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

This one always brings smiles ...

 

Another Johnny Rivers hit, played acoustically, by the man who wrote it ...

 

Not sure what the benefit is for, but if it doesn't involve anything "alcohol" related, then maybe you could lay this great old acoustic song on them, originally done by Bob Shane of The Kingston Trio?

 

Neil Young-Field of Opportunity

 

Probably not. Not sure the goal is to have a 10,000 strong sing-along, though I'll let the OP field that question. But if it is his aim, as I suspect it is, to entertain and present some interesting songs to a receptive crowd, you could do a lot worse than Blaze Foley and John Prine

 

Johnny Cash songs are the first to come to mind. A Boy Named Sue could be a crowd pleaser.

 

If the audience are mostly "general-interest" level folks, at most (and not specifically music fans), I think you need more tunes the general public would recognize. I have some a "better-than-vague" familiarity with about 1/3rd of your list, but my wife (for instance), would only know maybe one or two of these tunes (at most), and even then, only vaguely. More speciifcally, I think she might know the Gordon Lightfoot tune, and possibly has heard "I Shall Be Released" a time or two (at most). And even with all my years of listening, I'm positive I've never heard 2/3rds of your initial list.

45 minutes is a pretty long set, actually, and that's a long time to ask people to listen mostly to music that most of them have never heard. Doesn't have to all be #1 hits, but I'd see if you can find a lot more "generally-familiar" material, if it were me. Just my 2 cents, fwiw.

 

I was thinking of that one!

 

Ok so maybe Im going to obscure. This isnt a coffee house presentation. Looking at what everyone has suggested.

Thanks! Keep em coming.

 

Hendrix - "Angel"

 

My goal is to spend April gathering the set. Then practicing and perfecting May- July.

All up for specific suggestions

 

I think so too. Play a bunch of unfamiliar tunes and out come the cell phones and off go the audience for beer & bathroom breaks. What's the age group of the audience? Once you have that number figure out what year they graduated from high school and choose songs from that era. They'll love your song selection. And keep the ballads to a minimum.

 

Ok I get it! Now give me more lists

 

Sure thing! What do you know about the age of the audience? What is the nature of the event? Is this a program that will draw classic country fans, blues, folk?

 

Skip ahead to 1:35 in this vid, to hear Michael Hedges covering Pete Townshend's well known Who song: "Eminence Front" - all acoustic and solo...

 

And another solo-acoustic "Eminence Front".

Given the frequent use of this tune in advertising in recent years, I suspect a LOT more people know this tune, than necessarily even know/realize it's by The Who.

 

here are more suggestions...

Death Of A Clown - The Kinks
Hands On The Wheel - Willie Nelson
Melissa - The Allman Brothers Band
Brain Damage / Eclipse - Pink Floyd
Yer So Bad - Tom Petty
I'd Run Away - The Jayhawks
Treetop Flyer - Stephen Stills
Raspberry Beret (seriously, it works) - Prince
You Wear It Well - Rod Stewart
Badge - Cream

 

Paul Simon: Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard

 

Wilco - One Sunday Morning x3. You can never get enough of it !

More seriously though what about some of these.

Crowded House - Something So Strong
ELO - Livin Thing
Del Amitri - Roll to Me
S&G - Only Living Boy
Moody Blues - Tuesday Afternoon
Traveling Wilburys - handle with care
David Gray - Babylon
Who - Substitute
Doobies - listen to the music
Glen Campbell - wichita
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
EJ - Rocket Man

 

So, just to be clear, is this 10,000 folks in a gig setting, with their full attention? Or background music for 10,000 people at a benefit gala dinner thing that just need background music (sort of like a bigger version of a wedding reception)? Having done both types of gigs (albeit not to 10,000 faces), it's less of a worry in the latter case, as long as it's not intrusive or peculiar, but also not one speed, so it'll catch an ear if someone's half paying attention.

Specific song-wise, I'm playing this quite regularly, and it'd have a nice non-specific message and sound optimistic, especially with one voice and guitar.

 

Too Much Monkey Business

Heroes

So Long, Marianne

Sometimes It Snows in April

Sorrow

Purple Rain

Centrefold

Sweet Home Chicago

We Are Family

My Ding-a-Ling

 

Ok, based on the advice in this thread to get some more familiarity and fun into the set; here is what I have so far:

Id Run Away- Jayhawks

Wagon Wheel- Darius Rucker version

Natural High- Merle Haggard

Glaveston-Glen Campbell

Clay Pigeons- Blaze Foley (my one obscure song, though it was done by John Prine also)

If You Could Read My Mind- Gordon Lightfoot

Proud Mary- CCR

Hold My Hand- Hooty And The Blowfish
Is This Love? (reprise) Bob Marley (then back to Hold My Hand)

Still kind of sketchy beginning and needs some glue to hold together the flow, but Im thinking this set (so far) is a bit funner and more well known than my initial list.

Nothing is set in stone and I am up for any further suggestions! I need about 3 more songs.

 

I'll offer a suggestion that's in line with what you play, but may not be quite of the ilk that you are looking for. However, I improv'ed a voicing for this track on guitar that might make it more accessible:

Sing Me Back Home; written by Merle Haggard but as performed by Grateful Dead. A very simple tune, but a very effective tune, especially the chorus. Perhaps the best version:


That said, if you can do Dylan's Visions of Johanna or Desolation Row any sort of justice, you'll bring down the house. Those two can be done as a singular acoustic musician just fine as long as you have an ego bigger than Earth.

 

Revised Setlist. What do you guys think?

Any further suggestions?

Still looking for one more uptempo song.



Id Run Away- Jayhawks

Wagon Wheel- Darius Rucker version

Make It Clear- original (medium fast tempo)

Natural High- Merle Haggard

Hot Burrito #1- Flying Burrito Brothers

Glaveston-Glen Campbell

Clay Pigeons- Blaze Foley (my one obscure song, though it was done by John Prine also)

If You Could Read My Mind- Gordon Lightfoot

Proud Mary- CCR

Hold My Hand- Hooty And The Blowfish
Is This Love? (reprise) Bob Marley (then back to Hold My Hand)

 

Your choices look excellent already. Here is one I thought of:

'The Deepening Snow' written by Harlan Howard