Medleys in Cover Bands: Ideas?

[TSJMajesty]

The last band I was in had a terrible habit of taking too long between songs, and letting the dance floor clear out. It drove me crazy.

Just before I quit, we started stringing a couple songs together and it worked really well. And I was thinking if I ever started gigging again, I'd just about have to insist on doing this. At the very least, having several songs in a row, with about the same tempo, and when one ends, go right into the next one.

I think it seems obvious, but I was also wondering if anyone took the medley idea even further. As in, taking parts of popular songs that don't necessarily "fit" with the type of music you play, (but not too far removed), and working them into medleys?

You know, maybe you can't stand Mustang Sally or whatever, and you play 80's & 90's popular/new wave/grunge/alt, somewhere in that vein, and you find a song where it can blend in well, so you do that instead. Or a ~5-song mix of those tired, played-to-death songs, just so you can get it done, without wanting to do something that would get you a ride to jail?

Does anybody do this sort of thing in their cover band? Or maybe you really want to cover some stuff that you enjoy playing as a guitarist, but would be crickets if you played the whole song, so you work up a medley of some parts of various songs that again, you wouldn't wanna play the whole thing... and just put it early in the set? Maybe you don't play country, but there's a few songs that people would want to hear, so you work them in that way...

Anyone have medley ideas like this, or anything else, that really goes over well for you?

 

[JiveTurkey]

Medleys are the best. I'm probably not the best candidate for enforcing medley choices that promote musical integrity though

 

[Bob Zaod]

Medleys are the best. I'm probably not the best candidate for enforcing medley choices that promote musical integrity though

Same here. My ideas include 'A whole lotta Pigs" which is a War Pigs/Whole Lotta love medley thing and a Take me down/Sympathy for the Devil mashup. The 2nd one not so bad I guess but the band still doesnt wanna do it. We DO have 1. It's a Stone in Love/Any Way you want it medley thing.

 

[Fireproof]

A band I used to know always did Folsom Prison Blues merged into I Like Big Butts (and I cannot lie). Lol. Or vice versa. Anyway it was so fun and a huge hit with the crowd.

 

[itchyfingers]

In my cover band we usually string together 2 or 3 songs based on the key, style of music, and sometimes the original band. We did these yesterday with a heavy dose of jamming for the transitions:

Rumble > Miserlou > Runnin Down a Dream (surfy tunes in Em)
Couldn't Stand the Weather > Ain't No Tellin > Communication Breakdown (classic rock)
Good Lovin > La Bamba > Beat it on Down the Line / Scarlett > Fire / China Cat > Rider (Grateful Dead)

 

[TSJMajesty]

fun and a huge hit with the crowd.

 

[AuntieDiluvian]

I've done a Doobie Brothers Medley in several forms. Always ends with Long Train Runnin', then China Grove

 

[la szum]

This is from way back. The singer/guitarist (Kevin McCreery) used to be my roommate, and was pretty
much an icon in the small town I grew up in. I learned so much from him. This may be the best medley
I have ever heard from ANY cover band. They were so good. It is VHS so I hope some of you guys get
through this. It's a bonkers Zeppelin medley. Really genius.

(Oh, and they follow the epic Zeppelin medley with Kim Mitchell's Might As Well Go For A Soda and
King's X's Dogman

I think you will be rewarded.

 

[AuntieDiluvian]

Anyone have medley ideas like this, or anything else, that really goes over well for you?

Start this at about 7:30. I saw this guy about two weeks ago, and this medley went over incredibly well......I may steal part of it myself......

 

[HotRats]

 

[DrewJD82]

Hahahaha one of my high school bands did a medley that went-

Enter Sandman-Bawitdaba-Creeping Death-Domination-For Whom The Bell Tolls

Whenever I play “Enter Sandman” now, when I hit the end I automatically start that Kid Rock riff out of habit, 20 years later.

 

[Fireproof]

Start this at about 7:30. I saw this guy about two weeks ago, and this medley went over incredibly well......I may steal part of it myself......

Wow - that was cool!

 

[KHAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!]

My Floyd Tribute did one the keyboard/singer dubbed "Eclipsed by Echoes of Brain Damaged Animals"

It was: Dogs, Sheep, Echoes. Brain Damage and Eclipse.

But I always thought that in a cover band it was important to pay attention to the dance floor. If it's full, go right into the next song. When it thins out, have a little break with so everyone can get a drink.

if you're the type of band that does a slow dance song now and then, don't give them a specific place in the set. Throw them in when there is a lull on the dance floor.

 

[eaeolian]

I've done a Doobie Brothers Medley in several forms. Always ends with Long Train Runnin', then China Grove

Can't go wrong with those two.
JWP did a lot of this - we had a couple that were very popular, especially our Get Lucky - Good Times - Rapper's Delight - Jungle Love - Uptown Funk mash up, and Play That Funky Music - We Want The Funk - Superstitious.