The odd phenomenon of tribute bands.
June 1, 2002 7:53 PM   Subscribe

The odd phenomenon of tribute bands. Heartfelt homage and harmless fun? Creepy obsession and pale imitation? Whatever you see it as, their numbers are swelling. Some that you'd expect, a few that'll surprise you, at least one that vaguely frightens me and one to which I say 'it's about time!'. Sincerest form of flattery or mild insanity? Your call.
posted by jonmc (28 comments total)
 
your first link there mentions a tribute band called Hells Bells which in no way should be confused as being the all-girl ac/dc cover band Hell's Belles who completely rock like nobody's business.
posted by tsarfan at 8:06 PM on June 1, 2002


thank you tsarfan, my freind. A chick with dreads who dresses like Angus Young.

I'm in love.
*swoons*
posted by jonmc at 8:08 PM on June 1, 2002


I was very pleased when my town booked The Fab Four for our Fourth of July carnival last year. Both I and my wife had to work at the carnival the first two days (selling tickets - I'm an elected official, and you're kinda expected to do that sort of thing), but we had a prior commitment we had to go to in Connecticut on the Saturday the band was playing. We begged out early, dashed back as fast as we could go, and parked on a side street a few blocks away from the town common. When I jumped out of the car, I could just hear "It Won't Be Long, Now", played live, coming over the tops of the trees. I knew it wasn't the Beatles, of course, but I RAN the remaining blocks. The rest of the show was similar; a very odd feeling of familiarity and suspension of disbelief. Almost the same sensations I got when I saw this guy singing Beatles songs in 1995.

So, mild insanity is my guess, but of the sincerest kind - that which is self-induced in the audience, to complete the shared experience that otherwise might never be experienced.
posted by yhbc at 8:43 PM on June 1, 2002


Umm, 1985. Julian Lennon toured America in 1985. He put on an excellent show.
posted by yhbc at 8:45 PM on June 1, 2002


If we're discussing tribute bands, I feel it is my duty to mention them. I have seen them twice, and they are fabulous fabulous fabulous.
posted by verso at 9:00 PM on June 1, 2002


*clicks*

*pukes*

Thanks for playing, verso!
posted by yhbc at 9:10 PM on June 1, 2002


The Machine is a Pink Floyd tribute band. There were always so many tribute bands though. Yasgur's Farm, Crystal Ship, Southern Cross... and there was a really good Ozzy/Sabbath tribute band out of Colorado, but I can't remember their name.

I always found tribute bands odd.
posted by mikhail at 9:29 PM on June 1, 2002


I saw these ladies. Actually, that was the show I went to.

Indistinguishable from the real thing. Especially Bruce Chickinson.
posted by Kafkaesque at 9:36 PM on June 1, 2002


Eh, if it wasn't sponsored by the corporation who wants to make every radio station the same and not-spend-money-on-new-talent-instead-use-cheaper-imitation-bands, then I wouldn't mind so much.
posted by geoff. at 9:57 PM on June 1, 2002


I remember reading a review of a Rolling Stones tour in the 90s, in which the reviewer said that, at this point, Jagger, Richards, & co. were basically nothing but a Rolling Stones tribute band--a good one, mind you, but still a pale imitation of the original.
posted by Rebis at 9:58 PM on June 1, 2002


I recently saw The Re-tenders (kind of by accident, we went to the pub and they had a gig). Allegedly a Pretenders cover band, but they played a bunch of 80s music and only a couple Pretenders songs.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:06 PM on June 1, 2002


The New York Times Magazine recently chronicled life on the road with a Guns 'N Roses tribute band. For the ultimate guide to tribute bands, check out mockstars.com, featuring the uncanny stylings of "Japan's best Queen cover band", Kween.
posted by jjg at 12:12 AM on June 2, 2002


Kween are cool, but they're no Leotard Skynyrno*

"SweetHome Yokohama..."

*in japanese
posted by jonmc at 12:23 AM on June 2, 2002


The Wham!Duran story on their site is hilarious. Here's the best part:

the band also had a fortunate break when  they   tried to   locate   Andy Hamilton,  who as well as  being   one   of   George   Michael's  no.1  sax players (Fastlove  etc.,)   he   had  also   been  the  man  behind   the distinctive  sax   solo  in   "Rio"   by    Duran Duran. However,  Andy wasn't  available  to   play  in WHAM!DURAN,  but his brother, Steve was,  and perhaps more appropriately,   Steve's  saxophone  was the very  one behind   the solo,     as   he   had   managed    to   inherit  the instrument from Andy some time before.

Only a tribute band would be happy to get the brother of the guy they really wanted, and think getting the actual instrument would be good enough to produce good music.
posted by mathowie at 8:28 AM on June 2, 2002


matt - the phenomenon of " fame by association" can be pretty weird. When I worked at the bookstore, one of the biggest in store events we had was a booksigning by Michael Bolton's mother. You'd think noone would care, but the Bolton fans* showed up in droves and thrilled to no end to be near her, from what I could see. Bizarre.

*a group so weird as to beggar description, but I won't go into that here.
posted by jonmc at 8:38 AM on June 2, 2002


The Wham!Duran story on their site is hilarious. Here's the best part:

the band also had a fortunate break when  they   tried to   locate   Andy Hamilton,  who as well as  being   one   of   George   Michael's  no.1  sax players (Fastlove  etc.,)   he   had  also   been  the  man  behind   the distinctive  sax   solo  in   "Rio"   by    Duran Duran. However,  Andy wasn't  available  to   play  in WHAM!DURAN,  but his brother, Steve was,  and perhaps more appropriately,   Steve's  saxophone  was the very  one behind   the solo,     as   he   had   managed    to   inherit  the instrument from Andy some time before.

Only a tribute band would be happy to get the brother of the guy they really wanted, and think getting the actual instrument would be good enough to produce good music.
posted by mathowie at 8:43 AM on June 2, 2002


Wow -- even Matt pulls a multi-post sometimes. I feel so much better now.
posted by Dirjy at 11:09 AM on June 2, 2002


The reason why corporte interests are starting to support tribute bands and cover bands instead of actual bands who make original music (unless you include the declining number of "original artists" whose stuff is "popular" right now) is because that's what the audience responds to. That's where the money is.

If people stopped responding to hackjobs who utilize minimal talent to recycle the past successes of others, then we wouldn't have cover bands. However, they do. It's where the money is. Here in Dallas there's scores of talented original artists and then even more garage-type bands who should have stayed in the garage. The competition is fierce for little to no reward and the audiences are fickle. They'll fill up a venue that advertises a KISS or Led Zepplin tribute band, while the talented original artists I listen to can't fill the seats.

Audiences don't care if the effort is original or artistic or remarkably talented. They go out for a good time, and they want to dance or just tap their feet to something familiar that reminds them of their youth or just something they can sing along to. Cover bands are like living breathing juke boxes. There is a place for them, but only because there's a lot of people out there who prefer the familiar over the unique.
posted by ZachsMind at 11:54 AM on June 2, 2002


I'm mildly curious to see The Musical Box or Invisible Touch, but I doubt I'll ever actually seek them out.
posted by s.e.b. at 12:41 PM on June 2, 2002


I'm sorry, but a Journey tribute band where nobody has hot Steve Perry-esque hair is just not going to cut it.
posted by JanetLand at 1:34 PM on June 2, 2002


The Salford Lads, a NYC-area Smiths/Morrissey tribute band.
posted by skwm at 3:21 PM on June 2, 2002


Some day I'm going to form an AC/DC tribute band, just so I can use the awesome name I came up with for it: Dirty Dee and the Dunder Chiefs. I, of course, will be Dirty Dee.
posted by skwm at 3:24 PM on June 2, 2002


Or how about a Uriah Heep cover band? From Japan?

Let me repeat that:

Uriah Heep
Japan

The weirdness meter just spiked. Oh. And how could I forget my favorite female AC/DC coverband, AC/DShee?
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 4:45 PM on June 2, 2002


Dirty Dee and the Dunder Chiefs

I had to read that a couple of times. Most excellent.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 3:30 AM on June 3, 2002


There was something on TV once about Judas Priest finding a replacement for Rob Halford in a Judas Priest tribute band (British Steel, I think). A real Cinderella story...
(I dunno much about it; Judas Priest never really grabbed me in the first place)
posted by StOne at 9:57 AM on June 3, 2002


If people stopped responding to hackjobs who utilize minimal talent to recycle the past successes of others...
posted by straight at 10:01 AM on June 3, 2002


Sometimes a tribute/cover band performs a valuable service, acting as a chautauqua. The chautauqua can be good for the audience, giving them an opportunity to see, live, a performance evoking an artist who no longer living. But the effect of playing another's music can be cathartic for the performer as well. Following the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, I played in a band that did his tunes, and tunes which weren't his, but which he performed. Doing so helped assuage the bereavement I, and others in the band, felt.
posted by gnz2001 at 11:10 AM on June 3, 2002


We've a Who tribute band called the Wholigans who play locally, with a lead singer with the appropriate hair.

They even trash their gear at the end of the show.

And they *still* have a hard time pulling a crowd.

Weird one: they played *outside at a Who concert* locally on the last tour. So: what do you play? I'd suppose you wanna play the esoteric stuff that the *real* Who aren't about to play, better, inside... :-)
posted by baylink at 1:55 PM on June 3, 2002


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