Building a Classic Rock Setlist

[WWLaidback]

How about Highway Star!

This street band tears it up!

Impressive. That reminds me. I need to look to classic rock show for ideas.

 

[WWLaidback]

Back In Black.

AC/DC has great songs, and the lead guitar is doable.
They are maybe a little bit misoginist, but still good material.
I don't see how Angus Young can play guitar flawlesly while twitching around the way he does.
Is he really playing or do they dub in the lead during the performances?

 

[aFewGoodTaters]

show me someone famous that said "NO YOU CAN'T".

You're essentially saying NO YOU CAN'T throughout this entire thread by rejecting nearly everyone's suggestions. It's too this or that, too much of a downer, not hip enough, too pop, too challenging. Christ.

 

[WWLaidback]

Did you post just to be contrarian and stir the pot?

No. My vision is to go back to the roots and repackage the material.
There is a lot of music mentioned here that I really like, but it doesn't fit the vision of a garage band croszsing over to mainstream.
Skynyrd is a good example of that, but I don't have the guitar horsepower.

 

[WWLaidback]

You're essentially saying NO YOU CAN'T throughout this entire thread by rejecting nearly everyone's suggestions. It's too this or that, too much of a downer, not hip enough, too pop, to challenging. Christ.

Rock is dead isn't it? I see a ray of life with Lenny Kravitz. He wrote the last great rock song. He said rock is dead. He is right isn't he? Imagine that. The last great rock song has no lead guitar. No wonder it died.

 

[nickmm]

AC/DC has great songs, and the lead guitar is doable.
They are maybe a little bit misoginist, but still good material.
I don't see how Angus Young can play guitar flawlesly while twitching around the way he does.
Is he really playing or do they dub in the lead during the performances?

Some advice start slowly learn the riffs to these songs.
With your skills you may have one playable as a jam on the riff at a school carnival in about 10 years.

Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
Song 2 - Blur
Come As You Are - Nirvana
Highway To Hell - AC/DC
Wild Thing - The Troggs
Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones
Paranoid - Black Sabbath
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream

 

[WWLaidback]

Listen to the Flower People
Stonehenge

because the spinal tap cover band next door will steal your audience.
Along with the ones that went to the Foo Fighters that night.

no music value. no talent.

 

[nickmm]

no music value. no talent.

Start slowly Smoke on the water is more your speed.

 

[FuzzWatt]

not bad. I've thought about those.
And I do appreciate it. Please don't take this as cristicism.

I think the younger crowd wants the basic rock sound a little more, without a whole lot of effects (other than over-drive, chorus, delay, and reverb), or a wangfest guitar solo that goes on for 5 minutes.

I ruled out Skynyrd because it requires more guitar power than I have, and goes too long on the solos.

Tom Petty's music is good, but the song selection is macabre.
I don't want songs about drugs, dying, etc.

Hollies Long Cool Woman has a great opening, but the part about working for the FBI aint so cool anymore.

Please don't get me wrong. I really do appreciate your inputs.

Let me please tell you what's out:
Hendrix -- nobody can measure up to him. Over-reliance on the wah pedal is outdated.
Metal -- the young people don't go for shred.
Van Halen for the same reason.
Songs about sleeze-bags -- like Mississippi Queen -- it's a great song, but just not the image I want to project.
Bread -- good music but it's too outdated
Bad Finger -- same
Foghat -- I'm avoiding slide guitar
Beetles -- too sophisticated
Stones -- out of date
Doobie Brothers -- great music, but maybe a little too pop.
Nugent -- just no.

So, I'm friends with a guy who's 60. He's in a band that does basically what you're going for. I've seen them live numerous times and audiences love their set list. Based on this personal experience, I would say this;

Classic rock to us (under 40 crowd) is 90's music. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, RATM, Weezer (Blue Album), Green Day (Dookie era), Spin Doctors, Sublime, etc. This has been the music I've seen younger audiences respond the best to.

That said, my friend's band also sprinkles in some personal picks like BTO, Earth Wind n Fire, Three Dog Night, etc, but they're aware that not a lot of younger people want to hear three hours of their father's/grandfather's music.

I say that with all due respect and admiration for my father's generation of music. My all time fav band is CCR, whom I've seen numerous times (well, Fogerty). I have no problems with old school classic rock, but I doubt I am most Millennials.

 

[Mjark]

Seems like you’ve eliminated about 85% at least of what’s worthwhile.

 

[WWLaidback]

Some advice start slowly learn the riffs to these songs.
With your skills you may have one playable as a jam on the riff at a school carnival in about 10 years.

Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple
Song 2 - Blur
Come As You Are - Nirvana
Highway To Hell - AC/DC
Wild Thing - The Troggs
Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones
Paranoid - Black Sabbath
Bad Moon Rising - CCR
All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream

Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple --- good song no doubt, but personal to Deep Purple.
Song 2 - Blur --- no talent
Come As You Are - Nirvana --- weird
Highway To Hell - AC/DC --- I don't plan to go there. I saw them in conceert
Wild Thing - The Troggs --- a great song in its day
Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones --- punk
Paranoid - Black Sabbath --- psych ward
Bad Moon Rising - CCR --- I saw them in concert. CCR is a band with roots. Swamp rock as they call it. How do you modernize it?
All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix --- and he is the benchmark that noboday can measure up to.
Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream --- early Clapton. I went to one of his concerts. I don't hear anyone redoing Clapton. Clapton is Clapton imho.

 

[WWLaidback]

Seems like you’ve eliminated about 85% at least of what’s what’s worthwhile.

How can it be repackaged?

 

[WWLaidback]

Start slowly Smoke on the water is more your speed.

yes, there is still some life in Deep Purple music. I agree with that. Ritchie Blackmore is really getting old now.

 

[2HBStrat]

I gotta ask this, and, no offense meant but, do listeners really want to hear all of this 50-60 year old music these days?

 

[Si G X]

The Jean Genie ..

and how do you feel about UK glam rock?

 

[Si G X]

I gotta ask this, and, no offense meant but, do listeners really want to hear all of this 50-60 year old music these days?

In a pub, where I didn't pay to get in? sure... I'd enjoy it as long as the covers weren't too obvious.

There's a band around here that plays 'fortunate son' ... it kicks arse imo. They play it more like the Clutch version though.

 

[Si G X]

Do this... just like this.... filthy fuzz isn't optional!!

 

[2HBStrat]

In a pub, where I didn't pay to get in? sure... I'd enjoy it as long as the covers weren't too obvious.

There's a band around here that plays 'fortunate son' ... it kicks arse imo. They play it more like the Clutch version though.

You? I assume you're a musician? You might like it but would 21-40 year old people who go to bars and clubs like it? Or is an older crowd assumed?

 

[Mjark]

How can it be repackaged?

I'm unsure what that means but any song can be rearranged if you have the skills to do it in an interesting manner.

 

[WWLaidback]

I'm unsure what that means but any song can be rearranged if you have the skills to do it in an interesting manner.

White Stripes is a good band. Alternatively speaking.
the eurythmics gender-crossover theme kind of puts me off a bit. Likewise for Bowie.