# What do one-hit wonder bands do for concerts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194 "2014-04-15T18:34:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/21 "2014-04-15T22:19:20Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Certainly it did. The old-line Deadheads referred to the new fans as “Touchheads” and looked upon them with loathing. Interesting. I hadn’t heard that before. You would think that the reputation of a typical Dead concert would have received enough general notice that the strictly Top 40 crowd might have known it would be an experience they might not be prepared for, but I guess not. Ignorance fought…thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/22 "2014-04-15T22:22:30Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Most bands that play live shows do not have 30-60 minutes worth of radio hits. I would hazard to guess that a very very small percentage of them do (and most of them have been around for 50 years). For the rest of the bands, they just play what they got. Prime example: Rush. They’ve been around for 40 years, and these days they put on a 3-hour show, but how many “hits” can the average non-hardcore fan name? “Tom Sawyer”? Maybe “YYZ”? On the outside, “Closer to the Heart”? Yet they still sell out venues everywhere they play. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/23 "2014-04-15T22:36:07Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I saw Marc “Tainted Love” Almond in concert once. I wasn’t a fan, but the guy I went with was. The set was basically, a bunch of stuff that the fans knew and loved but nobody else had ever heard of… followed by “Tainted Love” as a surprise third encore. Play [Sex Dwarf](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0XKMPt-OZE)! ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/24 "2014-04-15T23:27:23Z")
They play combined shows like the one I saw here with: Steve Miller Band The Cult The Fixx Night Ranger Skid Row Modern English Sweet ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/25 "2014-04-15T23:53:39Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Prime example: Rush. They’ve been around for 40 years, and these days they put on a 3-hour show, but how many “hits” can the average non-hardcore fan name? “Tom Sawyer”? Maybe “YYZ”? On the outside, “Closer to the Heart”? Yet they still sell out venues everywhere they play. I _hate_ Rush but can name more songs than that\*, I think a lot of people would be surprised at how many songs they know by artists that have been around for that long. Back around 1999, I got dragged along to a Tom Petty concert. I didn’t want to go, didn’t think I’d know any songs, didn’t really care that much for him. It ended up being one of the best concerts I’d ever been to. Considering I didn’t think I really knew anything by him other then one or two songs, I think out of the two and half hour set, I _didn’t_ know maybe two songs. He has a ton of hit songs. \*Okay, Rush, I effin hate Rush and will turn it off if it comes on, but just off the top of my head: Tom Sawyer, YYZ (just from seeing people do the bass solo on youtube), Working Man, Fly By Night, Limelight, The Spirit Of The Radio. That’s all I got, but I think that’s pretty good for someone that’s been actively avoiding them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/26 "2014-04-16T00:02:40Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > \*Okay, Rush, I effin hate Rush and will turn it off if it comes on, but just off the top of my head: Tom Sawyer, YYZ (just from seeing people do the bass solo on youtube), Working Man, Fly By Night, Limelight, The Spirit Of The Radio. That’s all I got, but I think that’s pretty good for someone that’s been actively avoiding them. Sounds about right to me. Those were the usual classic rock station Rush songs, except for YYZ. The only reason I know that one is from Guitar Hero. And then there’s that awful Trees song, which I know only from Rock Band (or a Guitar Hero–one of those games.) I actually don’t mind Rush, but the lyrics to that one drive me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/27 "2014-04-16T00:04:51Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > This doesn’t mean that those attending their shows on the strength of that hit single are necessarily familiar with the rest of their repertoire, but the bands will nevertheless muddle through and play long enough to stick their big hit at the end. I would think they’d have to be - I sure as heck wouldn’t shell out for a concert if all I knew about The Rembrandts was that they made “I’ll Be There For You.” The lone hit is what gets you to listen to other tracks, and liking _those_ (a lot) is what gets you to a concert. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/28 "2014-04-16T00:37:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Sounds about right to me. Those were the usual classic rock station Rush songs, except for YYZ. The only reason I know that one is from Guitar Hero. And then there’s that awful Trees song, which I know only from Rock Band (or a Guitar Hero–one of those games.) I actually don’t mind Rush, but the lyrics to that one drive me nuts. There’s also The Pass, New World Man (it was recognized in the mid-80s), the Mission, and Subdivisions; they at least got semi–regular airtime when the contemporaneous album was out. So, what’s the total something like 10-12? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/29 "2014-04-16T01:10:13Z")
[When they aren’t really one-hit wonders](http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-one-hit-wonders-who-deserve-your-respect-part-2/). My favorite band is #4, and they have a huge back catalogue that they routinely draw on. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/30 "2014-04-16T01:20:15Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > There’s also The Pass, New World Man (it was recognized in the mid-80s), the Mission, and Subdivisions; they at least got semi–regular airtime when the contemporaneous album was out. > So, what’s the total something like 10-12? Just listened to them, and none of those are really registering with me. Subdivisions and New World Man vaguely sound familiar, but Subdivisions kind of sounds like a pretty typical/generic Rush song to me, so I may just be recognizing that. Mind you, the Rush songs I’m familiar with are the ones that got airplay on classic rock stations in the early to mid-90s onward, not stations playing contemporaneous rock, so maybe that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/31 "2014-04-16T01:31:00Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > [When they aren’t really one-hit wonders](http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-one-hit-wonders-who-deserve-your-respect-part-2/). > > My favorite band is #4, and they have a huge back catalogue that they routinely draw on. Huh. For some reason, I thought the Church had another hit in the US with “Almost With You,” (one of my all-time favorite songs) but apparently that didn’t chart at all (or maybe it wasn’t released as a single here, I don’t know.) “Metropolis” apparently did well on the modern rock and mainstream rock charts, but never crossed into the Hot 100. So yeah, one of those “One Hit Wonder” bands that really don’t deserve to be known as one-hit wonders (much like Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Gary Numan, Devo, the Verve, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/32 "2014-04-16T01:31:22Z")
The point is that _every_ band\* has performed full-length shows for years before getting a record deal. They easily have enough material for 45 minutes, even if most of it isn’t familiar to those who just listen to hit singles. \*Well, maybe not manufactured groups like boy bands ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/33 "2014-04-16T01:45:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The point is that _every_ band\* has performed full-length shows for years before getting a record deal. They easily have enough material for 45 minutes, even if most of it isn’t familiar to those who just listen to hit singles. > > \*Well, maybe not manufactured groups like boy bands An interesting example is the semi-fictional band [Steam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_(band)) that was hastily put together after “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” topped the charts. > [@](#): > > Nobody believed that Na Na was worth anything and since neither Leka or DeCarlo wanted to have their names on it, the song was attributed to a non-existent band that they named Steam and was a one-hit wonder. > > […] > > Soon after “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” became a hit, Mercury Records asked Dale Frashuer, Garrett Scott, and J. De Leone to tour in order to promote the record. They did not want to tour so Mercury Records hired another group of musicians to impersonate the non-existent band named Steam. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/34 "2014-04-16T01:56:14Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > [When they aren’t really one-hit wonders](http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-one-hit-wonders-who-deserve-your-respect-part-2/). > > My favorite band is #4, and they have a huge back catalogue that they routinely draw on. I never considered The Church one-hit-wonders but I guess “Under The Milky Way” is actually the only song they’re know for in the US. Great band. I still have a _Starfish_ T-shirt. My contribution to this thread is Marcy Playground. “Sex and Candy” was a big hit and the only song anyone remembers. “Sex and Candy” was maybe the 8th or 9th best song on that album. Their next record, _Shapeshifter_ was just as good or better than the debut. The next two albums weren’t as strong but still had quality material. “Sex and Candy” is probably about the 30th best song Marcy Plaground recorded, IMO. Marcy Playround still tours and singer John Wozniak has also released solo material. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/35 "2014-04-16T01:59:56Z")
They do the same thing as the 99+% of gigging bands that have zero “hits” - play a selection of their material. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/36 "2014-04-16T02:37:04Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I saw Marc “Tainted Love” Almond in concert once. I wasn’t a fan, but the guy I went with was. The set was basically, a bunch of stuff that the fans knew and loved but nobody else had ever heard of… followed by “Tainted Love” as a surprise third encore. I went to a Troggs concert and they played [Wild Thing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hce74cEAAaE) at least twice, plus a bunch of unmemorable stuff. I think everyone was there just to see them do _Wild Thing_. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/37 "2014-04-16T03:21:45Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Prime example: Rush. They’ve been around for 40 years, and these days they put on a 3-hour show, but how many “hits” can the average non-hardcore fan name? “Tom Sawyer”? Maybe “YYZ”? On the outside, “Closer to the Heart”? Yet they still sell out venues everywhere they play. Their only American Top 40 hit was “New World Man”. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sQRShD0xuAk/hqdefault.jpg "Rush-New World Man") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQRShD0xuAk) I’ve heard they no longer play “Closer to the Heart” live. There’s also “The Spirit of Radio”, “Working Man”, “Fly By Night”, and of course “A Passage to Bangkok” 😛 which I’ve never seen live (4 concerts between 1982 and 1994). ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/38 "2014-04-16T04:04:33Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Their only American Top 40 hit was “New World Man”. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQRShD0xuAk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQRShD0xuAk) > > I’ve heard they no longer play “Closer to the Heart” live. > > There’s also “The Spirit of Radio”, “Working Man”, “Fly By Night”, and of course “A Passage to Bangkok” 😛 which I’ve never seen live (4 concerts between 1982 and 1994). I think it’s worth noting that they had 43 singles on the top 40 of The Mainstream Rock charts. I admit the top 40 there isn’t much of a hit (most notable rock bands will probably make that with every single, as long as programmers still give them play). Tightening the requirements some, they still have 21 top 10 singles on that chart. Looking at their singles I discography I count at least 10 songs that I have heard at least semi-regularly on classic rock radio over the past 20 or so years. Without getting too much into Billboard chart methodology, for a considerable period of time many hit singles were not eligible for the main charts if they did not have a physical commercial single release. So a lot of rock album hits did not appear on the main charts like the Hot 100/Top 40. Though this doesn’t apply to Rush and most rock bands of their era, there were many no-doubt (including at least one huge one from “no Doubt”) pop hits of the 90s that did not chart on the Hot 100 during the transition period when singles weren’t released in order to drive CD sales and before legal digital singles. I could turn on the current “mainstream rock” format station on any given day and hear “Tom Sawyer, Subdivisions, Limelight, Closer to the Heart, The Spirit of Radio, and Fly By Night.” Heck, “Freewill” has been huge on rock radio anywhere I have lived in the last 20 years (US- East Coast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest) and I don’t think it charted on any airplay chart. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/39 "2014-04-16T04:05:07Z")
Someone made me go to this concert once, they played this one song for like an hour, then they took a break for like 30 seconds, and then proceeded to play that same song all over again for another hour…and then AGAIN…I said to the girl,“WTF is this shit?” She said,“Trans Siberian Orchestra”. :o ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194/40 "2014-04-16T07:01:35Z")
I don’t think the Beatles, after Beatlemania hit, ever played a set that was more than 30 minutes long in their career. Why bother, when no one can hear the music over the screaming. I think I read in one of the books on the Beatles (I think it was [this one](http://www.amazon.com/The-Beatles-Biography-Bob-Spitz/dp/0316013315)), that their playlist never varied much over the years, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-one-hit-wonder-bands-do-for-concerts/686194.md?page=3)