With my mobile DJ service, I carry over 19K digital song files in my laptop at every event that I perform. Granted, a LOT of it isn't suitable for car shows, but a LOT of it is! You will never hear me play the same song twice during a car event. Requests are always honored (whenever possible and appropriate for the venue) and sometimes exposes the crowd to something new, obscure or different. I've been doing this for 35+ years, so I've gotten pretty good at reading the crowd and keeping them entertained. I use a 12,000 watt JBL Pro Audio system featuring eight powered JBL PRX 715 speakers operating with two Alto Stealth wireless transmitters and 8 receivers to eliminate wiring. This allows me to space my speakers at the event to provide adequate sound coverage without the need to drive the sound at such a high level that folks can't talk to each other. I use two Shure wireless mics that allow me to interact with the crowd and interview car owners. The frustrating part comes when a guy with an i-phone and a pair of small bookshelf speakers calls himself a car show DJ. You usually don't hear him speak or try to entertain his audience. He is usually overdriving his small system and the results are distorted noise. He has one thing to entice the car event organizer ...... price. This is a case where you will probably get what you pay for. Most bad experiences can usually be traced to inexperience and lack of proper equipment. Jim Hot Rod Grille DJ Service
How old each one is,has a great deal to do with there own likes*. Still if the show 1965 an older,thats the time frame I'd like hear with those cars. Biggist thing done poorly at many shows I go to, is much too loud. * Age around time most are in high school,often forms tunes they like best,yet there is a lot of younger guys an gals into the older tunes that would of been playing on that 65 or old cars radio when it was NEW
Yeah, but there isn't enough of them to stock a decent-sized car show. Our ex-'club music director' thought that way, and we had numerous complaints... When the Beatles came to the US, that changed everything.....
Yes,but not for the good. Beatles,that sounded too me like kinergarden kids singing "I want to hold your hand" , they had super promo pay-Ola pushed over radio on too kids,but what do I know,I was only actully there an had to keep changing stations to get away from there bad songs. From then on the music sucked IMHO,from there it keeped going down hill,but for a few good ones sneeking in,mostly from the Beach Boys an a few other USA groups. Even as bad as it got,most was still better then the new crap now. Just think,some one in 10 years will say maybe the same thing about music right now!!
Personally my two favorite songs at a car show are Mustang Sally and Louie Louie. But only if they are played live and really loud over and over and over and over again! [emoji6] Sent from my SM-G550T using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I vote no music at car shows. Car shows, for me is an excuse to get the car out and converse with like minded people..it's not to have to listen to other peoples taste in music, competing with their volume levels.
I vote No music or if you think it's needed turn the Fefffing volumn down. The guy in the far edge of the show field does'nt need to hear it. Ralphie
every time you hire a DJ, a little girl's puppy dies LIVE MUSIC ONLY It takes ZERO TALENT to play records for people........
And every time they play "the Wanderer", with 50% distortion, a crying child leaning against the wall doll explodes.
I can listen to any type of music,but I do agree with a lot of these guys saying DON'T play it so loud you can't have a conversation with someone standing right next to you.
My club would love to hire a band but we can't even afford a DJ. Our main event is held on the streets of a small Appalachian town and there's no way to charge a gate. So the only income is from the car entry fees.
I used to occasionally get to be the "guest DJ" at our local Saturday night cruise-in, but I loved mixing in a bunch of old & more obscure BLUES tunes as well as some 60's, 70's and 80's favorites. After all: "The Blues had a baby and they named it rock & roll"!!! I've had a LOT of people come up & tell me that they LOVED the mix and the addition of the blues (and I don't play the usual "Stormy Monday" or the same tired Stevie Ray Vaughn tracks). I'd also throw in a little Rockabilly, Elvis, some Stray Cats, some Psychobilly, and whatever else I had laying around. Junior Walker did a song "Road Runner" that always goes over well, and there are a lot of cool, upbeat songs by Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, and even some Blues Brothers tunes get out for a while. I also used to try to keep "Mustang Sally", "Hot Rod Lincoln", "Beep Beep" and "Thunder Road", and all of those other TIRED songs out of my mix too. And of course, I'd try my best to keep the talk to a minimum as well as the volume. I'd also announce "If you have a special request for yourself or someone that you love, or a special song to revive a special memory, here's what I'd like for you to do... Take a piece of paper out and write your name on it and what song that YOU want played, be sure to write it all very neatly on that piece of paper, and fold up that piece of paper and put it back in your pocket...."
There's a lot of good music from the 50s-70s, don't be that guy with a handful of "best of" CDs on constant loop.
Hell, you can probably get a REAL band for less than what most of those DJ guys charge to push a button on their laptop & call it "performing."
I hope I never have to hear a Beach Boys song ever again. Same goes for Mustang Sally and Hot Rod Lincoln. Maybe 50s pop music was great in the 50s but having to hear the same old shtuff at most car shows is one of the reasons I don't go to many anymore. Now if there are live bands playing, that is another story.
Here's my band performing at a summer weekly cruise. I've NEVER seen a crowd bring their lawn chairs to watch a DJ!
I haven't read all the posts on the thread, just want to make a comment, take it or leave it as you wish. IMO the music played should be reflective of an era that fits with the era of the cars in the show. Some shows have some kind of cut-off date for the cars that are entered, the music should follow that same cut-off date. The music mostly should be popular songs of the era, though some "deep tracks" could be appropriate too, if sparsely sprinkled throughout. In the posts I did read I read some pretty crazy suggestions, likely from some younger guys who would like music of their generation. Sorry, but the idea is not to play your favorite music, but to play music appropriate for the event. You can put your 80's - 2000's metal or shredder or whatever music on in your car on the way to/from the event, forget it at the event though, unless it's an even with modern day cars in it, than that would be appropriate. Songs about cars, hot rods, driving (even truck driving) are always appropriate.
I'd play some novelty songs that make people laugh. Stuff they haven't heard in a while and that some of the younger folks haven't heard at all, such as
The Jalopy Journal
