The Set List: A Double 50th Birthday Bash for Rachel + Erika 🎉

There's something special about a milestone birthday — and when two friends decide to celebrate turning 50 together, you know the night is going to be a good one. That's exactly what happened when I got the call to DJ Rachel Stern and Erika Meredith's joint 50th birthday party.

Here's the fun part: Rachel and Erika built their own playlist. They knew exactly what they wanted the night to sound like, and my job was simple — take their vision and navigate the room with it, reading the crowd and calling the right song at the right moment to keep the energy building all night long.

After almost 25 years of doing this, I still love it when clients bring me a playlist that tells me who they are. This one screamed "we grew up in the 80s and we are not slowing down." So I figured, why not start sharing these playlists here on the blog? If it gives you some inspiration for your own event — whether you're planning a birthday, a wedding, or anything in between — then it's worth putting out there.

The First Hour: Dinner & Mingling

We kicked things off with an 80s-leaning set to set the mood while guests found their seats and dinner service got underway. This stretch is all about vibe over volume — songs people can talk over, but that still make them smile when they recognize the opening notes.

• 1985

• Papa Don't Preach

• St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)

• These Are Days

• Only in My Dreams

• Lean on Me

• Margaritaville

• Time After Time

• What's Up?

• With Or Without You

• Luka

• Always Something There to Remind Me

• All I Really Want

• Vienna

• Video Killed the Radio Star

• Sally, When the Wine Runs Out

• One More Try

• One Way or Another

• Summer of '69

• Tainted Love

• We Are the World

• Sister Christian

• Shoop

  
  

The Dance Floor Opens: It Started With Piano Man

Once dinner wrapped, it was time to shift gears. There's a real art to picking that first dance-floor song — it has to invite people up without feeling forced. For this crowd, "Piano Man" by Billy Joel was the perfect call. It's a singalong before it's a dance song, which meant everyone was on their feet and belting the words before they even realized they were dancing.

From there, we just kept building:

• Piano Man

• I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)

• Jessie's Girl

• Wannabe

• Dancing Queen

• Holding Out for a Hero

• American Girl

• A Little Respect

• I Melt with You

• Friday I'm in Love

• Don't You (Forget About Me)

• Blister in the Sun

• I Wanna Be Sedated

• You Shook Me All Night Long

• Livin' on a Prayer

• Like a Prayer

• Hungry Like the Wolf

• I Think We're Alone Now

• If I Could Turn Back Time

• Hold Me Now

• What I Like About You

• 867-5309/Jenny

• Working for the Weekend

• Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris)

• Timber

• Low (feat. T-Pain)

• Fantasy

• Sweet Caroline

• Don't Stop Believin'

• I Gotta Feeling

• No Sleep Till Brooklyn

• Should I Stay or Should I Go

• Heaven Is a Place on Earth

• Just Can't Get Enough

• If You Leave

• Come On Eileen

• That's What Friends Are For

• (I've Had) The Time of My Life

  
  

Why I'm Sharing This

Twenty-five years into this business, I've learned that the best parties come from clients who know their crowd. Erika and Rachel handed me a roadmap, and my job was to drive it — watching the floor, feeling the room, and making the calls on when to hold a song a little longer or move things along.

If you're planning your own celebration and want a playlist that actually works from dinner through the last dance, take a page from this one: mix eras that mean something to your specific guests, build slowly, and don't be afraid to open the dance floor with a song everyone can sing before they dance.

Happy 50th, Erika and Rachel — thank you for letting me be part of the celebration. 🎂🕺💃

Want help building a playlist for your next event? Reach out to Buzzardball and let's talk about your night.