Band Booking Succeess through Better Set-Lists

Here's the 5th thing you can do to improve your band booking success if you're not gigging enough over this holiday period.

You're not alone if you've never given too set-lists.

Often gig set-lists just evolve over time with new songs coming in and old material being taken out of the lists. There's no thought to planning the overall structure of the show or balance of the material.

Playing a band booking with a well-planned and well-structured set-list will go a long way to securing a repeat gig for you. The more regular repeat work you can get from venues, the less ongoing effort you have to put into getting your band booked. Poor set-lists result in luke-warm crowd responses and little repeat bookings. 

Ultimately you can split up or give up just because you didn't spend enough time planning out what you were going to play....

Check out the balance between uptempo material and versus slower numbers for example. If you're a covers band make sure too much material isn't from the same  all the songs from the same era or genre (unless you specialise of course).

Think about the function of each song within the set-list. Do all of them merit a place there? If so, why?  Which numbers should be played next to each other and why? 

Do you have a strong number to start with? Is it also one which is not too technically taxing so you can relax and gain confidence early on in the show? Which song can ease you into the gig and make a big impact at the start?

You'll also want to plan which song will create the most memorable ending (and most favourable impression) to the set for you. Also, how can you structure your set so other numbers give you a strong, logical build up to your "finale"?

Do a Google search for "band X set-list" and have a look at the structure of some of your favourite bands set-list structures. Ask yourself why you think certain songs might be in and others no,t and why they're positioned where they are in relation to other material..

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