I Don't Understand Tribute Bands
Back in college I had a professor who was the World's leading scholar on Benjamin Franklin. Now Ben was a cool guy who accomplished a lot in his life, but why you would dedicate YOUR life to studying someone else's is a foreign concept to me.
The same goes for tribute bands. Why you would spend or waste your talent covering someone else makes no sense to me. There are a lot of them too; who just choose a band they love and decide to create a tribute band. There is 2U (U2 Tribute band), Get the Led Out (Led Zeppelin Tribute band), Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi tribute band), and those are just some I can remember. These bands go to bars and play the music of that band and it all just feels so cheap. It's like sleeping with Katherine Heigl's body double, yea it looks and sounds like Katherine, but it ain't Katherine.
Halfway through seeing 2U all I wanted was a REAL Edge solo. I wanted to see Bono, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton not some fat lookalike Bono. Also having seen U2 plenty of times, I can assure you, these guys only kind of sound like U2. Acting like a self absorbed pretentious douche works for Bono because he is, well Bono. But acting like a self-absorbed pretentious douche in a bar in Delaware just makes you an asshole.
I asked a few people who have seen Get the Led Out a few times and their one point was valid, "Where am I going to see Led Zeppelin music played live because Led Zeppelin isn't touring"? I can understand that, I can't say I agree, but I understand. Led Zeppelin isn't touring any more and if you want to hear Immigrant Song live, you are going to have to hear a Led Zeppelin tribute band do it. But what about bands who are still together, still making music, and still touring? Why go see a tribute band when you can see Bon Jovi on his upcoming tour. He will play all the hits that tribute band play and it really is Sambora on guitar.
I couldn't understand spending your whole life studying another man and I am incapable of understanding how you would want to impersonate Robert Plant and play someone else's music.
*Note tribute bands are totally different than cover bands. Cover bands are also fucking terrible.
The same goes for tribute bands. Why you would spend or waste your talent covering someone else makes no sense to me. There are a lot of them too; who just choose a band they love and decide to create a tribute band. There is 2U (U2 Tribute band), Get the Led Out (Led Zeppelin Tribute band), Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi tribute band), and those are just some I can remember. These bands go to bars and play the music of that band and it all just feels so cheap. It's like sleeping with Katherine Heigl's body double, yea it looks and sounds like Katherine, but it ain't Katherine.
Halfway through seeing 2U all I wanted was a REAL Edge solo. I wanted to see Bono, Larry Mullen Jr and Adam Clayton not some fat lookalike Bono. Also having seen U2 plenty of times, I can assure you, these guys only kind of sound like U2. Acting like a self absorbed pretentious douche works for Bono because he is, well Bono. But acting like a self-absorbed pretentious douche in a bar in Delaware just makes you an asshole.
I asked a few people who have seen Get the Led Out a few times and their one point was valid, "Where am I going to see Led Zeppelin music played live because Led Zeppelin isn't touring"? I can understand that, I can't say I agree, but I understand. Led Zeppelin isn't touring any more and if you want to hear Immigrant Song live, you are going to have to hear a Led Zeppelin tribute band do it. But what about bands who are still together, still making music, and still touring? Why go see a tribute band when you can see Bon Jovi on his upcoming tour. He will play all the hits that tribute band play and it really is Sambora on guitar.
I couldn't understand spending your whole life studying another man and I am incapable of understanding how you would want to impersonate Robert Plant and play someone else's music.
*Note tribute bands are totally different than cover bands. Cover bands are also fucking terrible.
I'm in a U2 tribute band. We are all huge fans of U2. We don't spend our "whole life studying" them, though getting started did take some significant time.
As for me, I'm not a great songwriter and that's OK. I do however love to play guitar and I do it well. So what shall I do?
I could join some solo artist's band and end up playing someone else's music anyway. In the current climate of the music industry, chances are that artist may have minimal impact at best and their draw at venues will be limited. And that hurts the wallet and probably the ego too.
Or, I can choose to play music that, at times, trancends the artist that created it and has a significant impact on the listener. I asked myself... "If I was to play someone else's music, who's would I want it to be?" My passion for the music of U2 made that an easy question to answer.
The interesting thing, and I have seen this time and again, you can have an amazing artist playing amazing original songs and they have attracted 10 to 20 people, while the club next door has a "quality" tribute or cover band and the line to see them is out the door; whic helps both the wallet and the ego. And a good time is had by all. the fans and the band.
I hope that helps a little!
Peace,
Chris "The Edge" Simeone
UZoo - The Ultimate U2 Tribute Band Experience
wwwu2actcom
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