I do three of them: Stand By Me/Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For; Three Little Birds/Drift Away; and (sigh) Brown Eyed Girl/I'm a Believer. I'd like to do more of them - give me some ideas!

Who's the NIGHTMARE musician you've had to work with? No names obviously. We don't need the Pro Muso community appearing as Exhibit A in a defamation case. 😂 I'm talking about the bandmate who was ALWAYS late. The singer who somehow never learned the lyrics. The guitarist whose amp needed its own postcode. The drummer who considered 120 BPM more of a suggestion than an actual tempo. Or maybe someone who was an absolutely brilliant musician but such a pain in the arse that you'd rather play three hours of Brown Eyed Girl alone than share a stage with them again. Most of us who've been doing this long enough have worked with at least ONE. What's your nightmare musician story?

Anybody attempted a Band-oke night, where 'invited' punters can get up and sing live with the band off your established repertoire? We did it once in Auckland, really went off and we had some great singers come up. We tried it again a few months later and it fell flat.

This isn’t a “which is better?” thread. Rather I’m finding being a piano bar/lounge player and not a guitar solo act has its pros and cons. On the Pro side: 1. The biggest is I’m not in direct competition with guitar acts who seem to be the large majority in my area. My act alone differentiates me. 2. My set list include different songs since many songs adapt better to piano or to guitar (also a con as I detail below). 3. Having a grand piano shell can make an event feel classy. 4. Once explained most people know what a piano bar event looks like. On the Con side: 1. Set up can be labor intensive. Digital stage pianos have weighted keys and are pretty heavy. Usually I need to bring a portable bench since I can’t count on a venue’s chair to be the right height. If I use the grand piano shell, I need another person. 2. Some venues just aren’t right for a piano gig. 3. Sometimes a venue booker can’t envision how a piano gig can work for their guests. Some picture cocktail piano music vs a piano bar sing along. 4. Many songs from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s just don’t translate as well to piano. Can they played? Of course. But usually they have a different feel or need to be re-interpreted. This is especially true for folk songs. There’s more but I wanted to spark conversation and hear what others think.

The conventional wisdom is to start the night with an upbeat song, not a slow ballad, but not to waste a strong banger this early. Let'em know that you are here! That is easy to say, but quite a balancing act. Maybe I would understand better if we created a list of songs that are upbeat and strong, but not wasted in the warm-up. I haven't tried it with audiences, but my guess is 1. I've just seen a face - Beatles