Well, I guess it depends of the type of gig. I play jazz clubs only so the whole medley thing doesn't figure into the equation. But it does sound very challenging and demanding and would seem to require a lot of thought and preparation. With jazz gigs, no one dances. There is usually polite applause between tunes while the musicians critique the last tune and discuss what to play next. Since we only have about ten tunes that we've actully rehearsed together, that discussion is usually very short. It helps that we are able to "milk" a tune for up to 10-15 minutes. We almost never take requests (unless it's for one our "10") and rely on the "female vocalist" to lend musical variety. So vocals and instrumentals aren't mixed up, We bring up the vocalist when we sense that the crowd is starting to get bored with the instrumentals and usually end the set with a background blues jam while the vocalist announces "short call for alcohol".

Again, this doesn't address the medley thing but is an expression of (sincere) admiration and respect for the hard work and planning that goes into successfully doing dance-type (senior facility, corporate, holiday, etc.) gigs. It obviously requires a much larger repetoire which has to include current stuff. That alone would be hard for me, as I rarely listen to radio music other than the jazz stations (sometimes blues, contemporary jazz, gospel).

It's a good topic, though, and should help those new to the game, to prepare and get a heads-up on what works and what doesn't. As far as the fast/slow thing, I think it depends on whether your crowd is actively dancing at the time. Sometimes a switch may be what is needed to get them up on the dance floor (you know how guys sit around waiting for a slow number while women do just the opposite). As for mixing SMF's, MP3's, arranger styles, etc., in a single set; amazing, if you can pull it off. I'd be so confused it would be a horrible mess. I guess having an arranger that can accomodate that easily, would help.

chas