7-19-13 Sets

[Niveous]

Hey SF'ers.

So, I have been thinking a lot about setlists lately, seeing as SFL is a short time away. I had been racking my brains trying to figure out what songs to put in my set and what order. I think I got it all figured out now.

My question for the day is: How do you think a setlist should be built? Where do you put the fast songs? The ballads? The hits?

[ken]

All Killer No Filler! Just play the hits.

[Caravan Ray]

Write a list.

Then halve it.

Leave them wanting more. Not less.

[Billy's Little Trip]

The best advice I can give you from experience:
1. Decide on and make your your final song the best. Your last impression is the most important.
2 Have an opener that sets up what you are all about. I personally think the first song should be peppy. It doesn't have to be your best song, just the song that shows your heaviest song. As if, this is our peak of our range and our set will be anywhere from here to complete silence. So get ready for a fuckin' kick ass show!
3. Everything between the opener and final song should be a mood/emotional roller-coaster. Never put two alike back to back, unless it's two songs that segue. Like if your set is one story and the songs are the chapters. But still, they should be happy, sad, wistful, funny, provocative, etc. Nothing better then doing a sad slow song, then after everyone is right there with, it ends and you break into a fast heavy song. They are there to party and you are there to drive the party bus!
4. An encore song! You may never need it, but always have one ready! Even if it's just a jam and you are giving a final thank you to everyone and an introduction of the band members and a little solo from each band member one at a time. I've never met a drummer that doesn't want a solo, lol.

That's about all I have.

[fluffy]

At SFLive, the livefight song is the encore. 20-minute sets don't leave a lot of room for theatrics.

I like to structure my sets such that the end of one song makes a natural transition into the next song. Like, Sometimes It's Hard To Keep Yourself Moving ends on a B chord, so I follow it with Baby Be Quiet which is a B7/B drone. Back in the day I'd also do a transitional thing with I Love You ending on G, playing a D then starting on Shipwreck (starts on Emin, ends on E), and then rounding out with Fool In The Middle which has the same chord progression as Shipwreck's chorus.

Basically it's all about keeping the flow going.

From my 2012 set list you can see that I had an overall chord progression that I was following. I also was careful to never have two E-key songs in a row (which is hard because like 80% of my songs are in E because I am lazy).

[Rabid Garfunkel]

For <30 minute sets, Ken's advice, definitely. BLT's advice I mostly agree with... except for #2. First song is the one that can survive everything going to hell onstage (voice, sound system, instrument failure, &c.) and still keep the audience's attention. Second song, second strongest, last song strongest.

Bonus points if the set ties together and/or tells a story thematically, like LPs used to do.

[Billy's Little Trip]

For <30 minute sets, Ken's advice, definitely. BLT's advice I mostly agree with... except for #2. First song is the one that can survive everything going to hell onstage (voice, sound system, instrument failure, &c.) and still keep the audience's attention. Second song, second strongest, last song strongest.

Bonus points if the set ties together and/or tells a story thematically, like LPs used to do.

That true. I can't count how many times we never even had time for a sound check and the house board guy is setting levels on the fly.