Should We Play El Paso?

crank

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My About Half Dead band is playing a gig Friday after next and we cover the great Marty Robbins song, El Paso, which the Dead covered as well. Most of the band thinks we should not play it our of respect to the victims of the shooting at the Wal Mart there last Saturday. I'm thinking maybe we should play it and dedicated it to their remembrance.

Any thoughts?

We love playing the song and do it pretty well.
 

12 string

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I like your idea, crank.

' Strang
 

gjmalcyon

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I don't know that I would sing that song, with its references to guns.

Red River Valley would be a sweetly poignant substitute.
 

Brad Little

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You could put it on hold for a while and try something in a similar vein, "Cross the Brazos at Waco." Of course the Waco siege is 25 years in the past, so not likely to be on too many minds.
 

Nuuska

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Hello

Never heard of that song.
Found the lyrics.
Carefully read them.

I would not play it.
 

dreadnut

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Just do the song. One of my favorites.

I wouldn't even make any reference to the recent violence in El Paso; it has absolutely nothing to do with this iconic song.
 

shihan

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I would take it off the set list for a while. If you’re wondering if it’s appropriate, that’s a pretty clear sign it’s probably not.
 

gjmalcyon

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Apologies for the veer: At my abuela's funeral mass in Denver in the late '80's, I heard a hymn sung in softly in Spanish to the melody of Red River Valley.

I have been trying to track down that connection ever since. Notwithstanding my decent research skills I've found nothing.

Can anyone around these parts add something?
 

adorshki

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I would take it off the set list for a while. If you’re wondering if it’s appropriate, that’s a pretty clear sign it’s probably not.
Yep.
I recently realized that although I tell myself I'm trying not to "pre-judge" my fellow humans by nobly ascribing to them qualities of tolerance and acceptance similar to my own, I'm doing us both a disservice.
They could be far more offended by certain things than I am and in fact have every right to be.
How those feelings everybody has a right to get demonstrated is where the trouble starts.
So yeah, if I'm wondering, that's probably a sign.
 

Guildedagain

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A) Never seen a song with that many words

B) Lyrics are eventually somewhat or totally inappropriate, too tragic, too much gunsmoke...
 

dreadnut

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Great song but kinda hard for me to sing the falsetto parts...
 

dreadnut

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As my friend says: "Put on your crotch capo." Of course, he can sing that part naturally.
 

adorshki

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As my friend says: "Put on your crotch capo." Of course, he can sing that part naturally.

There's a tee shirt for that, too.
6709_55e74cd05e3578.72233475_AthleticSupporterFlat_7d985dce-fc1e-4259-ae60-8c269d2cb6e5_grande.jpg
 

mavuser

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crank, I may be in the minority here, but, since u asked, I say play the song, if the band enjoys playing it, it is part of your set, and there is no internal conflict with the issue among any band members. if u dont play it, they win, and we lose. if you want to dedicate it to the people of El Paso that is ok, but not necessary to do.

this sort of conflict comes up a lot, I remember the band Anthrax went thru this during the Anthrax scare around 2001. no way they were changing the band name. and I have seen rich people get a high profie performer for their wedding, and they sing their medley of break up songs...

u do u, the bad guys are someone else.
 

gilded

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My About Half Dead band is playing a gig Friday after next and we cover the great Marty Robbins song, El Paso, which the Dead covered as well. Most of the band thinks we should not play it our of respect to the victims of the shooting at the Wal Mart there last Saturday. I'm thinking maybe we should play it and dedicated it to their remembrance.

Any thoughts?

We love playing the song and do it pretty well.

Crank, where are you located? Close to El Paso?
 

crank

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crank, I may be in the minority here, but, since u asked, I say play the song, if the band enjoys playing it, it is part of your set, and there is no internal conflict with the issue among any band members. if u dont play it, they win, and we lose. if you want to dedicate it to the people of El Paso that is ok, but not necessary to do.

this sort of conflict comes up a lot, I remember the band Anthrax went thru this during the Anthrax scare around 2001. no way they were changing the band name. and I have seen rich people get a high profie performer for their wedding, and they sing their medley of break up songs...

u do u, the bad guys are someone else.

You and I think alike. After pondering it some more I have a similar philosophy in that if they change the things we do, the songs we sing, they, whoever "they" are, win.

I fear we are as you say - in the minority here. I can't force the guys to play it.
 
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