Music for 30 year olds

[Greyhound]

I just got booked to play a 3 hour wedding rehearsal this Friday. I asked if they had any specific requests, the mom replied just play some things from their (30 yr. olds) generation.
I have some John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton and Jason Mraz. When i looked at the hits of 2012 which would have been their high school graduation, i got a big steaming pile of Pop songs that were all beat oriented.
Suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

[Mobilemike]

I'm 38, so maybe on the older side of this, but...

Here is the list of what we requested the band play at my wedding 8 years ago:

Sugar-Maroon 5
Shake It Off-Taylor Swift
Rolling in the Deep-Adele
Hello-Adele
Uptown Funk-Bruno Mars
Blank Space-Taylor Swift
Teenage Dream-Katy Perry
Thinking Out Loud-Ed Sheeran
Feel So Close To You Right Now-Calvin Harris
Just The Way You Are-Bruno Mars
Get Lucky-Daft Punk
It Had To Be You-Frank Sinatra
Come Fly With Me -Frank Sinatra
Just The Way You Look Tonight-Frank Sinatra
Theme from New York, New York -Frank Sinatra
Wonderful Tonight-Eric Clapton
You Are So Beautiful-Joe Cocker
Bless The Broken Road-Rascal Flatts
Unforgettable-Nat King Cole
Isn't She Lovely-Stevie Wonder
Stand By Me-Ben E King
Every Breath You Take-The Police
Georgia on my Mind-Ray Charles
La Bamba-Ritchie Valens
Brown Eyed Girl-Van Morrison
When I Fall In Love – Nat King Cole
Dream A Little Dream Of Me – E. Fitzgerald
The Best Is Yet To Come – T. Bennett
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You – Harry Connick Jr.
Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
What A Wonderful World – L. Armstrong
Crazy Love – M. Buble
Be My Baby – The Ronettes

[bfm612]

Originally Posted by Greyhound

I just got booked to play a 3 hour wedding rehearsal this Friday. I asked if they had any specific requests, the mom replied just play some things from their (30 yr. olds) generation.
I have some John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton and Jason Mraz. When i looked at the hits of 2012 which would have been their high school graduation, i got a big steaming pile of Pop songs that were all beat oriented.
Suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

You might want to ask your clients more specific questions/direction, just as a wedding DJ would. You can't assume people listen to certain songs just because they're on the charts. I got married in 2002 and Nickelback had the number one single on Billboard that year alongside songs by Nelly and Ashanti, and I wouldn't have wanted a musician to go near any of their songs for a wedding rehearsal (all due respect to each of those three).

[Tramsnad]

A couple ideas

The White Stripes - We're Going to Be Friends
Norah Jones - ?
Brandi Carlile - The Story, ?
Jason Isbell - If We Were Vampires, Cover Me Up, ?
Leon Bridges - ?
Bahamas - Already Yours, Half Your Love, ?

[Greyhound]

Thanks all
Mobile: Good newsis at least half of those are on my setlist

Bfm. i did ask specifics and the response was…play something for the generation

Tram, thanks for the suggestions.

[Skarsaune]

Very interesting.

I've got a gig this afternoon for hikers on the Appalachian Trail.

The age distribution for hikers is interesting. They tend to be the people with more time and less commitments, so lots of young (college-age) hikers, and lots of early retirement age (50's-60's) folks.

The second group is both my age range and my usual audience.

We'll see how it goes over.

[mr. beaumont]

I just want to know what kind of wedding rehearsal lasts 3 hours and has live music the whole time!

[Greyhound]

Rehearsal dinner….cocktail hour, dinner, after dinner. I assume.

[leew3]

I can't be of much help other than to note that our set list is wildly eclectic but comprised of a heavy rotation of Boomer era acoustic music. It always surprises me that 20 and 30 something listeners are enthusiastic about hearing the 'music my parents played when I was growing up!' "Amy" seems a universal favorite and I would have never predicted that. Truth told, Rokdog and I play songs we like, and if the audience likes them as well that's also enjoyable!

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by bfm612

You might want to ask your clients more specific questions/direction . . . .

Yup. Metal? Punk? Hip hop? Emo?

One of my nieces came to visit once. She brought her iPod (she doesn't believe in stereo systems) and a bunch of "music old people like."

The whole weekend, there was only one artist we could stand: Aretha.

Age just doesn't say enough about taste. Find out what they like listening to. That mom might be surprised.

[Greyhound]

Charlie, As noted, i did inquire about specifics and did not receive direction which led me tothe original post.
Long story short, i pulled up a bunch of my normal stuff… Van Morrison, Beatles, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, Sinatra…etc. Also included Ray Lamontagne, Allen Stone, Kacey Musgraves, Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban.

I feel like im good to go….thanks.