# Bands doing "surprise" covers in concert. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2019, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-doing-surprise-covers-in-concert/838373 "2019-08-08T21:11:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-doing-surprise-covers-in-concert/838373/61 "2019-08-14T03:50:02Z")
I saw David Crosby and his band a few days ago, and he did only one CSNY song that he didn’t write himself, Neil Young’s “Ohio”. ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-doing-surprise-covers-in-concert/838373/62 "2019-08-14T15:48:23Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > I happened to see Dylan after the deaths of both Carl Perkins and Warren Zevon. He did “Blue Suede Shoes” with Van Morrison and “Werewolves of London”. Was that back in Jan 1998, when Bob & Van played 5 shows at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, when at the same time the Rolling Stones played the MSG Arena upstairs? I saw 4 of the 5 Bob & Van shows, and one night went up for The Stones. 5 intense days of live music, for sure. Later that year in May I saw Bob & Van again for 2 nights with Joni Mitchell outside of Seattle at The Gorge Ampitheater, and then in September 3 final nights with Bob & Van (Lucinda Williams opening) in the San Francisco Bay Area/Reno, 9 total shows with Dylan & Morrison together in 1998 alone… ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-doing-surprise-covers-in-concert/838373/63 "2019-08-14T16:47:24Z")
> [@GESancMan](#): > > Yep. They are known for playing long shows. (Or were? I’m not sure if they do the same stuff anymore, like covering albums, or playing long sets, or having a unique set list each night, without Mike Portnoy in the band. He used to be in charge of a lot of that stuff.) > > I saw them in 2000, and while they didn’t play any covers at that gig, their encore consisted of three songs, of lengths 20, 15, and 24 minutes. This was after playing for like two and a half hours before the encore. I saw them this past April and their show consisted of a few songs, a replay of one of their entire albums, and their encore was another two songs…and it was all according to their setlist online. The was on the long side, but I’m sure they’ve stopped doing that in their old age ---
**Author:** ![Moris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moris/32/2846_2.png) [@Moris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moris)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-doing-surprise-covers-in-concert/838373/64 "2019-08-14T22:26:17Z")
I saw James Brown back in early 90s, band did a few snippets of “Purple Haze”, as well as full Janis Joplin song, forgot which one, I think “Move Over” (Brown on keyboards, one of female back vocals doing the lead). ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-doing-surprise-covers-in-concert/838373/65 "2019-08-14T22:33:43Z")
Speaking of\* Purple Haze\*, I was quite surprised to hear Micky Dolenz play it at a recent show, along with _Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-doing-surprise-covers-in-concert/838373/66 "2019-08-15T02:13:54Z")
When I saw Bruce Springsteen in 1981, he did a fantastic cover of Woodie Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” When I saw Jimmy Buffett a few years ago, he did covers of the Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon” and “Yellow Submarine.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-doing-surprise-covers-in-concert/838373.md?page=3)