Get To Play A Big Gig. Help Me Choose More Songs Please.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mpayan, Apr 11, 2017.

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  1. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off Thread Starter

    Ive been invited to play solo at a benefit. I usually play with a band. They need a couple of opening acts though and asked me to open acoustically. Im excited about this but also stressed a bit (they'll be about 10,000 people at the benefit and two of the acts are professional bands and singers)

    The function wont be until August, so I have some time to get my act together so to speak. I need a great setlist. My style is more folk and a bit of country mixed in when I do solo work. Which isnt real often anymore. Im a bit rusty and would like any suggestions as to what to add to this set list. I need about ten songs.

    To give you an idea of what feel the set list will have, here are the ones Ive decided on so far:

    To Lives To Fly- Townes Van Zandt

    If I Could Read Your Mind- Gordon Lightfoot

    Buckets Of Rain- Bob Dylan

    I Shall Be Released- Dylan

    Anabelle- Gillian Welch

    Natural High- Merle Haggard

    Clay Pigeons-Blaze Foley


    Its tough to play solo some of the more upbeat stuff I usually play with a band. Songs like Honky Tonk Blues and Proud Mary dont come off so well by yourself. So Im also trying to come up with at least two more upbeat songs.

    I need at least a ten set song list to do a 45 minute set. I dont do in between song banter or jokes.

    Any ideas/help/suggestions for some more songs that will fit would be most appreciated.

    Thanks!
     
    melstapler and driverdrummer like this.
  2. seaisletim

    seaisletim Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia PA
    El Scorcho - Weezer ..but you'd need some real charisma to pull it off.
     
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  3. nbadge

    nbadge the stars were right

    Location:
    Walnut Creek, CA
    Angel From Montgomery - John Prine
    Bulbs - Van Morrison
    Torn And Frayed - The Rolling Stones
    Stories We Could Tell - John Sebastian
    Never Been To Spain - Three Dog Night
    Rowboat - Beck
     
    driverdrummer likes this.
  4. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off Thread Starter

    :laugh:



    Eeeeerhhhh....you are NOT helping :sigh:


    :D
     
  5. tim_neely

    tim_neely Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Central VA
    Believe it or not, the first one I thought of was one in your first post, "If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot.

    How about a Jim Croce song like "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" or "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song"?

    Or "From the Beginning" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

    Or "City of New Orleans" written by Steve Goodman.
     
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  6. sloaches

    sloaches Forum Resident

    Jim Croce's "Box #10" would be good. There's also "The Richest One" or "Tumbleweed" by Toni Price.
     
  7. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialist™

    Location:
    B.C.
    Gordon Lightfoot Sundown
    Jim Croce I Got A Name
    Johnny Cash I Walk The Line

    Possibly some John Mellencamp if you are able to slightly lean towards rock.
     
  8. The Elephant Man

    The Elephant Man Forum Resident

    If you write any of your own songs, throw some of those in the set.
     
    MoonPool, marc with a c, junk and 2 others like this.
  9. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
  10. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
  11. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Song's I'd play if I had an acoustic gig (no particular order):

    Graham Parker - Watch The Moon Come Down
    Neil Young - On The Way Home or Sugar Mountain
    Patti Smith - We Three or Dancing Barefoot
    The Who - I'm One
    Jefferson Airplane - Comin' Back To Me
    Rolling Stones - Wild Horses (hell, ya gotta do something the punters will know!)
     
  12. Spear and Magic Helmet

    Spear and Magic Helmet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nashville, TN
    John Prine has a ton of great songs that fit your style. Try "New Train" from Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings. It's pretty upbeat, had easy chords and is impossible to not tap your foot to...
     
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  13. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off Thread Starter

    Man I wish I could pull off some Warren. I have too much respect and admiration though.
     
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  14. Dillydipper

    Dillydipper Space-Age luddite

    Location:
    Central PA
    Turn some familiar uptempo rocker into a tender ballad. You might be surprised how your listeners might mistake you for the second coming of...I dunno, whomever.
    I heard Jonatha Brooke do a slow, intimate cover of "Eye In The Sky" on nylon string guitar, and it really made the lyrics that have been going in one ear and out the other for decades, suddenly mean something to me.
     
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  15. Daddy Dom

    Daddy Dom Lodger

    Location:
    New Zealand
    Fullbug likes this.
  16. Naughty Chord

    Naughty Chord Hole in my Socrates

    Location:
    Sub-Tropo Texas
    Just throwing this out there...
     
    Archtop likes this.
  17. Naughty Chord

    Naughty Chord Hole in my Socrates

    Location:
    Sub-Tropo Texas
    One more...
     
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  18. Naughty Chord

    Naughty Chord Hole in my Socrates

    Location:
    Sub-Tropo Texas
    OK, I lied. One more. Bonus Beatle points with this one...



    EDIT: By the way, I've covered all 3 of these acoustically. All 3 are lots of fun to play. However it was a duo rather than solo.
     
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  19. gregorya

    gregorya I approve of this message

    Maybe something by Elliot Smith...
     
  20. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    Just a thought -
    Are you at liberty to give us an idea what the charity is for?

    For example, one upbeat song, which is regarding "childhood" is
    "Growin' Up" by Bruce Springsteen.
     
  21. hominy

    hominy Digital Drifter

    Location:
    Seattle-ish
    I'd recommend Rose Parade.
     
  22. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off Thread Starter

    Sure. Its a benefit for educators.
     
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  23. Craig

    Craig (unspecified) Staff

    Location:
    North of Seattle
    Across The Great Divide - Kate Wolf
     
  24. Tom Perry

    Tom Perry Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Secret o' Life" - James Taylor

     
  25. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    I think these are some straight up bizarre choices for songs to be played in front of 10,000 people at a conference. Is the crowd going to start singing along to Blaze Foley and John Prine?
     
    Rooster_Ties, somnar and Fullbug like this.
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