Do you think bands hate playing their same hit songs, show after show? Do you ever wonder how many times a band has actually played that song live?
Loudwire put together a list of 50 rock artists and their most performed song. It’s based on data from Setlist.fm, so if you don’t agree, for some reason, take it up with them.
While they’ll rarely admit it publicly, many artists say that over time, playing their biggest hits night after night can wind up feeling like a chore. And the reasons for that weariness are numerous.
Sometimes, the sentiment of a song written years, or even decades, before will no longer resonate the way it once did. Or a band will just change its mind about what a song means to them.
The setlist website setlist.fm, tracked 510 instances of R.E.M. performing “The One I Love” between 1986 and 2008, compared with only one recorded occasion on which they performed “Shiny Happy People,” a chart hit that was railed on by critics, and even bashed by Michael Stipe himself.
In other cases, a band will feel it’s outgrown the hallmarks of a major hit written in the early stage of its career. Radiohead, British rock innovators, hardly ever perform their breakout song of jagged angst, “Creep.”
And sometimes, artists just get plain sick and tired of playing a song. It becomes especially hard when a song endures over decades — how many times, for instance, has Sting pleaded in falsetto to turn on that red light?
The late Dolores O’Riordan, of the Cranberries, once joked, “I’ve sang ‘Zombie’ so many times that I actually feel like a zombie,” referencing the band’s impossible-to-let go 1994 single. She said, when you’re doing your old hits for so long, “you feel like you’re stuck in a loop or something, so with new material you feel very much alive.”
Bands try to remember when they get on stage that they were also once fans. So that means playing old songs, new songs, and doing everything with a level of passion that hopefully inspires that 12-year-old, or 40-year-old to say: ‘Damn. I love this song. I love this band!’”
Here are the most performed songs (live) by some of your favorite bands.
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/kklz963
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kklz963/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kklz963/
AC/DC: "The Jack"
AC/DC has performed “The Jack” song 1,743 times. Runners Up: “Whole Lotta Rosie”- 1,647, “Let There Be Rock”- 1,532 times.
Def Leppard: "Rock of Ages"
Def Leppard’s most played song: “Rock of Ages.” They’ve played it 2012 times. Runners Up: “Photograph”- 1,996, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” – 1,853.
Foo Fighters: "Everlong"
Performances of Everlong by the Foo Fighters: 1,095. Runners Up: “Monkey Wrench” -1,004, “My Hero”- 978.
l
Green Day: "Longview"
Guns N' Roses: "Welcome to the Jungle"
Surprisingly, “Welcome to the Jungle” is GnR’s most performed song – 939 times! Runners Up: “Mr. Brownstone” – 901, “Paradise City” – 886.
Kiss: "Rock and Roll All Nite"
KISS has been around a long time – they’ve performed “Rock and Roll All Nite” 2,164 times. Runners Up: “Detroit Rock City” – 2,094, “Love Gun” -1,990.
Nirvana: "School"
Sadly, Nirvana wasn’t a band for too long. But they still performed “School” 292 times. Runners Up: “About a Girl” – 272, “Blew” – 244.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: "Give It Away"
RHCP have performed “Give It Away” 1,020 times. Runners Up: “Under the Bridge” – 777, “Californication” -753.
Van Halen: "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"
Van Halen belted out “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” 1,231 times. Runners Up: “You Really Got Me” – 1,230, “Panama” – 862. Fun Fact: “Guitar Solo” (1317) and “Drum Solo” (1283) have turned up in the set list more than any song, while “Bass Solo” places fifth (925).
