Most unexpected cover song in a live set ever

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Red House Painters - White Christmas, Little Drummer Boy and Keep On Lovin You.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 3 July 2003 10:29 (twenty years ago) link

Coil doing Cher's "Bang Bang".

― OleM (OleM), Thursday, 3 July 2003 10:52 (twenty years ago) link

Van Morrison breaking into a rendition of "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go" was a bit of a surprise.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 3 July 2003 12:15 (twenty years ago) link

Goldfrapp doing Olivia's 'Physical' at the end of a fantastic set round the Felt Mountain time.
Jaws dropped.

― russ t, Thursday, 3 July 2003 12:17 (twenty years ago) link

Does it count if it's unexpected by the band themselves? I caught the tail end of a drunken Yo La Tengo show in which they were playing only (new wave) covers...ten minutes afterwards I walk past Ira outside having the following exchange with a fan.

Fan: "That was a great version of "Church of The Poison Mind."

Ira: "Uh...we played 'Church of The Poison Mind???'"

I thought this was pretty funny...

― M Specktor (M Specktor), Thursday, 3 July 2003 12:24 (twenty years ago) link

Stiff Little Fingers doing I Was Born Under A Wanderin' Star

Aztec Camera doing (Van Halen's) Jump

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Thursday, 3 July 2003 12:24 (twenty years ago) link

Phish closing out a set in Dayton in '97 with "A Day in the Life" really caught me off guard, especially considering how fucking THICK it sounded.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 3 July 2003 12:37 (twenty years ago) link

Pulp doing "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", final show of the Hardcore tour 1998

― Robert Moore (treble), Thursday, 3 July 2003 13:07 (twenty years ago) link

I've seen the Flaming Lips twice and both times they played surprising covers. First time, they opened their set with A Flock of Seagulls' "Space-Age Love Song". The next time it was Queen and Bowie's "Under Pressure".

― boldbury, Thursday, 3 July 2003 13:34 (twenty years ago) link

I saw The Mission in Columbus, Ohio in about 1987.....wherein they tossed off sloppy, casual covers of "Rain" by the Cult and "Orion" by Metallica.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 3 July 2003 14:33 (twenty years ago) link

five months pass...

Just saw Scout Niblett play versions of "Uptown Top Ranking" and "These Arms of Mine".

― Snnap Dragon (snnap dragon), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:13 (twenty years ago) link

I heard some play 'Freebird' once. I didn't know it was an actual song. I just thought it was something that comedians would yell when they went to see bands play.

― TEH ONE AN ONLEY DEANN GULBAREY (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:17 (twenty years ago) link

highway to hell, american music club, 1992

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:19 (twenty years ago) link

I'd say Radiohead's 'Lucky' as performed by Saul Williams.

How is that surprising at all? Both are vaguely-alternative, anti-corporate guys who tour the same circuit to the same folks.

― David Allen, Tuesday, 23 December 2003 00:34 (twenty years ago) link

josh rouse cracking out the smiths and cure songs was an unexpected delight

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:36 (twenty years ago) link

I have live recordings of Bjork doing Petula Clark's "Downtown" and Elliott Smith covering Oasis' "Supersonic".

― tiiiiiiiiiim (tiiiiiiiiiim), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:44 (twenty years ago) link

I mentioned this elsewhere, but Bic Runga performing "Stop" by Royal Trux threw me for a loop.

― dlp9001, Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:49 (twenty years ago) link

A country cover band doing "Lose Yourself" by Eminem (it segues nicely into "Mama Tried").

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:50 (twenty years ago) link

The Buttless Chaps (or whatever they were called) broke out into a straight cover of Mr Roboto. It was brilliant.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:50 (twenty years ago) link

some local performer here in melbourne that i was only paying about 20% of my attention to last night cracked out the Magnetic Fields' "book of love". a really lovely version to. impressed i was.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:53 (twenty years ago) link

The Buttless Chaps

Ugh

― Colin Beckett (Colin Beckett), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 02:53 (twenty years ago) link

It's better then the Assless Mules.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 03:10 (twenty years ago) link

the Dismemberment Plan used to go into "Back That Ass Up" during the breakdown of "Ok Jokes Over."

― Ian Johnson (orion), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 04:25 (twenty years ago) link

Redd Kross doing the theme from Good Times (Movin' On Up)

― Speedy Gonzalas (Speedy Gonzalas), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 06:56 (twenty years ago) link

R.E.M. doing "Word Up" by Cameo, Rupp Arena, Lexington, November 1989.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 23 December 2003 07:06 (twenty years ago) link

i wish my band was capable of even one third of the crazy cover ideas i've had.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 08:01 (twenty years ago) link

Death Cab for Cutie did "Here Comes the Rain Again" by the Eurythmics. Heh, my folksinger friend Eric also does "Word Up."

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 08:14 (twenty years ago) link

"You Can't Hurry Love" by Burzum.

Oh hang on. I'm still asleep.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 10:35 (twenty years ago) link

I can't believe nobody meantioned 'easy' by lionel ritchie as performed by faith no more.

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:08 (twenty years ago) link

Duran Duran doing an instrumental of The Doors 'The End' while Simon got his mike fixed. Not at all bad.

― Zora (Zora), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:37 (twenty years ago) link

* "Anarchy In The UK" by Megadeth
* "Box Elder" by Wedding Present (remarkable at the time as only Slay Tracks had come out)
* whoever does the bluesy cover of "Fell In Love With A Girl" I heard in Vintage Vinyl this afternoon

Belle & Sebastian have done tons of unexpected covers live. I would've especially liked to hear their live versions of "If You Leave Me Now" (by, uh, Chicago) and "Tighten Up."

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 23 December 2003 23:43 (twenty years ago) link

Mercury Rev covering Mose Allison's [via the Who]
"Young Man Blues" in '95 and Moby's "Feeling So
Real" around the same time.
Sisters Of Mercy covering Hot Chocolate's "Emma" in, hmm,
'85?
Gang Of Four covering "Sweet Jane" in '81, right before
Solid Gold dropped.

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 00:57 (twenty years ago) link

whoever does the bluesy cover of "Fell In Love With A Girl"

Joss Stone, I assume.

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 03:18 (twenty years ago) link

One night I saw Buzz*Oven and they played "Red/Green" by the Big Boys. I think I was the only non-bandmember there who realized it was a cover tune.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 14:33 (twenty years ago) link

i don't know about EVER but in the last year it would have to be cass mccombs at the monitor/ insound party at sxsw last feb. --

that bitch did a version of "sexual healing" with the oxxxes backing him up that was spot on, beautiful, spine-tinglingly great. i get blown away just thinking about it!!!

― yetimike (McGonigal), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 14:46 (twenty years ago) link

Los Straitjackets' surf instrumental version of "My Heart Will Still Go On."

― John Fredland (jfredland), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 15:51 (twenty years ago) link

Rob Crow's solo acoustic set a couple of months ago included a pretty remarkable reinterpretation of "Minor Threat."

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 24 December 2003 17:30 (twenty years ago) link

On their "No Quarter" tour, I saw Page and Plant do "Riders On The Storm" in Atlanta...I found that VERY unexpected...I wish i could find a recording of that.

― wallace carothers' repentence, Wednesday, 31 December 2003 00:54 (twenty years ago) link

John Mayer singing "Area Codes"

― sym (shmuel), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 07:04 (twenty years ago) link

Finally, a cover that would be truly unexpected. Am I the only one who doesn't get surprised when some indie act pulls a top-40, obscuro or "wacky" cover out of their asses during a show?

― may pang (maypang), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 07:19 (twenty years ago) link

The Unicorns covered 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P" at a show with Hot Hot Heat and Metric a couple months ago, in Edmonton, AB.

― Rollie Pemberton (Rollie Pemberton), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 07:38 (twenty years ago) link

Wonderbraed song by Madhouse

― lucas (lucas), Thursday, 1 January 2004 04:50 (twenty years ago) link

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