Preparing a Setlist: so many songs, so little time - inspired by Tom Jackson

Preparing a Setlist: so many songs, so little time - inspired by Tom Jackson 04/07/2011

Considering I am performing tomorrow, it’s about time I finalize my setlist. I've been thinking about it for a few weeks but need to put some finishing touches on it. Thanks to performance coach, Tom Jackson from OnStageSuccess, choosing a set list doesn't seem like mystical guess work anymore!

Choosing the songs and order is difficult because it’s hard to predict the mood of the room in advance. Depending on the audience and my confidence level in the moment, I may wish to change things last minute! But that attitude is no excuse for lack of preparation, though, so here's my preparation approach.

First, categorizing songs

I list all my original songs and categorize them in a worksheet like this:

What categories do I list in my document?
I catalogue each title according to several pieces of information:

Year — When I wrote the song
Theme — a generic descriptor of the ‘type’ of song. I write for various audiences.
Tempo — I assign a tempo number from 1 to 5. 1 is very mellow, and 5 is upbeat and ‘big’ (whether that is full-on rock/pop or very ‘anthem.’)
* — an asterisk indicates that the song is on absolute favourites
y — y for yes. This column indicates that this song is one of my preferred setlist choice

I then sort my list by tempo and look at which songs are my favourites, choosing a range of songs from the tempo categories 1 through 5. I choose based on new and old song choices, as well as a variety of themes. I try to use mostly my favourites, but it is important to ‘test drive’ newer songs to see how they fare in a performance setting.

Audiences want variety
Listeners want to be taken from the depths of personal reflection and quietness to fun, rousing and engaging. At a recent house concert, I was relieved when the performing duo finally changed it up to a pop song from their typical mellow folk style. Too many similar-sounding songs in a row = not good.

How to order my set?
I follow a general pattern when choosing a 45-minute set list. I first came across this philosophy by listening to workshops by performance coach Tom Jackson. He emphasizes the importance of creating ‘moments’ in a show: whether story, surprise, genre change, laughter, or moments of ministry. Here’s a visual representation of a set list choice, using the song rating scale of 1 – 5 for song choices.

Some notes for the opening of the show:

Don’t start by talking, jump right into song 1. Song 1 does not need to be the best song lyrically since people are just getting used to you. The audience doesn’t want to hear you talk, they want to hear you sing!
Immediately move into song 2 with no break, and briefly introduce yourself after. Song 2 is a little bit more ‘peppy’ — again, little talking!
Just when the audience things they have you figured out, throw a curveball by choosing a completely different genre for song 3. Ideally this song is a great song because at this point, the audience is starting to really listen to your songs now that they are familiar with you.
After song 3, the audience has heard and evaluated you, so it’s a good time to tell a brief 1-2 minute story that leads into song 4, which is mellow and introspective. This will be a surprise move and create a memorable moment.

Introduction: “May I date you?”

The audience is not married to you immediately, you must earn their trust. Do you see how the first four songs are about introducing yourself to the audience and building trust? Not only that, but it is showing various sides of yourself. Four songs and a story warm the audience up to you and your style and build trust early on. Jackson says, “It’s like dating!”

Middle of the show — infuse with ‘big and fun’!

You’ll notice that the middle of the show has a number 4 into a number 5 song. Depending on your songwriting genre, this is a ‘rock your face off’ or a huge anthem type song. It could also be a fun song where members of your band interact. You could also get audience participation during this song. The idea is that you want to create a ‘big and fun’ memorable moment.
While the first part of the show was moving at a good pace, you can belabor this section for a few minutes.
After this time, the audience is hopefully open and having a good time. They are ready to hear a cd pitch now that you have developed trust.
The audience is open to hear a personal story, so feel free to take a few moments to lead down into song 6 which is a drastic change.

End section of the show: share your heart

Song 6 is mellow and a drastic change from the big fun the audience has been having, but they are hopefully now ready completely to listen and engage. This is the moment when you can share that intensely personal story and song
You can follow this with a few other songs in that vein. As a Christian, some of the songs I write are filled with references to my faith, and it’s at this time in the list that I would feel comfortable sharing these — without preaching, and with great tact, depending on my venue. I can be myself and open now that the audience has built a trust with me.

You can end in a variety of ways, but I try to end with a similar feeling song to song 1.

So, that’s it! That’s my rough model and it’s worked pretty well for me. I struggle most at song 5, and I’m working on changing it at every show until I find just the right moment.

Wish me the best for my show tomorrow, we’ll see how much of this theory I actually put into practice!

For our own inspiration, here's Tom Jackson sharing on "The Right Setlist"

Comments

Jeremy Wentrcek link

06/28/2011 8:20am

Thanks for the info and sincerity Elizabeth. I am a Christian in the mainstream as well and have struggled with this concept for a while. Do you have any advice for set list construction for longer performances such as 2 or 3 hour nights.

Elizabeth Gordon link

07/02/2011 10:25am

Hey Jeremy, thanks for reading my blog!

First of all, this above post is my sum-up of what I learned from Tom Jackson in his 7 DVD set, which you can find and purchase here: http://tomjacksonproductions.com/dvds/
Or be inspired by free by watching his videos at this channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/livemusicproducer

Although my post is based on a case study of a 45 minute night, the following principles still apply:

1. The beginning of the show is about building trust and introducing yourself to your audience, whether it's 45 min, 2 songs, of 4 hours.

2. Warm up the crowd with a big fun' section at least once, but perhaps multiple times in the show. This can be much longer when you have a longer set list. Perhaps extend this over several songs, or spend more time with audience interaction, having time to call people up on stage or have your band members switch instruments and do a goofy song together.

3. Ministry moments come after the audience has warmed up to you and you have built trust. This time could be extended longer. Perhaps you could share your spiritual journey, or share a story before songs relating to your walk with God. This may be 2/3 in or after the 1-hour mark.

Utilize your diversity in a longer show:
I notice that you play solo/duo as well as a full band. You could construct several sections to your show. Within each section, use the principles for set list choice.

Solo
Duo
Band
Solo
Band

My greatest advice though, is to take advantage of the great products that Tom Jackson offers. When it comes to Christian performing coaches who have worked with solo, duo and band acts, he is the best!

Hope that helps, Jeremey!

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