Harmonix was at a crossroads in 2010. The plastic guitar craze wasn't just peaking; it was starting to feel a little bloated. Then they dropped Rock Band 3, and honestly, everything changed. It wasn't just about adding a keyboard or those Pro Mode strings that literally nobody could actually play without months of practice. It was the music. The Rock Band 3 setlist felt like a curated museum of rock history rather than a collection of whatever was topping the charts that week. It had weight.
You had 83 songs on the disc. That sounds like a lot, but quantity wasn't the flex here. It was the sheer variety. One minute you’re screaming along to "Bohemian Rhapsody"—which, let's be real, is the ultimate party killer if you can't hit the high notes—and the next you're trying to figure out the syncopated drum fills in "The Hardest Button to Button" by The White Stripes. It was a weird, beautiful mix.
The Keyboard Revolution and the Rock Band 3 Setlist
Adding the keyboard peripheral was a massive gamble. To make it work, the Rock Band 3 setlist had to be built around piano-heavy tracks that didn't feel like an afterthought. We're talking about "Low Rider" by War and "Right Here, Right Now" by Jesus Jones. If you played the keys back then, you remember the struggle of the five-button "Keys" mode versus the "Pro Keys" mode that actually required you to know where C major was.
It changed the vibe of the game. Suddenly, the setlist wasn't just for guitar heroes.
Look at "Imagine" by John Lennon. In any other rhythm game, that would be a boring slog. In this one? It was a centerpiece. It proved that a Rock Band 3 setlist could be emotional and slow without losing the player's interest. Then, of course, they’d hit you with "Roundabout" by Yes. If you've ever tried to play that on Pro Keys, you know it's basically a digital torture device designed by progressive rock wizards. It’s eight minutes of pure intensity.
Why "Bohemian Rhapsody" Was the Crown Jewel
Everyone talks about Queen. But including "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the disc—not as DLC, but right there on the shard—was a statement. Harmonix knew that the vocal harmonies were the secret sauce of the third installment. The game allowed for three-part vocal harmonies, and this song was the perfect playground for it. You didn't just have a lead singer; you had a whole choir in your living room. It was messy. It was loud. It was perfect.
A Setlist That Ignored the "Top 40" Trap
A lot of people complained at launch. They wanted more Metallica or more Avenged Sevenfold. Instead, they got The B-52's "Rock Lobster."
Wait.
Think about that for a second. "Rock Lobster" is objectively one of the most chaotic things you can play with friends. The Rock Band 3 setlist leaned into the "party" aspect of the franchise more than any previous entry. It gave us "Whip It" by Devo and "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon. These aren't "cool" songs in the traditional leather-jacket-and-shredding sense, but they are songs everyone knows the words to. That’s the genius of the curation here.
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They also didn't ignore the heavy stuff entirely. Anthrax showed up with "Caught in a Mosh." Slipknot brought "Before I Forget." It’s just that these tracks sat alongside Amy Winehouse’s "Rehab." It was a bizarre, eclectic neighborhood where everyone was invited.
The Deep Cuts You Forgot Were There
Do you remember "Llama" by Phish? Probably not, unless you were the drummer. That song is a nightmare on Expert drums. It’s one of those tracks that sits in the middle of the Rock Band 3 setlist like a landmine. You’re scrolling through, thinking you’re a god because you just 100%ed "Need You Tonight" by INXS, and then Phish destroys your wrists.
There’s also "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" by Primus. Les Claypool’s bass lines are notorious. Putting that in a game where people use a plastic controller with five buttons is almost a joke. But it worked. It pushed the "Pro Bass" feature and made players realize that the Rock Band 3 setlist was actually a teaching tool in disguise.
The Technicality of the "Pro" Tracks
We have to talk about the Pro Mode. This was the era where Harmonix thought we all wanted to learn real instruments. To support that, the Rock Band 3 setlist needed songs with actual musical complexity.
Take "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger. On the surface, it’s a power ballad. But on Pro Drums or Pro Keys, it’s a masterclass in 80s arena rock structure. The game wasn't just asking you to match colors anymore; it was asking you to understand rhythm and pitch.
- Huey Lewis and the News: "The Power of Love" (The synth work here is iconic).
- Deep Purple: "Smoke on the Water" (The quintessential riff, finally in its full glory).
- Chicago: "25 or 6 to 4" (The brass section translated to keys is a blast).
- Ozzy Osbourne: "Crazy Train" (Because you can't have a rock game without Randy Rhoads).
The list goes on. But the real "E-E-A-T" (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) of this setlist comes from how it handled the transition of eras. You had the 60s with The Doors and Jimi Hendrix, the 70s with Fleetwood Mac and Blondie, the 80s with The Cure and Foreigner, and the 90s with Jane’s Addiction and Stone Temple Pilots. It was a cohesive timeline of why rock music matters.
The Licensing Nightmare That We Won
Licensing music for games is a literal nightmare. Ask anyone in the industry. The fact that Harmonix secured the rights for this specific Rock Band 3 setlist is a miracle of legal engineering. Getting Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic" alongside David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and The Police’s "Don't Stand So Close to Me" required massive clout.
Most games today rely on "safe" tracks. They pick things that are cheap to license or currently trending on TikTok. In 2010, the Rock Band 3 setlist was about legacy. It was about making sure that if this was the last great rhythm game (and for a long time, it was), it went out with a bang.
The Export Factor
One thing people often overlook when talking about the Rock Band 3 setlist is how it acted as a hub. If you owned the previous games, you could export those songs into the RB3 engine. This meant your "setlist" wasn't just the 83 songs on the disc—it could be upwards of 2,000 songs if you were a dedicated fan.
But even without the exports, the core disc stood on its own. It felt "adult." It didn't have the cartoonish edginess of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, which came out around the same time. It felt like a professional piece of software for people who genuinely loved music.
Actionable Insights for Modern Players
If you're looking to revisit this classic or maybe you're dusting off the Wii or Xbox 360 in 2026, here is how to actually get the most out of the Rock Band 3 setlist today:
- Check the Battery Compartments: Seriously. If you left AA batteries in those plastic guitars ten years ago, they’ve probably leaked. Clean the terminals with white vinegar and a Q-tip before you try to fire up the game.
- Calibration is King: Modern OLED and 4K TVs have significantly more lag than the monitors we used in 2010. Do not rely on the "auto" calibration if you have the sensor. Do it manually. Play a simple song like "Centerfold" by The J. Geils Band to dial in the millisecond offset.
- Find the Keyboard: If you can find the MIDI Pro Adapter or the official Rock Band 3 Wireless Keyboard at a thrift store, grab it. The keyboard tracks are the most unique part of this specific setlist and offer a totally different challenge than the guitar.
- The "Vocal" Secret: If you don't have three mics, you can actually use cheap USB Logitech mics or even old SingStar mics. The game is surprisingly forgiving with hardware as long as it's a USB connection.
- Prioritize the "Pro" Challenges: To truly appreciate the curation of the Rock Band 3 setlist, try the "Pro" tutorials. Even if you don't have the specialized controllers, the game explains the music theory behind tracks like "Du Hast" or "I Can See For Miles."
The Rock Band 3 setlist isn't just a list of songs. It’s a snapshot of a time when gaming tried to be more than just a distraction—it tried to be an instrument. While the plastic instrument craze eventually died down, the songs remain. Whether you're hitting the keys on "Walking on the Sun" or trying to survive the drums on "Portions for Foxes," the quality is undeniable. It remains the gold standard for what a music game should be.
To keep your legacy gear running, ensure you store your controllers vertically to avoid neck warping on the guitars. Keep the dongles matched to their specific instruments; mixing up PlayStation 3 guitar dongles is a common mistake that leads to "it won't sync" frustrations. For those on PC using emulators or fan-made projects like Clone Hero, the Rock Band 3 setlist files are still the most sought-after for their high-quality stems and multi-track audio.
Keep the volume up. The neighbors will get over it eventually.
Next Steps for Your Setup:
Verify your instrument firmware updates via legacy community forums like Rhythm-Game-Player or specialized Discord servers. Many sync issues on modern consoles (if using backwards compatibility) are solved by simple hardware resets or specific USB hub configurations. Always check the "Options" menu first for the Overscan toggle if the UI feels cut off on your modern display.