Canadian Railroad Trilogy was the first song I ever performed in front of an audience, at an open mic night some eight years ago. It went over very well.
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald gets a lot of requests, but as a solo guitarist in the absence of other instrumentation, you really have to keep it interesting by interspersing some fingerpicking (or other variation) with the strums. Otherwise, it can become a little monotonous for the listener to just hear the same four chords strummed repeatedly for 7 minutes. I used to play it more frequently, but now I usually just wait until someone specifically requests it.
I have also had good audience response with Boss Man, Don Quixote, Did She Mention My Name and I'm Not Sayin' (the full version, not the medley). However, the one that seems to ALWAYS go over is If You Could Read My Mind. I did that for nearly every open mic night and continued to play it after I started playing the local taverns and restaurants. If you can infuse that recognizable melody line - especially with the sixths on the instrumental part - it sounds great.
Personally, I prefer to do the more obscure Gord songs, but they're less popular because most audiences have never heard them. So you have to strike a balance between pleasing the crowd and playing what feels good to you.
Good luck!
Dan
[This message has been edited by The Intended (edited March 23, 2004).]
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