TimR Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Say an audience member at a regular gig persistently asks for a particular tune and you don't know it. Would you learn it for the next time you play there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 If there was time yes but if it was a number that did not fit with the style of music you play or a real obscure tune that most people would not know or enjoy then I would not bother myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 The chap in the neighbouring workshop to me has an old drumkit and bass, so we had a jam the other morning. Bloke from a nearby unit pops his head in the door: "Do you do requests?" "Yeah, go on" "Shut the f*** up" :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 No.... We don't do requests but we wouldn't be above taking on a song that someone suggested if it was the type of song we go for... We'd get it to rehearsal and go from there. The requests we might do, is if someone knew we did a certain track, we might add it as an encore..if it was that sort of number. But generally..the set is written ..and that is what we play. But...having said that...if we do a special gig... and they asked for a song...seeing that they'd likely know our sort of style...we'd consider that for their gig..but we wouldn't busk it there and then. We aren't a busking band, in that sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Depends on the person asking. If they're staggering around drunk and being a PITA, then absolutely not. If they ask nicely and the request is for something we can use elsewhere afterwards then probably yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 If it's a song we do, we'll do it. If it's one we don't, I make a note of who requested it and where, and may consider learning it for a return visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 It depends if she's pretty or not.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Aggggh! Song requests..the bane of the pub gig. I agree with the aforementioned replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Learn the catch phrase, use it as intro to our next song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonybassplayer Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Played a gig a few years ago and we got towards the end of the second set and a guy shouted out for Whiskey in the Jar which was definitely not in our female fronted bands repertoire but our guitarist started a note perfect rendition of the opening few bars and then me and the drummer kicked in at the appropriate time and we were off with a faultless performance all the way through with the guitarist singing every word. The look of amazement on our singers face was a joy to behold and the audience gave us the biggest cheer of the night for our impromptu performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted November 30, 2013 Author Share Posted November 30, 2013 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1385843420' post='2292846'] Depends on the person asking. If they're staggering around drunk and being a PITA, then absolutely not. If they ask nicely and the request is for something we can use elsewhere afterwards then probably yes. [/quote] That's more what I'm thinking. If its a regular who is there everytime we play that pub and they keep asking it's almost embarrassing not to learn it. In my previous band we played a few RBL gigs and they always asked for the Alice song. It's rubbish and I hate it and we never learned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 We had a bizarre one a couple of months back - our singer wanted to do a Woody Guthrie song I Ain't Got No Home - real full on dustbowl depression crop failed, wife died number. We gave him so much grief every time he mentioned it. Got to our regular monthly acoustic gig (Dylan, Fogarty, Neil Young etc) and a lady came up and asked if we did any Woody Guthrie! (No, she wasn't a plant)! We managed to busk it and it is now in the set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mep Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 We were repeatedly asked by a big fan at a regular venue to do Tie Your Mother Down. After months we got round to it and it's a blast and really fits in our set. Another fan at another venue asked for Suffragette City which we did for the next gig amd was well appreciated. Most bizarre was at our last gig when after our penultimate song we were asked for Whole Lotta Rosie which is always our last song. So we obliged and didn't let on we were going to do it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomBass Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 (edited) For the first time ever since the band has been together (4 years) , the other week we had a request for a song we'd already planned for the second half of the set. We said, 'yeah, we could probably give it a shot...' The song in question is Parklife, which our keyboard player sings out front with a wireless mic, and very well indeed I must add. Edited November 30, 2013 by RandomBass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Providing it`s in the genre of music we play, and we all like it we`ll give it a go. That said, if we don`t like playing it when we give it a go we won`t do it live - Jilted John springs to mind, we`ve been asked to do this so many times but we just don`t enjoy playing it so that one`s a no-no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Alternatively, take the initiative and ask the audience if they have any requests. When they all start shouting over each other with their favourite songs, point to the back and say "what's that? xxxx by yyyy - alright then" and launch right into it. Of course, this trick doesn't work too well with only half a dozen people in the Dog & Duck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 We had a request for a Doors song (forget which one) a week or two ago, told him we didn't do requests. He then said 'But I wanted to buy the band a drink', so we changed our principles and gave him Roadhouse Blues (which was on the set list anyway). Principles are all very well, but a simple bribe usually overrules them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger2611 Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Bear in mind we are a bunch of 40 / 50 year old blokes playing the likes of The Jam, The Undertones, Blink 182 and The Cult, halfway through the last gig a muppet comes over and asks if we do any Rhianna, I didn't dignify his request with a response! We did learn One Way Or Another off the back of a request at a gig which is still in the set Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhay77 Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 [quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1385898298' post='2293244'] Bear in mind we are a bunch of 40 / 50 year old blokes playing the likes of The Jam, The Undertones, Blink 182 and The Cult, halfway through the last gig a muppet comes over and asks if we do any Rhianna, I didn't dignify his request with a response! We did learn One Way Or Another off the back of a request at a gig which is still in the set [/quote] I would "do" Rhianna.! Seriously though we have been asked to do loadsa different stuff and jam through a few even,make up the words and the audience love it,their the punters after all,its only a bit of fun anyway! Its great I think to take a song and do it in your own style,just think Me first and the gimme gimmes,you cant go wrong!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneyg42 Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 Playing in a classic rock covers band it comes as a bit of an insult to get some silly bint constantly shouting for Elkie Brooks. Unknown to me our girlie rock chick singer is a big Elkie fan. All of a sudden between her and b/f guitarist they suddenly launched into it. So we all busked along and it went down an absolute storm! It was a good gig up to that point but that really kicked it off fantastically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 If we know the number we'll play it, or we might do a number from the same artist. It's a cover band after all. The other bands might dedicate a number but probably won't do requests. The one thing that I really, really HATE, and won't play, is Happy Birthday. Dedicate a song to birthday boy/girl but don't play that bloody number! If the band does it they're on their own. They know they're playing it without bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted December 1, 2013 Share Posted December 1, 2013 We played a private party thia summer and a muscularly built eastern european gentleman came up to me mid-song pushed a £20 note into my shirt pocket and said "play [song]" I forget the exact song, but it was a pop-dance hit from the 90s that we don't know. I tried to explain we didn't know how to play it, but he was quite confused that we couldn't just knock it out of the top of our heads. Managed to get rid of him in the end though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Because of the nature of my band ( we play rocked versions of pop classics, think green day playing Bonnie Tyler/Katy Perry and you're about there) we get a lot of requests the two types of requests are generally those that 'get it' and those who get get their heads around what were doing and spend all night baying for Metallica or oasis. Despite the fact that that's clearly not what we do. I normally respond by saying something along the lines of 'no problem, this is a song by Metallica' before launching into a Kylie tune, or 'we don't do any oasis, but it's a little known fact that Liam Gallagher was an original member in this band' before playing Spice Girls or some such. That said I have a habit of claiming at least three songs a night are by the Vengaboys. I indulge my whimsy onstage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenYork Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 [quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1386000534' post='2294469'] I normally respond by saying something along the lines of 'no problem, this is a song by Metallica' before launching into a Kylie tune, or 'we don't do any oasis, but it's a little known fact that Liam Gallagher was an original member in this band' before playing Spice Girls or some such. [/quote] This exactly! My band are an 80s ish covers band and we get people asking for all kinds of rubbish but we very rarely play requests unless it is in the set already or part of the extensive back catalogue. The one song that has haunted us over the last few gigs is Purple Rain, I don't know why recently everyone has gone crazy for it. Maybe it's a sign...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Dave Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Ha! A favourite staple stage gag of mine - ' We've had a request.... but we're staying'!' Anyway - do I do requests. No. I play what I want to play not what someone else wants me to. That simple. However - if someone does ask for something , I offer instead to dedicate something we are going to play to them instead. This has less to do with not being a miserable twat than it has to do with getting said gullible william to buy me a pint. I consider it part of the game to get williams buying my drinks and have a number of simple tricks to aid that cause ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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