I have seen the future
The future of concerts has been witnessed today. I recently went to see The Killers in concert at the Tweeter Center in Camden (more review from that show coming tomorrow). However, I have seen the greatest idea for an opening act. The Silver Beats.
Who or what are the Silver Beats and why the hell are they the future? The Killers were in Japan filming the video for Read My Mind and playing a few shows. They went out one night to the Cavern Club and saw the band The Silver Beats. The Silver Beats hardly speak any English, but when they do Beatles songs tend to come out. They are essentially a Beatles cover band direct from Japan.
I can't tell you when I had more fun with an opening act. I knew ALL the songs and the 40 minutes they played seemed like 10 minutes. They were on point. They dressed the part. They even kind of looked like Japanese versions of their Beatles counterparts. Everyone was having fun as most of the crowd is too young to have seen the real Beatles perform at their prime. It was our chance to feel and witness the greatest of the Beatles songs in a concert setting.
Why is this the future? Well, I believe a good, solid cover band should open for any band. The only times when a cover band should not open up for the main band is when the opening band has had at least some exposure to the radio and/or a festival situation. Other than that, a good cover band, specializing in only one band's music, should warm the crowd up. This way the crowd knows all the words and can effectively get excited for the bigger name band.
Another caveat to this theory is that the cover band should be matched similarly in the music style. Imagine a Megadeth cover band opening for Metallica, or vise versa. You can still have your relatively unknown bands perform. They perform first and only get 20 minutes.
Who or what are the Silver Beats and why the hell are they the future? The Killers were in Japan filming the video for Read My Mind and playing a few shows. They went out one night to the Cavern Club and saw the band The Silver Beats. The Silver Beats hardly speak any English, but when they do Beatles songs tend to come out. They are essentially a Beatles cover band direct from Japan.
I can't tell you when I had more fun with an opening act. I knew ALL the songs and the 40 minutes they played seemed like 10 minutes. They were on point. They dressed the part. They even kind of looked like Japanese versions of their Beatles counterparts. Everyone was having fun as most of the crowd is too young to have seen the real Beatles perform at their prime. It was our chance to feel and witness the greatest of the Beatles songs in a concert setting.
Why is this the future? Well, I believe a good, solid cover band should open for any band. The only times when a cover band should not open up for the main band is when the opening band has had at least some exposure to the radio and/or a festival situation. Other than that, a good cover band, specializing in only one band's music, should warm the crowd up. This way the crowd knows all the words and can effectively get excited for the bigger name band.
Another caveat to this theory is that the cover band should be matched similarly in the music style. Imagine a Megadeth cover band opening for Metallica, or vise versa. You can still have your relatively unknown bands perform. They perform first and only get 20 minutes.
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