So, What Do You Do When Someone Yells "Freebird?"

[Captain Jim]

I'll play an acoustic version... maybe just the first verse. I'm not a "human jukebox," but I like to surprise people. I'll throw a little ZZ Top in the middle of a Beatles song... sing the horn parts on some Chicago or old soul tunes... pull out "Born to be Wild" if someone comes in carrying a helmet. At one boat gathering (where I'm inclined to play plenty of Buffett and Eric Stone songs), a lady requested "songs about boats" - I pulled out the theme song to Gilligan's Island. She cheered the rest of the evening.

People will holler out a song request thinking they are being funny... playing a few bars of it will generally shut 'em down. I must upgrade my one-liners... I have been saying "Write your request down on the back of a twenty-dollar bill and send it up here..."

When I'm playing, I don't take myself too seriously. I play mostly old rock 'n roll type stuff... never got into country music. But, when someone requests country, I can pull up Roger Miller's "King of the Road" - 3 chords and everyone can sing along. Then I can get back to what I like to play.

I banter with the audience... "You two look like newlyweds, all snuggly and touchy - how long have you been married? 30 years? Well, good for you! Some of these folks could learn from you. Here's a song for all the lovers out there..."

Freebird? Piece o' cake. Give 'em what they like. Even if it is just a little bit of it. If you get one guy who keeps making requests, it's time to say, "Let's give everyone else a chance - when everyone else gets their turn, me included, we'll come back to you." A little bit of public shaming keeps the crowd on your side.

I don't believe I would ever say, "I know that one, but I'm tired of playing it." I have no problem with saying, "Sorry, I don't know that - but, I'll try to have it worked up next time you have me back. That's a great song."

I tend to play songs in "bursts" - three right in a row, with "If you like that one, here's another you'll enjoy..."; then take a moment to visit or tell a short story about the next song. If you take a lot of time between every song, it gives the "request hollerers" their opening.

Have fun with it,
Captain Jim

[j3ffr0]

I have one good story on this. Many years ago I was in a rock band that played mostly originals in mostly small to mid-sized bars. One evening some loud woman who was drunker than me started heckling and calling for Skynrd or for us to play nothing at all... this was towards the end of our first set. This was a pretty scary backwoods bar to begin with, and I could see that my band mates were concerned that the evening could go all kinds of wrong. Rather than ignore her and show any weakness, I addressed her request directly. I told the audience that my band didn't play any Skynrd, but we were going to to play the closest thing we had (and it was one of our best songs that ended with an epic guitar solo not unlike Freebird). People really dug, and the song and the effort we put into it. Immediately after ending the song and the set, I found the woman in the audience and explained that my band was cool because we had a CD, and I showed her one (not everyone had one in the early-mid 90s). She agreed with me. The CDs were $10, but she only had $7. I grabbed her $7 and gave her a cassette, and thanked her for her support. Lot's of folks told me they really dug the way I handled the situation.

Of course rock bands in bars, the attitude they have, and the type of audiences they attract all represent a completely different set of circumstances than most of us experience as acoustic players. Just saying YMMV with the approach above.

I'm glad this thread came up. It reminds me that before I start doing much solo acoustic gigging, I still need to keep a kick-butt song in my back pocket to handle the eventual Skynrd request.

[Kip Carter]

If you wanta have some fun with em...just start the intro for Barracuda off and watch them **** their head to one side trying to figure out what the heck you're doing?

[clintj]

Former bandmate of mine would play a combo of the verses of "Takin' Care of Business" and the chorus of "Achy Breaky Heart" for anyone who yelled "Freebird".

[Glennwillow]

If I were still playing out and if I were playing at a place where people yelled out requests, then I would have to have songs like "Freebird" in my repertoire. I liked what Jackson Browne did with the song. It's an easy song to play; my challenge is always remembering the stupid words.

- Glenn

[Xtremca]

I liken it to those who yell more cowbell.

http://blogs.voanews.com/student-uni...-at-a-concert/

As far as what to do, use it as an humorous engagement tactic. Tell the crowd, let me see if I can remember the intro", look at the guitar like you are gong to start playing, then do you best rendition of a vocalized guitar slide intro. You may get a few chuckles from the crowd.


Chris

[lroyb]

My brother always does that to me. Every time he's been at one of my gigs he yells freebird. So I started playing the first verse then turn into the last section of Stairway To Heaven.

Now it seems Wagon Wheel is replacing Freebird for the "play it or I'll be a pain" request.

[jcarlos]

I play the intro and then tell them to give me $100 if they want to hear the rest. Usually shuts them up, then they have an embarrassed look after I play it almost like they lost a bet or something. Its a good song, I don't like how its become a joke.

[Bob Womack]

I played in a band where there were two lead guitarists including myself and each of the band members had thirty-five years of experience or more. We did a very popular all-requests thing. We'd open up the set with Walsh's "Rocky Mountain Way" and then take requests the rest of the night. It was the scariest and most fun gig I ever did - pure adrenaline. One night it was a pretty cool night with the crowd really engaged but we got a guy in there hounding us for Freebird. We put him off until the last song of the night and then I looked around at the other guys and said, "How about it?"

We launched into the song with me on slide and vocals. When we got to the coda solo I turned to my lead buddy and said, "It's all yours!" He said, "No. it's all yours," closed his eyes, grinned, and took the rhythm. Traitor. I'd never done the solo front-to-back but it was basically a catalog of '70s rock licks everyone had to know in the period. I fired off the first lick as a hand-macro and thumbed through my memory for the second one. When it was time, I fired that one off and searched my memory for the next. I worked my way through the whole thing in this manner and somehow pulled it off. Don't know if I could do it again, but there was that one night.

Bob

[wooglins]

Originally Posted by kaos

They had to have rehearsed that for the remote possibility that someone might yell it.

[Long Jon]

Originally Posted by lroyb

My brother always does that to me. Every time he's been at one of my gigs he yells freebird. So I started playing the first verse then turn into the last section of Stairway To Heaven.

Now it seems Wagon Wheel is replacing Freebird for the "play it or I'll be a pain" request.

Ha ha ! I'd be happy with that. Wagon Wheel's one of the few I've got down. I might even plant a shil to call that out !

"Freebird" not as big as "Ace of Spades" with rowdy crowds here. Fortunately it actually lends it'self to acoustic pretty well.

[JamesStA]

Ask them who sings it, and then say you've never heard of them.

[MBE]

Originally Posted by JamesStA

Ask them who sings it, and then say you've never heard of them.

That's pretty good!

[6L6]

Actually, I really like that song. If I could play and sing it well enough, I'd do it1

[Judson]

+1 ... so envious of people with a knack for remembering lyrics to lots and lots of songs.

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

... my challenge is always remembering the stupid words.

- Glenn