That's exactly what we do, only with four songs. Straight in your face, motherfucker. We once tried opening with a slower song to give people time to come in, and they didn't, so full force now.

And I'd also never open with a cover. This looks like you ain't got the guts to show your own material. Fuck it - you're on stage, so your stuff is good enough to open the show.

 

Besides, we do no covers at all, we just steal and "quote" as much as we can - the fun is even bigger when in the middle of your own song you start singing some well-known tune or play some notorious riff, and you see people's faces going: "Hey, I know that! Well, that's barefaced!"

Axel said:

I'd play 3 (short) fast songs in a row, no talking in between, no break longer than it takes to count to 4, and after the third take a break and greet the audience. I'd NEVER start with an instrumental. Did that and it didn't work. Unless you play in a Surf band, of course.
Songs? Maybe something like a Sonics medley. That should get everyone in the right mood.

I really like to end our shows with a couple of covers, usually Gloria and Little Latin Lupe Lu. Maybe starting it with a cover isn't such a good idea but I admit that I have thought about opening a show with Rumble.

Ha! We open with a fucked up version of Pipeline and it's always all downhill after that!! Classic!!

ash said:

my old band used to open with Pipeline.. great song to start with - but all downhill after that!!

We normally open up with a little bit of "Creeping Death", but it quickly turns into a slide blues/punk song.

what a way to die...pleasure seekers

I'd love to hear a garage/trash version of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Brain Salad Surgery tune that begins "Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. ..." (Can't even remember the real title. I think it was part of some "suite" or something)

Yes, it's stinky old prog rock, but that tune was the closest Emerson, Lake & Palmer ever had to having fun. It deserves to be liberated with some banged up Farfisa or Vox organ replacing Keith Emerson's arsenal of keyboards. And the lyrics actually are funny: "40 virgins and a mule, keep it cool, keep it cool

Either that or "Hang on Sloopy."

girl's got a turtle by the driving stupid

I'd play 3 (short) fast songs in a row, no talking in between, no break longer than it takes to count to 4, and after the third take a break and greet the audience. I'd NEVER start with an instrumental. Did that and it didn't work. Unless you play in a Surf band, of course.
Songs? Maybe something like a Sonics medley. That should get everyone in the right mood.

Open with a short instrumental to get them in the room. It's kinda like flashing the lights at the opera.

I'm not that good of a songwriter and I don't take my band very seriously, so I doubt I could impress you. We do make money though so I guess I'm doing something right. Anyway, I just wanted a to put up a fun little post, I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. Hideout Admin said:

Also, if you're in a band and you want to impress me with your live show, don't open your set with a cover. Knock me out with your originals and keep your covers few and far between. In fact, I wouldn't play more than a handful at the most. That's just my two cents.

Start with "Rumble" Link Wray, now that would be cool!

Also, if you're in a band and you want to impress me with your live show, don't open your set with a cover. Knock me out with your originals and keep your covers few and far between. In fact, I wouldn't play more than a handful at the most. That's just my two cents.

You completely missed my point, man. Consider this: Even the '60s "garage" bands didn't cover "garage rock" songs. They covered R&B, rockabilly, beat music or otherwise good old rock'n'roll of one form or another. Often they were covering the pop hits of the day. That's why we have umpteen different versions of songs like "Hey Joe" or "Land of 1000 Dances" out there. How many times was Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry or Jerry Lee Lewis covered? Yet they're not "garage rock." Get my point yet?

I've seen and heard great garage/rock'n'roll bands cover all sorts of bizarre shit and make it good, rockin' and rollin'. So my point (again) is why limit it to garage? R&B, rockabilly, country, soul, punk, hardcore, new wave, swamp rock, power pop, glam, funk, psych, freakbeat, mod... all have plenty of great songs you can cover to open a set. Even complicated songs can be simplified and made into a great, trashy rocker.

Inbreeding is about as deadly in music as it is in living creatures.

John White said:

I use the term "garage rock" because that's what I am interested in, I like melody in my music. Most punk bands tend to scream the lyrics and don't work very hard on the melody. It's just a style thing for me, I'm trying to limit the answers to that style. I'm sorry you despise the term, but garage is the first word in the name of your website. My band was thinking about learning a cover to open a show with, I just wanted to get some ideas for songs that I may have never thought about before.
Hideout Admin said:

"Garage rock" song? I'm starting to really despise that term. It's just way too contrived and too limiting. After all, any band can take any song (any genre) and cover it, and turn it into something that's completely unique and their own, and open a set with that. Why does it have to be a "garage rock" song?

G-L-O-R-I-A!

whoooooooo do you love?!?!? [preachers version]

The Easybeats - Sorry

'Youngblood' by THEE HEADCOATS...
'Midnite Till Noon' THE DIRTYS...
'How Do You Know' LYRES...
'This Is Rock 'n' Roll' THE KIDS...
'Zombies' KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW...

I use the term "garage rock" because that's what I am interested in, I like melody in my music. Most punk bands tend to scream the lyrics and don't work very hard on the melody. It's just a style thing for me, I'm trying to limit the answers to that style. I'm sorry you despise the term, but garage is the first word in the name of your website. My band was thinking about learning a cover to open a show with, I just wanted to get some ideas for songs that I may have never thought about before. Hideout Admin said:

"Garage rock" song? I'm starting to really despise that term. It's just way too contrived and too limiting. After all, any band can take any song (any genre) and cover it, and turn it into something that's completely unique and their own, and open a set with that. Why does it have to be a "garage rock" song?

Feel Free - Cheater Slicks

Make You Mine - Shadows Of Knight

A cool medley that we always opened a show with was "Shes' Not There" (The Zoombies) transitioning into "Black Magic Woman" (Santana). it is up tempo and has alot of energy.

Dick Lee
The Brymers

ahhh...Northern Sky...wait, wait,....I, Spoiler.

"Garage rock" song? I'm starting to really despise that term. It's just way too contrived and too limiting. After all, any band can take any song (any genre) and cover it, and turn it into something that's completely unique and their own, and open a set with that. Why does it have to be a "garage rock" song?

my old band used to open with Pipeline.. great song to start with - but all downhill after that!!

The one I would END the set with, would be a ten minute jam medley of Louie Louie/Wild Thing. They just blend together perfectly, as they do have the same chord proggresion. Just imporvise and jam that thing like, pardon my french, a crazed motherfucker.