Before you arrive at the venue, it’s great to have your set list already planned out with your band. This is a key part of your music education. You can always make changes later, but it’s good to think about the sequence of songs before you show up to the venue to make sure that you really add dynamic to the show. Perhaps you decide to juxtapose a slow song with a fast song for the most drama.
We ask Mick Jagger, “When choosing a setlist for the Rolling Stones, there really aren’t too many bad ideas, are there?”
The Rolling Stones front man, who has nearly 60 years of music industry experience, replies, “I’m sure there are. Let’s just say that some ideas are better than others. Like for instance, I believe that the opening number is kind of important. We did try ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ in some cases. And a lot of those shows in Europe were in the daylight, so I didn’t like doing that number in the daylight opening. It didn’t work, so I dumped it.
“I think it works as an opener in the dark when you’ve got full lighting,” Jagger continues. He goes on to explain that in the dark, that song really reads and works to create a mood. “So we’ve got all these kinds of factors to take into account when we’re doing set lists,” he concludes.
A set list is a list of songs that you’re going to perform that night. Everyone has a different amount of songs depending on how much time they have allotted to them on stage. This is one of many aspects of your career to consider as you continue your online music education.
