Calling out requests at gigs – C/D?

Inspired by the 'Freebird' discussion, did a search but couldn't find anything specifically on this. The arguments against the practice are overwhelming – ppl calling for an obscure album track or B-side to advertise the fact that they are hardcore fans, for example. And yet, something in me finds it hard to resist doing this on occasion. I've even been successful a couple of times in getting bands to play songs. Anything that encourages a little humorous interaction between the artist and the audience has to be a good thing, right?

apparently Ryan Adams isn't keen

At an Elbow gig last week someone calling for "A Day Like This" was immediately followed by someone else shouting out 'play what you like!' to great applause.

Bands have setlists generally

Like literally the only time this is OK is if a) the band asks for it or b) its an encore that's clearly run past the limits of their setlist

yeah i don't think i've ever shouted a song title at a show in my entire life. once a band i like asked for requests on twitter and i made a few song suggestions.

Was watching Kiss at Rock Am Ring on TV the other night, and Paul Stanley asked for requests. He then prowled the front of the stage for about 45 seconds till someone finally called out for whatever was actually next on the setlist (Lick It Up, in this case). Have been at gigs where the singer has tried the same trick, only for no one to call out for the song they're going to play, and having to brush the actual requests under the metaphorical carpet.

But then I have been at gigs where bands have clearly made an impromptu setlist detour in response to a request, and like Anagram I think that's great. But shouting out for obscure B-sides to prove your knowledge is a massive dud, and should not be done by anyone over 16.

like it it was one guy near the stage who shouted one request a couple times clearly enough that the band could hear him and actually consider or respond to the request, that's okay, but it seems like when it rains it pours and there's like 20 dudes shouting a whole setlist's worth of requests between every song and it kind of puts a damper on the show.

On the Pavement "Live In Koln" album that they released last year for Record Store Day, there's a beautiful moment in which an audience members yells out, in heavily-German-accented English, "Cut Your Hair!" to which Bob Nastanovich replies, "You got it!" and they launch directly into the song.

We used to enjoy it until after Toys in the Attic but now people think it looks self-serving, like it's "show me that you like my stuff" which is a shame - if I ask for a request, it's sincere, it means the next thing on the list doesn't seem like it really fits the moment and I'm looking for ideas - but (no complaints) we're in arenas now & when people start yelling titles it's 1/3 mishmash of stuff you can't make out, 1/3 some joke song we did that people just yell because it's sort of our localized "free bird," and 1/3 "free bird" which always makes me go "well, I should know better than to ask for requests now" - still when I do An Evening With Steve Tyler shows, it's enjoyable to take requests, actual spontaneity can still be the best time you can have at a show imo

Dud. It actually makes me feel uncomfortable when people do this.

requesting the joke song or tossed off cover in the band's back catalog is the worst. like the fact that he covered "Since U Been Gone" has become the bane of Ted Leo's existence because now people feel the need to request it at every show.

^^ Agreed BUT I saw the Get Up Kids a while ago and someone requested their cover of "Close to Me" and I was all rmde at first but they were really nice about it and played it right away and the whole mood was of the show was sort of jokey and fun anyway. I was standing right at the front and thought well, fuck it, and jokingly shouted for their cover of Beer for Breakfast. Thankfully they laughed and thought it was awesome and went right into it.

Think that's the only time I've ever done that.

No, the worst thing is people requesting stuff by one of the band members former band.

Yeah, this mostly annoys me. There always seems to be someone or some group shouting for "Dirty Frank" between every single fucking song at Pearl Jam shows, so annoying. Like, great, I'm happy you are so clued in to know about their first album B-sides but a) that song actually sucks and no one really wants to hear it and b) SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.

requesting the joke song or tossed off cover in the band's back catalog is the worst. like the fact that he covered "Since U Been Gone" has become the bane of Ted Leo's existence because now people feel the need to request it at every show.

lol, Ted should enjoy it now, because ten years from now it'll really be properly annoying but you're a huge dick if you do anything but smile about it

No, the worst thing is people requesting stuff by one of the band members former band.

― ka£ka (NickB), Wednesday, March 9, 2011 9:28 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

Yeah, that's pretty bad.

I've only ever done it after the main set when it's the encores. as stated above the main set is decided by setlist but things can be a bit more flexible during the encores.

I've seen both Aimee Mann and Lisa Loeb ask for requests at shows and actually play them. Someone asked Aimee to play "Jacob Marley's Chain" and she almost couldn't remember how. Had to sit down at the piano and figure it out.

I've seen Nina Nastasia do that as well.

I've probably told this story before, but seriously one of the best moments at a show I can remember is when Dirty Three called out for requests. A woman in the crowd shouted something from Ocean Songs. Warren Ellis apologized and said he couldn't quite remember how it went, but could she hum it? She said, "I can play it on violin!" So he invited her up on stage and she actually played the part while Mick Harvey and Jim White dutifully backed her up.

who cares if people are requesting songs, the musicians are the ones with the mikes and the setlist

Alan Sparhawk from Low tends to ask audiences at gigs, but then get's into one of his long awkward 'so what's up' exchanges with a noisy audience member, everyone gets distracted and they plow on with the set anyway. (nearly everybody shouts for Two-Step btw)

Funny you should say that, that exact thing happened to me last time I saw them and yes, I called for "Two-Step". He said something like "you'll get yours" and sure enough they played it later on. although who's to say whether they would have played it anyway.

I've only ever done it after the main set when it's the encores.

this is the time to do it ^^

the worst thing ever is people calling out requests for "the hit" during the first 5-10 minutes of the show -- like, the Pixies are NOT gonna forget to play "gigantic" and "where is my mind" -- you don't have to request them immediately and frequently, and you are not doing them a favor by reminding of songs they play every fucking night

Craig Finn used to respond to shouted requests by saying: "Yes, that's one of our songs." Made me laugh first time I saw him do it.

XP - I've asked Low to play 'Swinging' a couple of times, nearly worked once at the Spitz club, but I got the impression the new bass guy didn't know it.

I only yell requests for "highway star"

First time I saw Lou Barlow solo he was up against obnoxious idiots chanting for 'Freak Scene' every 30 seconds. I was horribly drunk so shouted for thing like 'Land Of The Lords' and 'Queen Of The Scene', the latter of which was written by his wife who it transpired was standing next to me oh the embarrassment.

I've got a bootleg of a Greg Dulli / Mark Lanegan show where someone's yelling for a song, can't remember which, and Lanegan, who pretty much never talks on stage, said gravely, "How's about we play something we feel like playing?"

At a Dylan show in I think 1991 I yelled for "Man in the Long Black Coat" and he played it next, though I don't know if it was conicidence. He then proceeded to sing a verse from Sara in the middle of the song (the music is similar): "Now the beach is deserted except for some kelp..."

Heard on an REM boot (Hammersmith Palais '85)

Mid gig general shouting, requests for Wolves etc:

Mills (in a whiny voice) - Can I get a word in?
Stipe - *sigh*
Mills - this is how democracy works

Also: if you want to see Neil Young get pissed off, yell for Southern Man or Rockin' in the Free World during a quiet solo acoustic set at a nice theater.

Bands have setlists generally

― open jason segal (Whiney G. Weingarten), Wednesday, March 9, 2011 7:56 AM (2 hours ago)

srsly can't believe the Bieber/Weingarten Duo didn't play my request for "One Time" -- didn't u hear me screaming for it ;_;

Hear on a Meat Puppets bootleg (Italy early 90's radio broadcast gig iirc)

Guy - IN A CAR!!
Kurt - (incredulous) In a car??? wooaaah..
Chris - that was a different band man
Kurt - yea, we're a corporation now
Chris - like McDonalds

I sometimes do this cos I have a tendency to get a little over-enthusiastic when I'm drunk and excited, but then for the rest of the gig I'll be full of shame and embarrassment with the sound of my voice echoing over and over in my own head.

^^ That for me, too.

I may do this but I'm not insistent about it. They can always ignore me or refuse to play the request so I figure little harm is done.

I become more insistent throughout the gig until I'm onstage with the performers yelling in their faces HIGHWAY STAR HIGHWAY STAR

Guy - IN A CAR!!
Kurt - (incredulous) In a car??? wooaaah..
Chris - that was a different band man
Kurt - yea, we're a corporation now
Chris - like McDonalds

Guy totally missed his window not immediately shouting "Have it your way!" then repeating his request.

Best request I ever heard at a show was the guy who wouldn't stop screaming at the top of his lungs 'CHICKAMAUGA!!!" during a breather during a Wilco set.

omg

(i love that song)

It's lame in general cuz a. The band usually has a set and not-too-flexible setlist, and B. Some people use it more as a vehicle to brag about how old school a fan they are by requesting an early tune, C. They usually don't shut up about it until it's played.

That said, I still do it sometimes (lol). Also Brutal Truth actually asked the crowd what to play at a few points when I saw them last year...and obliged.

It's also easy to call out the bullshitters, like this dude at Deicide kept asking for one song, even after they played it. He didn't shut up until his mistake was loudly pointed out by me and others.

Also was annoying finally seeing Savatage for the first time, and hearing some fucknut say "Fuck this, play Sirens" anytime the band had the gall to play a song written after 1983

I only do this at stadium shows where it's impossible for me to be heard, like Cure concerts. I always shout for b-sides, usually "Home", "This Twilight Garden", "New Day", "A Man Inside My Mouth", "Descent" or "A Chain of Flowers". I do this partially as cathartic release but mostly because I am totally showing off for the people sitting around me wondering who the short black guy who wandered into the wrong venue is.

OMG that was you yelling those at the Agganis? How embarrassing.

The Wedding Present honored 2 of my requests on 2 different occasions:
4.23.92: "Kennedy" (probably not a big deal, it was one of their usual songs)
5.23.93 "Crawl" (b-side that I was really feeling prior to that show and Gedge said "ah, good one", thankfully the band knew it).

weird, checking their concertography it was the same venue exactly 13 months apart.

xp: hahaha yes, yes it was

People do this a lot at Ween shows, but the weird thing is that it's always for dumb half-songs like "Big Jim" or "Fat Lenny" (well, "Big Jim" live is amazing). I think they are one of the few bands that actually does take requests from time to time. The Cat's Cradle set has a pretty funny version of what was posted above; Gene asks for requests and rattles off the songs that the audience is requesting, before saying "Nope, we don't do any of those live"...classic moment

Weird how the Sleater-Kinney masturbator would always request that one Crash Test Dummies song at every show no matter who was playing #indiesexpestsof2002

oooww thats a pet peave... Don't yell the title of a song of a member of the band's other band... I'll snap!

yelling a request for a 15-year-old zine flexidisc b-side: better or worse than yelling for the hit?

i think worse, but whatevs

better than yelling for the hit.. There was a song that Deftones did for one of the Crow movie soundtracks that I'd love to hear live..

lolololol you remember the recent Natalie Merchant tour where she was playing all of those songs she wrote based on Elizabethan poetry and was wandering around the stage wearing that stupid mask? Imagine how much better that would have gone had she inserted "Like The Weather" or "Because The Night".

― ancient, but very sexy (DJP), Wednesday, March 9, 2011 5:17 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

yo hold up...WHAT??

i have not been doing my due dilligence on wtf natalie merchant tours

nabisco to thread

i actually did this drunk at the richard bishop show i saw last year cuz he was playing all that spaghetti middle eastern surf music and between songs i yelled "BEACH BLANKET BONG-OUT!" cuz all of a sudden i really wanted to hear some JFA because i love JFA and i figured he might actually know it cuz he used to play shows with JFA back in the day. but he didn't play it. and i felt like a big drunk idiot.

Merchant ref reminded me that I flew American Airlines a couple weeks ago, and in both Los Angeles and Chicago, the plane piped "Like the Weather" through the cabin immediately upon landing.

yelling a request for a 15-year-old zine flexidisc b-side: better or worse than yelling for the hit?

worse. yelling for the hit = "I wanna hear the fucking hit!" yelling for the flexidisc b-side: "look at me! I am so cool!"

people who don't play the one hit. bad or good? do people actually do this though? people who play their one hit twice! bad or good? i actually enjoyed this when i saw musical youth in the 80's.

Also Brutal Truth actually asked the crowd what to play at a few points when I saw them last year...and obliged.

omg I would be the total ass that requests "Prey"

worse. yelling for the hit = "I wanna hear the fucking hit!" yelling for the flexidisc b-side: "look at me! I am so cool!"

exactly. there's no way the band remembers how to play it anyway

At a 1999 Who show someone yelled out "Happy Jack!" They all looked at each other, said, "Hmm, do we still know that one?" and tore through it (with a bump or two along the way). It was the first time they'd played it live since 1970. So if a moment like that can happen at a show, I'm all for it (provided it's done in a non-dickish way, which is probably asking the impossible).

trying to think of instances where i've seen a band open w/ their biggest hit. here's one. Tool, 2001-02, Lateralus tour, band comes out, drunk asshole in audience: "Sober!!!" and Maynard looks at him like "o rly?" and the band TEARS through it

saw T.Swift open w/ "You Belong with Me" but obv that one was planned.

people who don't play the one hit. bad or good? do people actually do this though? people who play their one hit twice! bad or good? i actually enjoyed this when i saw musical youth in the 80's.

― scott seward, Wednesday, March 9, 2011 7:56 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

has there ever been a thread about that? i feel like there should've been but i don't remember one.

ON the Vapor Trails tour, Rush was opening with 'Tom Sawyer'... It definitly set a tone, like.. holy shit, this is gonna be an amazing set!
And it was! 1hr, 30 minutes, 15 minute break,, then another hour and 20 mins... and stil there was shit that didn't get played, like Xanadoo(sp?)

Probably the best heckle of a band: The band (doesn't matter who; you can try it yourself if you want!) plays their first song and up front some guy is enthusiastically applauding and screaming "One more! One more! One more!"

A friend did this and the singer looked at him with a hurt look and said, "Dude... We just started!"

How about "after the gig"?

I asked Moe Tucker about not playing "Guess I'm falling in love" the second time I saw her (this time with Sterl), "ah, we can't play everything every night you know" she replied. "Oh, I know.." I started at which point she turned to the rest of the band and said "actually, we haven't played that one for a long time!"

So, if you watched Moe and band after they played Reading Uni, or the VU reunion, that "Guess I'm falling in love" you heard was down to me.

that's pretty cool. one time i interviewed a band before a show and at the end of the interview they started writing out the setlist and asked me if I had any suggestions, and they added one or two of my favorites to the set, which was awesome.

Springsteen has this thing whereby audience members write requests on signs and he collects them all and chooses the ones he likes. That's pretty fun. But the best thing happened the last time I saw him. This girl was near the front on someone's shoulders and the camera zoomed in on her. She was wearing a T-shirt with "JERSEY GIRL" written on it. She took off the T-shirt (she had a bra on underneath) and passed it forward so that it got handed up to him onstage. Bruce held it up to the camera and said "Well, I never expected that.... I guess we're gonna have to play this one for ya." He hardly ever plays it and had never played it before outside the US.

So there's a message for all female gig-goers. Taking your top off can get your request played.

yeah that's probably a good way to handle it for someone like Springsteen where requests are inevitable. i wonder if anyone in a band has ever just pointed someone out in the crowd at random and gone "you! got any requests?"

PJ fans did similar stuff...once during an entire North American tour everyone would come with 'BREATH' signs

but becuase they're so Grateful Dead-like now with their shows they've slowly been rolling through all their b-side random stuff so the signs kind of petered out. But yeah, there's always the 'Dirty Frank' shouters who are just kind of w/e

Richard Thompson has always taken a lot of requests but some of the shows on his upcoming tour are going to be all-request shows. I think that's pretty awesome and can't think of any other artist who's played a show like that.

can't think of any other artist who's played a show like that.

Really?

I hope he still likes playing "Shoot Out the Lights".

can't think of any other artist who's played a show like that.

Really?

OK then who else

To start: Yo La Tengo, every year, since like forever.

Also this:

http://www.pollstar.com/blogs/news/archive/2009/05/14/666987.aspx

It's the lesser-known cousin of the "playing the whole album" schtick.

I didn't know Yo La Tengo did it. But that voting thing is not the same.

Yo La Tengo does it on WFMU every year. People call in and pledge money and they'll play literally any song, really. It's great fun. I don't really see how the voting thing is different. I love RT, but if it's just a show where every person in the audience is gonna yell loudly after every song for their own personal favorite/obscure tune it sounds like a nightmare tbh.

Think Beck did it a few years back

Decemberists too.

Elvis Costello has done it too.

Well that's the point of the RT one, that it's done right there with the audience at the same time and in the same room. That makes it different from the voting thing and, if I'm understanding you correctly, the YLT one (if the set is essentially decided by phone callers). I don't think such a show would be a nightmare, it would also be great fun

xxp

I mean not that your average RT audience is a bunch of hooligans but it would suck to be surrounded by a sold-out theater of 500 people and only like 1 in 10 got to hear the song they wanted.

i'd go if they banned all post-linda material

but then you'd miss "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" which is actually his best song ever

Didn't the Placemats sometimes play whatever fool song was called out by the audience?

Belle and Sebastian do that.

Bowie did this on a "final" tour ... which may have even been his final tour

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_a7hckw4GyS0/TST8CNLTUOI/AAAAAAAAAGI/IpixMNRRSes/s1600/ween_all_request_live-735218.jpg

have seen Smudge do this at a duo show, when A. Ga11oway was having a babby, by handing out a handwritten sheet of every song they could do without drums, and asking that it be passed around and a new person be ready to call for something off the list when each song was done

trying to think of instances where i've seen a band open w/ their biggest hit. here's one. Tool, 2001-02, Lateralus tour, band comes out, drunk asshole in audience: "Sober!!!" and Maynard looks at him like "o rly?" and the band TEARS through it

I saw the Charlatans on one of their early US tours and they opened with "The Only One I Know."

OK then who else

Jon Brion has (or used to have, anyway) a night at the Largo where he'd play two sets; the first one would be all original material, while the second would be 100% cover songs. apparently the audience used to try to stump him but never did.

as much as I hate this practice I find myself doing this at Deicide shows all the time, but mostly because it's really hilarious to hear a bunch of nerdy metalheads shouting out blasphemies:

"DEAD BY DAWN!!!!1"
"HOMAGE FOR SATAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!!"
"BEHEAD THE PROPHET!1!!!1"
"WHEN SATAN RULES HIS WORLD!!!1!"

To the drunken 20somethings that were in the bar not attending the show, they might have thought a coven was meeting

(the setup is interesting - the venue is a small room in the back of a three room bar, with separate admission for the concert venue, meaning that regular patrons don't have to pay to get into the bar. in the first room of the bar, a DJ plays music and they show music videos, usually of pop and hip-hop tracks. the second room is outside the venue and has a smaller bar and beer pong tables, and then there's the venue.

has really shitty sound which is disappointing but it's funny because you'll see all these well dressed preppy kids grinding on each other in the first room and every time a band stops playing, all these hairy smelly tattooed metalheads walk out into their bar and get strange looks from the non-concert goers.

i've shouted requests at tiny venues (and occasionally, esp when i comprised 10% of the audience, have been humored). my fave request i've ever made tho was shouting for seven nation army at a von bondies concert in 2004

when I saw Momus play in Manchester some guy kept shouting really loud for him to do 'The Guitar Lesson'

"Paint it black you devil!" - get yer yayas out

"Play a good song!" - pcppep

Only ever did this once. I requested "Kick you in the head" at a Built to Spill show. No regrets.