For the gigging drummers, what is your last song?

[eclipseownzu]

We usually close with "Closing Time". Kinda makes sense lyrically and we get everybody to sing along with the chorus a few times before we end it.

 

[Pass.of.E.r.a.]

Hot for teacher by Van Halen. Always a crowd pleaser and we'll usually have a guest singer come up and sing it!

It's quite fun to play!

-Jonathan

 

[Liebe zeit]

And our two-piece finishes with this fuzz-funk number


I usually try to get a deep groove going then we kind of explode at the end with fills/screaming guitar

 

[inneedofgrace]

We do have a couple of staple diet encore numbers too, usually ending with "rocking in the free world".

We also end with Rockin' In The Free World by Neil Young, and I get to sing it! I just let loose knowing I don't have to sing after that. I'm spent by that point, but it is a fun song to play and what's left of the crowd usually likes it.

 

[B-squared]

A primitive and loud version of "Rumble" by Link Wray is a frequently used finish, complete with deliberate feedback. Our bass player and guitar player aim their pickups right at the amps. It's fun.

"Sweet Home Chicago" is a common ending with another blues project I play with.

 

[AxisDrummer]

Since 2007, we've ended with a rocked up version of Drift Away. It's kind of a mash-up of the Dobie Gray original along with the modern version (Uncle Cracker perhaps....?). But with a lot of cranked up distortion during the chorus and outro.

Somebody mentioned Keep On Rockin' In the Free World.....we always end our 1st or 2nd set with that and add a "sing-along" to it. Love that tune!

 

[Zickos]

Don't Stop Believing ends every cover band evening.

Usually the African marimba band ends with Skokiana or Manhanga.

The A capella quartet ends with Brahm's Lullaby.

The Vaudevillian circus act ends with Sunny Side of the Street.

The other band has no set ending song.

Man, you're in a lot of bands!

The 17 big band with which I play usually ends with a "jam tune", that is, a song that has a 12 bar or 24 bar stretch that is "open for rides" so all those in the band who wish to can take a ride. I usually wind up "trading fours" with the trombone player.

 

[Dr_Watso]

I'll post the lyrics so as to be sufficiently obtuse.


One, two, three...
If you close the door
The night could last for ever
Leave the sunshine out and say 'hello' to never
All the people are dancing and they're having such fun
I wish it could happen to me
But if you close the door
I'll never have to see the day again
If you close the door
The night could last for ever
Leave the wineglass out
And drink a toast to never
Oh! someday I know someone will look into my eyes
And say 'hello'
You are my very special one
But if you close the door
I'll never have to see the day again
Dark cloudy bars
Shiny Cadillac cars
And the people are in subways and trains
Looking grey under rain as they stand disarrayed
All the people look over in the dark
And if you close the door
The night could last for ever
Leave the sunshine out and say 'hello' to never
All the people are dancing and they're having such fun
I wish it could happen to me
'cause if you close the door
I'll never have to see the day again
I'll never have to see the day again
Once more
I'll never have to see the day again

 

[alparrott]

Two bands I've been in have done a pretty predictable end song or sequence.

The band I was in in Monterey, CA did an original straight-ahead metal with a prog-style break in the middle, followed by a cover of "Kiss the Bottle" by Jawbreaker, then ended the night with an original instrumental (see the attached clip).

The last band I was in ended most shows with a fast rockabilly-style song called "Preacher With A Gun". In the middle we got quiet on the groove and the bandleader would introduce us. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVP0NYssD4o

 

[groove1]

The jazz combos I play in usually end up with a fast spirited tune...like "what is this thing
called love" played fast or a quick 3/4 "Simone" is another one. It varies a lot though.

 

[Anon La Ply]

I'll post the lyrics so as to be sufficiently obtuse.

One, two, three...
If you close the door
The night could last for ever
Leave the sunshine out and say 'hello' to never
All the people are dancing and they're having such fun
I wish it could happen to me
But if you close the door
I'll never have to see the day again
If you close the door
The night could last for ever ...

Sounds like a management-said-this-must-be-the-last-encore song.

We achieved a clean end to the evening with Wild is the Wind one strange occasion when the audience actually asked us to play more. Alcohol gets a bad rap in the media but it has its uses, eh?

 

[SquadLeader]

The Stooges

A proto-punk classic.

One of our favourites to

Third on our set list of mainly originals but we can't drop such classics...

 

[Dr_Watso]

Sounds like a management-said-this-must-be-the-last-encore song.

They usually want us to play that damn "closing time" song. I feel that "After Hours" is a good compromise, and I like velvet U quite a bit.

 

[Spreggy]

The SNL closing them. It gives us a chance to intro the band, thank folks, congratulate brides and grooms, etc. And it serves as a nice cue to the audience that we're done, so they can stop yelling "Freebird!" for pete's sake.

 

[planet_boom]

In the blues/rock trio I play with we have a set of 4 classic rock songs we usually pick to finish from. But by far my favourite is Baba O'Riley - Pearl Jam version

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydSY2JXqRfk

 

[TTNW]

Lately, we've been ending with either Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones) or Cold Turkey (John Lennon). Both done in a very heavy rock fashion. Everyone seems to really enjoy our "not faithful to the originals" versions.

Loud, driving with ridiculous crashing at the end. Mick and Yoko would not be pleased.

We used to end with Spirit's, Gotta a Line on You.

 

[Florian]

Rock n Roll by Zep. Ends every show.


F

 

[opentune]

Johnny B Goode - Mr Berry
or
Tush - ZZ Top
or
Born to Be Wild - Steppenwolf

Good idea....this thread has given me great ideas for 'closers'.

 

[SquadLeader]

We currently end with Blitzkrief Bop, played as fast as we can conceivably manage....

But it's become a bit staid and we've gotten a little bored of it so we're replacing it with a 'punked up' version of I Like It by Gerry and the Pacemakers.

After a set of mainly originals we like a short, punchy end song to finish on. Our idea with this one is that we play it then end the set with a (very) sixties style bow...all together, in time. Respect shown to our audience, and a tad quirky for a punk band, having sung about prostitutes and vice for the best part of an hour

 

[Dirtysticks]

In my Funk/Soul/Jazz band that I play a lot with, we usually close with our uptempo version of "Rock Steady" by Aretha Franklin. Perfect song to thank guests to, introduce band with, and to provide show ending solos from the band. Fun song to play.

Sometimes if we are having fun, and the crowd is really into it, we may end with "I would die for You" or "Purple Rain" vy Prince. Both cult classics and the crowd really gets into them!