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I don't remember the name of the band either, but I remember the name of the singer who did the low parts for them was "Bowzer." 

- Big D

Depends on where they are in their career.  For someone like Charlie Daniels Band who has had hit after hit after hit, they can't possibly do every single one.  However, when I have seen Charlie Daniels Band, they ALWAYS do 'Devil Went Down to Georgia.' 

I went to see a day of concerts one time.  I think you may all remember my affection for sissified 70's Folk/Pop music.  John Denver was going to be at the concert, and I wasn't going to miss John Denver at a free concert.  So my wife and I went.  John Denver came out and he had planned to sing karaoke style to canned instrumentation.  But the canned instrumentation screwed up and he excused himself from the stage.  I was sorely disappointed.  Another artist played for a bit, and then John Denver came back out and explained that the Indigo Girls were kind enough to lend him a guitar.  He apologized for not being able to perform his new work for us as he had planned, but he was pleased to perform some old favorites for us on the borrowed guitar.  Frankly, I was thrilled.  But the morale of the story is that there's more than one way to look at it.  It's all in the attitude of the artist of whether they are refusing to play something old out of boredom or malice or if they are trying to give you a treat with something new.  Attitude is a very difficult thing to measure from the audience. 

- Zurf

A lot of spanish style songs are in the dorian mode.  You need to know scales to understand modes.  Once you know scales and the dorian mode, you'll be playing latin style music much more easily.

- Zurf

Billy Joel - Piano Man

- Zurf

Here is our friend Zurf
Much to tall
to be confused for a Smurf

Played it for a bunch of fishermen when we were standing around at night under a tarp during a ferocious rain.  Not much fishing going on.  A fair bit of drinking.  The song went over very well!  I played it with a country/folk strum style.

- Zurf

Now I want to hear it!

- Zurf

There's no best.  There's only best for the moment.  I think the favorite band I've seen live was Barenaked Ladies.  I've seen bands before that looked like they didn't care to be on tour.  Like they had better things to be doing at the moment.  But Barenaked Ladies gave the impression that they had been waiting all week just to come and entertain us.  They were having a good time, and it was infectious. 

Another band I enjoyed seeing was a Texas local band called Mingo Fishtrap.  They're a 1970's style horn funk/swing fusion band.  Just awesome.  More funk than swing, but folks were dancing swing style to them.  They were also having fun on stage.  I think that's the key to entertaining an audience - to be having fun oneself.

- Zurf

If you like my cookies,

Jimmy Buffett has done a lot of covers, and while they are usually not "better" than the original, he always brings his distinctive style to them.  Two covers he's done that I particularly like are Hank Williams' 'Hey Good Lookin'' and Stephen Stills' 'Treetop Flyer' and I don't remember whose 'Everybody's Talking' (I know the most famous version of it was done by Harry Nillson but for some reason think that he was doing a cover too).  I did not much care for Jimmy Buffett's cover of James Talyor's 'Mexico' or the aforementioned CSN "Southern Cross." 

I recently put together a mixed CD for myself to use in the car and as I was listening, it occurred to me that it had a LOT of covers on it.  I like covers.  I think my favorite on it is Luther Allison's version of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want."  Incredible.

Nearly everyone has covered "All Along the Watchtower".  There is, of course, the ubiquitous Jimi Hendrix version, but Indigo Girls and Larry McCray have recorded kick-butt versions as well as others I don't recall. 

Covers are constant in Country Music.  In Rock, I think there's an expectation that the recording artist has written the song.  But in Country Music, it's more common that there are performing artists and writers, and they aren't always the same.  For instance, Willie Nelson wrote "Crazy", but it was first recorded by Patsy Cline.  Then later, Willie Nelson did a cover of his own song.  Crazy indeed.  "Sunday Morning Coming Down" was written by Kris Kristofferson, but made famous by Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash as covers.  Kris Kristofferson also wrote and first performed "Me and Bobbie McGee".  He was working as a janitor as a recording studio at the time and had a crush on the receptionist, named Bobbie.  I think he added the McGee to make it work.  Anyway, he wrote it and recorded it.  The infamous version by Janis Joplin is a cover, and for my money far preferential to Kris Kristofferson's original. 

Shawn Colvin did a great cover of The Police's "Every Little Thing You Do is Magic."  She completely turned it into her own vehicle.  I love it when people can do that.  Take a song and perform it, but in their own style.  Just terrific.   The Duhks did a Sting cover on their first album, but I'll be darned if I recall which song.  I prefer their version, even though I liked Sting's version very well. 

So many good songs out there.  It's a shame to hear them performed only one way, or to allow them to become lost once an artist passes. 

- Zurf

Beer.  The solution to and cause of all of life's problems.  - Homer Simpson

Sure have.  Two that come to mind.  The first was a Spinners concert.  It was a free concert as part of a Festival of Arts in the Park week long event that coincided with the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA one year.  My brother is a big Motown fan and wanted to go.  There was nothing esle happening so I went along too.  My brother brought one of his friends, and his little sister (who just happened to be my age and daggone good looking) went along to kill some time too.  I wound up acting as backrest and amateur masseur for this attractive and friendly gal.  Sure did enjoy that concert.   I'm sure the music was fine too.

The next was long after being married.  Some friends were leaving the area and wanted to attend one last outdoor concert.  Grand Funk Railroad was playing.  I'm not a GFR fan, but we went to have another evening with our good friends.  Well, it was a blast!  We all had a real good time.  GFR rocked.  The weather was perfect, and we had good company.  Not much more to ask for, I suppose. 

- Zurf