As a practitioner of the black arts of drumming for some thirty five years it’s now time to rise up and say stop to this facile part of the music biz.
The sight of three overweight fifty year olds dressed as ZZ Top or a Bon Jovi tribute band called Bon Geordie or By Jovi fills me with terror quite apart from the fact that it is an unedifying spectacle. One roadie of my acquaintance mentioned that a mutual friend whose girth has increased over the last few years (as indeed has mine) in his new Glam Rock Garb resembled as he put it nineteen stone of lard in a Charles the second wig. He also told a musical acquaintance when asked for his opinion on his new band (sic) “ you’re miming”. An OBE for him now for honesty.
I’ve never understood the phenomenon of the tribute band and particularly when they purport to be to be celebrating the music of some band or act who have released a Greatest Hits Album when I don’t remember either greatest or hit.
I have noticed that a fine new venue in Lincolnshire where I saw the great Bill Bruford is now awash with Robbie Williams et al and I do not know what the collective noun is for Abba tribute bands but it will be a very long word indeed.
When I go to see a Premier League Band I notice that the audience is largely populated by baby boomers but my question is when do the Attic Munkeys or French Ferdinands arrive ? and who will be in the audience?.
Recently someone suggested that the tribute industry fills a void that exists only when folks cannot see their heroes on a regular basis. Surely that’s the point. If you could see Pink Floyd every week at the Bolton and District Sagger Makers Bottom Knocker’s Club would you seek out their tribute band?.
Another suggested that it was an Australian invention due to the cost of travelling to the Antipodes. Bands did not go there until quite recently so now we have a fall guy. In Nevada there are moves to ban acts which have only a tenuous connection to the original's heyday. This will stop the vaguest of connections being used to promote the band ie* I was the guitar player for two gigs 28 years after the hit. Only recently I witnessed shows by someone who was in a band some 45 yrs ago and he was a temporary measure but he’s still using the name and connection.
Last week someone asked me about an acquaintance who was once in their view in a very very famous band. I had to point out that he was (a). Far too young. (b). Most were dead. (c). It no longer exists apart from the tribute band he is in.
Stop it now and no longer will I have to suffer The Jam with no Paul Weller, Slade without Noddy Holder and at the last count 7 different versions of The Searchers.
As someone who has played covers for most of my life I hold my hand up to making tributes but if you discount wearing a cowboy hat (and I know it’s hard) when in a country band I’ve never had the desire to dress up as Shania Twain. Well ………… but that’s another story.
Funny thing tribute…’a gift or a statement made in acknowledgement gratitude or admiration’. Now that would exclude most of the above. A dumbing down society, Nah I can’t see any evidence of that.