Should I choose my wedding band's set list for them?

Published: 13 Aug 2019   |   Written by: Mike Paul-Smith

This week, band manager Mike Paul-Smith tackles one question we're asked more than most... 

When we get booked to provide live music for wedding receptions or corporate events, we often get asked:

Can I choose the band’s set list?

 

This is a tricky question to answer, and doing so opens a whole can of worms as my answer to this question is both simple and complicated.

The simple answer is “yes”; the more complicated answer is, “sure you can… but do you really want to?”

In theory there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t sit at home before your wedding or party, using our repertoire lists to plan out exactly what songs the band should play and in what order – and usually it will work out fine.

However, there’s quite a few reasons why I think that doing this is a bad idea – but I do have a solution at the end of the article for you to consider.

(Just as an aside, if you want to know more about requesting songs not on our repertoire list, click here)

Why shouldn’t you choose the band’s set list? Well, the beauty of booking a live band like Down for the Count is that we perform at events every week, and have honed our craft over the past 15 years. We really do know what songs are the best at getting people dancing, and indeed which songs particularly suit the band.

Even more importantly, I think we’re skilled at creating set lists that flow throughout an evening. There are certain songs that work well at getting people on the dancefloor; other songs that are great at keeping them there; and yet more which are perfect for closing sets or finishing the night.

I always think that when you’re booking a live band for your event, a lot of what you’re paying for is our experience and expertise – and if you choose our set list, you’re not getting everything you paid for.

There are three more reasons I don’t think you should pick the band’s entire set list:

1. We react to what we see in front of us on the night. We read the audience and react mid-song; if the song is going down really well, we’ll extend it on-the-fly with extra solos, vamps, and choruses, adding a great level of spontaneity to our performance which we just can’t have if you’ve chosen the set list for us. To put it frankly, what you may think would be a good idea when sat at home planning the set list doesn't always translate to real life!
2. We also plan more songs than we think we’ll need for the set, allowing us to be flexible – for example, if Song A has gone down a storm, then maybe we think Song C would be better choice for you than Song B at keeping people on the dancefloor. If you’ve chosen the set list for us, we don’t feel we can be as spontaneous as we usually are which is always a shame.
3. Many of our soul and Motown songs are performed in medleys, with seamless transitions between the songs – and you definitely don’t want to interrupt those by cutting certain songs, because having 10 minutes of live music with no gaps is a really great way of keeping people on the dancefloor.

 

Mike's suggestion

With all that in mind, here's my suggestion if you do find yourself wanting to choose the band's set list:

Instead of picking the band’s set list, what I’d encourage you to do is take a look at the repertoire list about six weeks before your event. For each 60 minute set, highlight the 8 songs you would most like to hear – and also cross out any songs which we shouldn’t play, for reasons we don’t know about (maybe it was a special song with an ex, or a song that is otherwise sentimental for all the wrong reasons!). 

We can then combine your choices with songs we know work the best at getting everyone dancing, which means we end up with a set list that includes some of your favourites but also gives us the right level of flexibility and spontaneity.

That way we can maximise the band’s impact at your event, giving you the party of a lifetime.

Any questions?

We're always on the end of the phone to discuss live entertainment at your event - get in touch today!

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