to like it)
If your band is talented enough to pull off a zeppelin song, you should. I don't love Zeppelin either, but they sure could fucking play.
Oh, if you can, absolutely ruin "wish you were here" by Pink Floyd. Not only does everyone love it, but it gives the frat boys a chance to distract their ladies long enough to get the roofie in their drink.
I also agree with your stance on nickleback...brutal band....
thanks for the response! i'm youtubing boys of summer right now (never heard it..)
Find songs that fit your voice.... I LOVE live music in a pub, and usually don't want to hear the guy's personal stuff (let's face it, there's a reason you're doing "Molly Blooms"
Having said that.. safe tunes that will please the majority of people... and remember, the newest CD I've bought is a Bob Dylan one...
- "Anthem" songs.. the classics that everyone knows - Hotel California, American Pie, Like a Rolling Stone (KICK ASS)....
- "Sing along songs" .. the songs that a chorus / phrase everyone can "participate" in... Rainy Day Woman #12&35, Mony Mony, Another Brick in the Wall, etc...
- Traditional tunes - depends on the bar, but a good traditional song is great crowd pleaser, from the stuck up snobs that now give you cred, to the people that suddenly remember it and nostalgia-ize, things like "Barrett's Privateers", "Tom Dooley", and "Lost highway"
- Finally, it would be what I call "Educational songs" - songs that people haven't likely heard, but dammit should! "Mansion on the Hill", "Bird on a Wire", "Hallelujah","Best of all possible worlds"
Basically though, most people aren't going to remember / care about what songs you play so much as your performance and mixing... you don't want too many sombre tunes in a row... nor too much "happy / poppy" stuff.... you want to take the listeners through a variety... start happy, play a few fun songs (Holy shit, I forgot Stompin Tom?!?!?), then maybe a touching one, a sad one, then re-pop / energize them with a singalong one....
And of course.. requests
Mark
P.S. let me know where you play and when, and I'm there
Good advice tho mark!
I'm a closet Educationalist at karaokee
What songs do you "educate" people with? My educational karaoke's?
- "Werewolves of London" Warren Zevon
- "Casey Jones" Grateful Dead
Hrm... can't think of many more right now... clearly I'll have to let stpboy pick a night's activities again soon
Mark