NEED HELP selecting songs for show!!!!

What kind of crowd is it?

i guess it depends on what kind of crowd it is....
if its country then just pull out some Hank Williams or Johnny Cash and people oughta respond pretty well... me and my bro and my cousins play for ppl sometimes and 'flushed from the bathroom of your heart' always gets a good reaction lol
if its rock then i'd say there are plenty of good acoustic pieces out there to choose from... Staind's everything  changes is pretty cool, and shed some light on me by shinedown, or even doing some acoustic versions of older stuff like Creedance Clearwater Revival or something....
but like i said it depends on the audience.

All You Need is Love

Thanks for the suggestions so far!  I really appreciate it!!  I will  throw in some James Taylor and some John Denver....Country Roads is that type of song EVERYONE knows.....or should know. 

What type of crowd.....let's see.  Sports bar.  21-55 crowd.  Wednesday night.  I'm a regular at open mics there but I'm the featured artist next month so I get to play 45min-1 hour.  My friends own the bar so I know many people there and some regulars.  I guess I'm a regular too since I try to drink them out of Fat Tire or Blue Moon when I'm there....hehe.  It's hit or miss as far as the attention you get from the crowd....if there's a Cubs game on......or.....what's that other team?.....oh yeah, the Sox, then it's pretty hard to work the room.

I'm playing covers and I might mix in some new originals I've been working on.  I almost always play songs that I really like, but those aren't always what the average person likes.  Here is a list of songs I've done there over the past couple of months in order to give you an idea of what type of stuff I play.

Caymen Review-Trey Anastasio       
She Caught the Katy and Left Me the Mule to Ride-Taj Mahal       
Birdhouse In Your Soul-They Might Be Giants           
The Crossing-The Freddy Jones Band       
Dance Hall Days-Wang Chung       
Gumbo-Phish               
Late in the Evening-Paul Simon
Let it Be-The Beatles               
Adalae-The Pink Spiders       
Karma Police-Radiohead       
Pretend That This is Fiction-The Pink Spiders           
Can't Get Enough of Your Love-Bad Company       
Down Under-Men At Work       
Laid-James       
Inaudible Melodies-Jack Johnson       
Say It Ain't So-Weezer       
I Will Follow You Into the Dark-Death Cab For Cutie       
Jolene-Ray LaMontagne       
You Got To Hide Your Love Away-The Beatles           
Trouble-Ray La Montagne   
Here We Go-Dispatch   
Black-Pearl Jam   
Masters of War-Bob Dylan       
Waste-Phish               
Not So Usual-Jason Mraz       
Garden Grove-Sublime       
Feelin' Alright-Dave Mason        
Drift Away-Dobie Gray       
Let it Be-Beatles               
Bad Bad Leroy Brown-Jim Croce           
The Times They are a Changin'-Bob Dylan           
Blue Suede Shoes-Elvis Presley           
Hide Your Love Away-The Beatles           
Indescribable-Chris Tomliin           
Empty-Ray Lamontagne           
Bubble Toes-Jack Johnson           
I Don't Need No Doctor-Ray Charles               
Big Empty-Stone Temple Pilots           
AC/DC Bag-Phish       
The General-Dispatch       
Curbside Prophet-Jason Mraz           
Caress Me Down-Sublime   
Chariot-Gavin Degraw
What's Up?-4 Non Blondes
Beauty of Grey-Live
Overcome-Live   
Stoppin' the Love-KT Tunstall
It's Still Rock n Roll To Me-Billy Joel
A Woman-Mofro
Amie-Pure Prairie League
Drown-Stuart Davis
Drift Away-Dobie Gray
Jive Talkin'-Bee Gees
Cecilia-Paul Simon
Walk On By-Cake
Blitzkrieg Bop-The Ramones
Gone-Jack Johnson
Ripple-Grateful Dead
Bittersweet-Big Head Todd

Thanks for your help!!

Ways to select;

1) Record yourself playing all your best songs on camera or with a computer mike. Leave some time and then review it. Don't get critical of yourself, just look for solidity.

2) Which songs can you always play even when tired, nervous, drunk... Look for songs that support you, safety net songs.

3) What people know. Pure Top40 radio fodder. You might think people would be more critical if they know a song well but actually they'll do half the singing for you...

I'm a 50+ intermediate beginner and have just started playing a small open mike in my little town.  I'm strictly an open chord strummer, while some of the other folks are very, very good.  I play what I know and like, it's a lot different sitting in front of people than doing it at home by yourself!

I made a comment one night that I'm not as good as the others, and one gal said, "yeah, but you play fun songs".  I almost always do a Buffett song, Johnny Cash and of course some Beatles.  People like that stuff and can sing along with it.  "Brown Eyed Girl" is another good one. 

You'd be surprised at the reaction to fun, simple songs.  To quote Forrest Gump, open mikes are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

Thanks for the suggestions dudes and dudettes.  I'm actually pretty comfortable with everything I play.  I'm usually tired.....and drunk and they still sound decent.  Just kidding....I like to play all kinds of stuff.  I'm really looking for actual songs.  What do you like to hear when you are out?  What song has someone played that made you go "Wow, I haven't heard that in years!!  I love that song!" or "Wow, that is an interesting take on that song, that works well"  For example, I'm going to play Crazy by Gnarls Barkley, but I'm going to do a Reggae version of it.  I want to make some interesting choices and have a memorable performance.

Wanted Dead or Alive is a perfect song.  Everyone knows it and I'll play it close to the original. 

I Will Survive- Another perfect song.  Actually, it is another one that could transfer well with a reggae rhythm.

Buffet is always good.  John Denver, enough said.

Daughters is an awesome song.  Might do that one too.

I've played Gumbo by Phish before.  Love that song. 

Under the Boardwalk....Probably going to play that too.

I have a loop pedal that I use as well so I can solo on top of what I just laid down.  If I want to get really fancy, I can get my GNX3 and loop a bass line, play some riff or chords and then solo.  I've done that before with "Who Knows" by Hendrix (Band of Gypsys)  I mean Billy Cox, Buddy Miles and Hendrix!!!!  Does it get better???

So What are your top 10 or 5 or maybe even 3  FAVORITE songs that you've have heard or played at a show.  Remember.....1 Guitar.  1 voice.  I need some WOW factor!

Feel free also to suggest a song and change the style that I could perform it in. 

Thanks so much.

Hello Cleveland!!!!!!!!!

Hi Zappa,

Please try PATIENCE by Guns N Roses. Its a wonderful acoustic song. Crowd will love to listen it.

Ok....I think I have a tenative set here.....let me know what you folks think....

Mary Jane-Rick James
Crazy-Gnarls Barkley
Sunglasses at Night-Corey Hart
Creep-Radiohead
Sheep Go To Heaven-Cake
Don't Look Back in Anger-Oasis
Lola-The Kinks
Show Me A Little Shame-Ben Harper
Who Can It Be Now-Men At Work
Country Roads-John Denver
Ain't No Sunshine-Bill Withers
I Am The Walrus-The Beatles
Blue-Jayhawks
Dear God-XTC
Come on Eileen-Dexy's Midnight Runners
Cruel To Be Kind-Nick Lowe
Africa-Toto
Can't Let Go-Lucinda Williams
Ophelia-The Band
Watching The Detectives-Elvis Costello

Thanks for your help!!!