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Classics or modern wedding set list


Delamitri79

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Well folks

 

I'm in a 5 piece wedding band and we are all in our 30s and 40s and we're very busy and good at what we do. 

We have a manager who doesn't be at any of the gigs. 

Our set consists of all the big numbers you'd expect to hear at a wedding and songs that we know works. 

There isn't much, if any, really modern stuff. Nothing form the last 10 years. 

Our manager wants us to throw in at least 8 new songs from the last decade but we're not sure they'll really work. 

 

What do ye all think when it comes to keeping the floor full at a wedding. 

Does a lot of the modern (last 10 yrs) music work in that setting? 

 

Many thanks 

Derek 

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Being in a wedding band involves having a set list to cater for probably the widest audience

demographic you’ll ever encounter! As you point out, the most often played stuff is in the safe

zone of classic pop/ soul/rock which appeals to the widest section of the guests, but IMO you

shouldn’t ignore some newer stuff for the younger people ( maybe even the bride and groom!)

as well as having a few old tunes up your sleeve for the older folk or those guests who may

want to show off their ‘Strictly’ moves. This is especially important when there isn’t a DJ to

cater for these guests.

 

In my old function band, we’d maybe start with a bit of Sinatra ( so the older guests could have

a dance or two), then go into the pop stuff for the rest of the first set. Second set would be

gradually getting more current as the younger guests would often be the only people left, and 

usually hammered by this time! 
We used to get a lot of wedding work because we catered for all ages, which many bands could not.

It helped being an 8 piece with a brass section, enabling us to authentically cover most eras. For

us the hardest stuff was often the most current, but done in the right way we managed to 

pull it off. With the majority of couples getting married (and their friends) being late 20’s to mid

30’s it would be foolish to ignore their preferences. 
 

 

Edited by casapete
Stupidity
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I went to a niece’s wedding in the summer. The song that got the whole room dancing was unknown to me - the first I hadn’t recognised, let alone played. Apparently it was from Shrek the movie - so I reckon that’s a cert!

 

pS Just googled and its All Star by Smash Mouth. I had guessed Joe Jackson!

 

 

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50 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

Specifically last ten years? A lot of the bigger songs by Bruno Mars and Last Gaga are from 2000-2010. I know, it feels like they're "new"....

 

 

 

Yeah mainly the last 10 yrs as the manager wants to bring in stuff from very recent and current chart stuff altho I'm not convinced it'll work too well. The average person at a wedding wants to hear all the floor fillers

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7 minutes ago, Delamitri79 said:

 

 

 

Yeah mainly the last 10 yrs as the manager wants to bring in stuff from very recent and current chart stuff altho I'm not convinced it'll work too well. The average person at a wedding wants to hear all the floor fillers

Agree with you completely. 

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4 minutes ago, Mickeyboro said:

To put it bluntly, classics appeal to all ages. The newer you get, the bigger the risk of losing half your audience. 

Agreed, but bear in mind that the other half may be the bride & groom and their friends? A few good

recent tunes can help please everybody.


The real gift for wedding bands is when old songs become known by younger audiences, often when

used in films etc.  I’m thinking of all the Blues Brothers / Commitments stuff which made classic soul

more popular, all the Glee stuff, Shrek (I’m a believer), Peter Kay ‘500 miles’  etc etc. These songs 

work on multi levels, ideal for weddings. 

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Maybe some George Ezra?

 

The problem with playing music from the last decade is that in order to select what to play, one of you needs to subject yourself to music from the last decade. Perhaps allocate two  years apiece so with any luck you'll all come out the other side relatively intact.

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2 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Another vote for Uptown Funk.

But for the love of dog, play it on a 5 string so it has the low end booty. Playing an octave up ruins it.

 

Runaway Baby is another great high energy tune from Mr Mars.

 

Dua Lipa is a great shout too.

 

 

We did uptown for a few years but we dropped it cos it kinda started killing the vibe. Don't regret it either. Just wasnt sitting well in our set. 

I do play a 5 string L2500

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11 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Another vote for Uptown Funk.

But for the love of dog, play it on a 5 string so it has the low end booty. Playing an octave up ruins it.

 

Sounds fine on a 4 with a good octave pedal.

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  • 1 month later...

The problem with modern music is that it's popular for about 5 minutes then it gets forgotten about.

 

We've tried to keep up with the charts but you're lucky if you get 4 or 5 months out of a song before no-one wants to know.

 

Tik tok, Instagram and tv/movies are giving younger people access to older songs so we try to keep up with those

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