[Tim Bowen]

I've heard that Willie Nelson considers the tune Whiskey River to be "roll call" for his shows, and usually dives into it with that one.

The only act that I've been associated with that always starts off with the same tune is my duo. Our "roll call" is No Expectations. We've launched off with original tunes and covers by other folks on a few occasions, but for us, it's never quite the same as starting the evening with this Rolling Stones tune. It's medium tempo, and for my partner, it's medium vocal range. I don't sing harmony on the tune, and I can take as many instrumental rides as I'd like until I've got a handle on the acoustic properties and quirks of the venue. By the time the tune is done, we've introduced ourselves to the room, I've tweaked my circuits, we've tweaked the PA - which we do on the fly - and we're good to go. We're two guys that are typically charged with entertaining a roomful of folks for 3-4 hours, sans rhythm section (other than ourselves), and for us, this tune sets our parameters and acts as our divining rod.

Regardless of whom I'm working with, I'll always push towards a comfortable opening number, and there are plenty of ways to project such while still maintaining "attitude". If there's a technically ambitious tune that I know in my heart of hearts will translate better after all involved have managed to get comfortable within their environment, I'll (strongly) suggest that such be positioned accordingly within a projected set list.

I can't begin to say how many times I've witnessed project leaders all intent on "kicking ass" from jump street (a good thing, at least in theory) - but in effect, asking drummer and/or rhythm section to be 'ON' from the first downbeat; If they're seasoned, sure, they can deliver it, but chances are pretty good that the set will transpire better with pacing that recognizes how human beings operate under newfound conditions (live environment, no matter how many times you've been there). Jeff Beck doesn't start his set with "Space Boogie".