Oddest song request yet for my 1950s rock and roll band

[GigsbyBoyUK]

Saturday night, this crazy woman asked for - demanded - Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon.

This was after two hours of nothing but Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran etc.

She was surprised and upset that we didn't play it.

Unbelievable.

[mrmorrison]

Originally Posted by GigsbyBoyUK

Saturday night, this crazy woman asked for - demanded - Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon.

This was after two hours of nothing but Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran etc.

She was surprised and upset that we didn't play it.

Unbelievable.

Play some Metallica!

[stax]

I did the Pavillion r&r club in London the weekend (with my new Sessionette Retrotone btw :) and a rather large Ted asked if it was possible on our next vist to do a ‘bit of British’ which is fair enough but three months ago my band (rockabilly/r&r) got asked to do ‘Living on a prayer’ by Bon Jovi?? Unfortunately my slightly caustic reply was met with me having my first punch up since I was a kid.
just got back from having another x-ray on my right hand which I’ve buggered up, best to laugh it off in the future.

[PinewoodRo]

Don't you play any Abba? We get asked almost everytime

[mlove3]

"She was surprised and upset that we didn't play it.Unbelievable."

It is very beleivable to me, that entitled to hear my favorite song immediately attitude rears it's ugly head all the time. We had a girl request 'runaway' by Bon Jovi, we don't know it but played both dead or alive and living on a prayer, and SHE STILL COMPLAINED LOUDLY!

One word: Alcohol.

[GigsbyBoyUK]

Originally Posted by stax

I did the Pavillion r&r club in London the weekend (with my new Sessionette Retrotone btw :) and a rather large Ted asked if it was possible on our next vist to do a ‘bit of British’ which is fair enough but three months ago my band (rockabilly/r&r) got asked to do ‘Living on a prayer’ by Bon Jovi?? Unfortunately my slightly caustic reply was met with me having my first punch up since I was a kid.
just got back from having another x-ray on my right hand which I’ve buggered up, best to laugh it off in the future.

So we both have Pro Reverbs and Sessionettes, and both play rock and roll? Nice.

We've been throwing some British numbers in among the American ones, but general pub/club audiences definitely prefer Chuck Berry to Wee Willie Harris!

I am always polite when these mad requests come in. l would hate to think how I would end up after a fist fight.

[OlRedNeckHippy]

FREEBIRD!

[RollingBender]

One time while playing with a classic rock band, we had a gentleman in his late 40's request something by John Phillip Sousa???

[bargoedboy]

I was playing a 4pc rock band when I was asked by a guy in a suit do we do any classic stuff ? I thought Free Deep purple, Bad Company and he said no Classical , Mozart, Beethoven etc

[McGlamRock]

Originally Posted by OlRedNeckHippy

FREEBIRD!

We use to hack our way through that one when ever someone had the nerve to request it. Our defense to our inevitabley poor performance was always, "Hey- you asked for it!"

[Short Circuit]

We are a classic rock band and one night before we went on I had a lady ask me if we were playing a certain song(cant remember the name, some sort of a newer dance tune or something).
I had never heard of it and she told me that she heard the song when she came in the upstairs bar and thought we were playing it.
I explained to her that we are a classic rock band and she must have heard the song on the juke box upstairs.
She looked at me funny and said that maybe we should bring the jukebox downstairs to listen to and without even thinking I replied to her that would be a good idea then I could get the eff out of here at a decent hour instead of getting home at four effin thirty in the morning. She walked away from me in a huff but later came back and apologized for the comment.
Oops

Mark

[Triton Thrasher]

Just say "yeah that's on after the next couple of requests."

[LightninMike]

The setup: New Years Eve
Place: 55 and over Community here in South Florida
Time: Dinner is being served with a light Jazz set going on....

A woman walks up and starts pounding on the stage "Play some F*&^%^&n Hendrix!.... I wanna Hear some F*&^%^&n Hendrix" ... after the band shortened up the song to calm her down, the band leader replied " We just drank the punch, so maybe next set we will be feeling that vibe for ya"...
her husband came up during the next song wanting to pick a fight with the band leader.... they left shortly thereafter, with some assistance

now mind you this was a guy on baby grand, a guy on hollow body guitar, a bass player and a drummer playing with brushes

[Open G Tele]

I don't get offended by requests.
I've always looked at requests as audience participation.
That's something to encourage.
It's not something to get snarky about.
Good bands get requests.
Professionals should learn how to deal with them respectfully.

[jackal]

Unless there is a really big tip involved, I wouldn't try a song so far outside of the groups' range. But if any one member can do the song and the rest can fake it and if the gig is somewhat informal, we might just give it a try.
But you gotta wonder what is in some folks head to request something so far out from what they've been hearing.

[T. Grum]

Ran into an Elvis impersonator at Horton Plaza in San Diego who said he'd sing any Elvis song for a dollar. So I paid him the money and asked for "Clambake." He goes, "Clambake!?!" And I snickered and say yeah. He said he'd sing "Blue Suede Shoes" instead and did so.

Clambake is my favorite Elvis movie but my prefered song, which I didn't know the name of at the time, is "Hey, Hey, Hey" from the same movie. It cracks me up that Elvis sings about the experimental fiberglass resin he had invented.

Haven't been back to that area since, but if I run into him again, or any other "Elvis" claiming to sing any of his songs, that's going to be my pick.

[rokdog49]

Years ago at a friends wedding the music was provided by a Polish band complete with accordion and everything. About half-way through their second set a friend of mine yelled at the top of his lungs "Play some Zeppelin man". The place roared in laughter while the band performed "Who stole the kishka" You just can't win :}

[mlove3]

"Good bands get requests.
Professionals should learn how to deal with them respectfully."

True. And some people cross the line by getting indignant and disrespectful if they're not hearing exactly what they want when they want it. Even the greatest cover band in the world CAN be stumped, and even if they play something from the same artist that often isn't enough to appease drunken a$$@#^&%s who just can't be pleased. Any professional knows that, so ya deal with it and move on.

No snarky, just commenting on how it's all part of the gig.

[stax]

Originally Posted by mlove3

"Good bands get requests.
Professionals should learn how to deal with them respectfully."

True. And some people cross the line by getting indignant and disrespectful if they're not hearing exactly what they want when they want it. Even the greatest cover band in the world CAN be stumped, and even if they play something from the same artist that often isn't enough to appease drunken a$$@#^&%s who just can't be pleased. Any professional knows that, so ya deal with it and move on.

No snarky, just commenting on how it's all part of the gig.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

[wallis222]

My old man was playing in Northern Ontario years ago in a town called Thunder Bay. At some point during the show the audience started demanding a song called "Slow Motion Walter". The band was confused and said that they didn't know that one. The crowd couldn't believe it. Then one of the guys in the band asked if someone could sing a bit of it for him.

...

Turned out they were asking for "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple.