The Ramone phase 2- Lessons applied & a new setlist

I have had time to focus on a few other projects while I digested the information I learned from my first gig as The Ramone and now that I am back at it, I am going to start from scratch
First of all, I was able to figure out my problems with the video sampler. It turns out that there are more than one kind of .wmv and I converted the files into the wrong format
Big sigh of relief that my very expensive video sampler isn’t on the fritz

I am pursuing more gigs and still have the original set to perform while I manufacture a new one
Meatpie and I were talking about the show and I told him about my new set list selections
He said that he was glad to hear that because he only recognized a few songs from my set
The first set is more of a conceptual performance because it is the first album all the way through
This is going to be a greatest hits type of set list with the most recognizable songs in the catalog
I do want to keep the set very heavy towards the classics and there’s another twist
The matter of tempo
There is a point in the development of The Ramones where Marky was replaced by Richie
There was a great deal of pressure for the Ramones to keep up with heavy metal and thrash,
so they took advantage of Richie’s ability to play faster
It is like fast moving zombies
They were necessary to keep the concept fresh
plus, they could cram more songs into the set

The final decade of the Ramones has to be my least favorite simply because they were just too damn fast
The the songs that appeal to the average fan who didn’t spend 30 years of obsession don’t play in their heads like they sound on Loco Live
They sound like the songs on commercials and radio and in the film Rock n Roll High School in the original tempo
And here’s the secret word
A DANCE-ABLE tempo
So far, I have set my ceiling at 190 bpm

I don’t see the audience of The Ramone being all that concerned about some obscure song on one of the albums where only one song made the set list
This is going to be a more crowd friendly performance aimed at keeping people engaged and participating
I don’t want a crowd slamdancing and screaming
I want a crowd dancing and singing
The secret to this project being successful is a feeling of inclusiveness instead on intensity

The new set list is mostly centered around the Greatest Hits album with songs grouped together by beats per minute
I still intend to record each song separately for now and using the P10 visual sampler live
I intend to look for a new platform that will let me isolate more tracks than a stereo output allows

Speaking of Beats Per Minute, I am changing my recording techniques
Before, I was unsure of my ability to concentrate enough to play the drum parts bare, so I recorded everything along to the original tracks
This made the parts a little loose and hard to synch in some areas because I was playing each instrument at slightly different tempos form each other
I have had several days of rehearsal of the new set list and I have been pretty successful at playing the songs from memory with only a click track
Very soon, I will be able to shoot video and record audio with the new lessons I learned about everything from lighting to planning to playing

I even have a couple of non-musical ideas to perhaps include that will take advantage of the one man concept