Cover bands

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Bloody hell they are touring Oz? Wow. Remember seeing them in Bolton on the proverbial wet Monday evening around 2005 or 06. Re-Order were on first and when finished their set about 30 people left, leaving about 15 of us to watch The Smyths.
Took a few years but they persevered and regularly sell out the Ritz once a year.

Ha ha small world! I was one of the 15! Thy came on really late. Think it was a Sat though. To be fair to them though they carried on as though there were 500 there.

 

[OB1]

Likely better than the real thing right now, going off the reports I've been reading from the first dates of their (latest) farewell tour. (Lots of lip synching, and even unplugged instruments) abound apparently)

Only read one review, which didn't indicate any hint of lip sync and had a couple of brief views of youtube where it sounded like they were singing. They could be using a few cheats but I hope not. Long time ago but I could see Simmons when he was off stage at one of the 1980 gigs (Deeside I think) and he kept playing bass even while the roadies were fitting his flying harness.

Anyway, I will wait to see them for myself. One thing is for sure, no tribute band will have the staging to match their current tour.

Have to say that I have studiously avoided tribute bands. There's one or two I'd be interested to see but I have seen the real thing for almost all the acts I like that are likely to be the subject of a tribute act.

There's still far more gigs I'd like to see than I can afford of bands who purport to be the real thing (clearly line-up changes make some of those virtually tribute acts).

 

[MCFCTrick]

Only read one review, which didn't indicate any hint of lip sync and had a couple of brief views of youtube where it sounded like they were singing. They could be using a few cheats but I hope not. Long time ago but I could see Simmons when he was off stage at one of the 1980 gigs (Deeside I think) and he kept playing bass even while the roadies were fitting his flying harness.

Anyway, I will wait to see them for myself. One thing is for sure, no tribute band will have the staging to match their current tour.

Have to say that I have studiously avoided tribute bands. There's one or two I'd be interested to see but I have seen the real thing for almost all the acts I like that are likely to be the subject of a tribute act.

There's still far more gigs I'd like to see than I can afford of bands who purport to be the real thing (clearly line-up changes make some of those virtually tribute acts).

Several people mentioning the lip synch stuff on the Melodicrock.com forums from their Canadian dates. I know there has been a lot of speculation about Stanley's voice nowadays, but hey, he isn't alone in that ... they can't all be Zander ;-)

My take on tributes is that many are like classical orchestras who keep the music of the past going. Some really are better than the 'real' thing in some cases, technically I mean. I know it can never quite be the same, but it does give a glimpse of what the originals were like.

The subject of bands who are basically tributes of themselves is a totally different can of worms. Thin Lizzy, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd to name three who practically are, but many seem to still love them. And again, it's a really personal take. And not always a logical one. Queen is totally wrong and shite for me ... Skynyrd, it works and I love 'em, lol Why? I don't know.

 

[blueparrot]

Yeah ... two very different beasts. I mentioned the difference in my first post on this back on page two. Cover bands have been around since The Beatles (who were practically a covers band to start) whereas tributes are relatively a new thing since mid to late 90's (?)

Tribute bands as far as I remember started in Australia / NZ mid eighties, it grew from a lot of the bigger bands not really touring down their that often. Australian Pink Floyd were one of the first I remember hearing about. Its flourished here as the classic bands have got old or died off

 

[blueparrot]

Several people mentioning the lip synch stuff on the Melodicrock.com forums from their Canadian dates. I know there has been a lot of speculation about Stanley's voice nowadays, but hey, he isn't alone in that ... they can't all be Zander ;-)

My take on tributes is that many are like classical orchestras who keep the music of the past going. Some really are better than the 'real' thing in some cases, technically I mean. I know it can never quite be the same, but it does give a glimpse of what the originals were like.

The subject of bands who are basically tributes of themselves is a totally different can of worms. Thin Lizzy, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd to name three who practically are, but many seem to still love them. And again, it's a really personal take. And not always a logical one. Queen is totally wrong and shite for me ... Skynyrd, it works and I love 'em, lol Why? I don't know.

Think Skynyrd works, maybe because it’s kept in the family and maybe because I never saw Ronnie. Going in the summer for their ‘farewell ‘ tour. Queen definately a no, Lizzy havent been to seen but saw BSR and they did a few Lizzy song which were pretty good. AC/DC with Axl was another I didn’t want to see, though apparently they have done a new album with Brian , Cliff and Phil Rudd so that sound promissing.

 

[ColinBellsjockstrap]

The Australian pink floyd are better live imo than pink floyd.

I went to see The Australian Pink Floyd in Malta several years ago.

There were 12,000 packed into the stadium.

I've also seen them in Oswaltwistle :-)

 

[MCFCTrick]

Think Skynyrd works, maybe because it’s kept in the family and maybe because I never saw Ronnie. Going in the summer for their ‘farewell ‘ tour. Queen definately a no, Lizzy havent been to seen but saw BSR and they did a few Lizzy song which were pretty good. AC/DC with Axl was another I didn’t want to see, though apparently they have done a new album with Brian , Cliff and Phil Rudd so that sound promissing.

Yeah, I have seen the 'new' Skynyrd many times (original just twice) here and in the US. It feels natural and flows forthem to continue. The core aside, they were always pretty fluid in members anyhow. Ronnie was of course a huge loss, but Johnny does a great job in his memory for me. Will be at their final date here in Manc in June too.

 

[burnley blue mcfc]

Going to see the clone roses in may, heard mixed reviews about them?

 

[Bill Walker]

Wasnt that long ago that YES employed the singer from a YES tribute band

I suppose you could call Paul McCartney mk II a bit of a tribute :)

 

[OB1]

Several people mentioning the lip synch stuff on the Melodicrock.com forums from their Canadian dates. I know there has been a lot of speculation about Stanley's voice nowadays, but hey, he isn't alone in that ... they can't all be Zander ;-)

My take on tributes is that many are like classical orchestras who keep the music of the past going. Some really are better than the 'real' thing in some cases, technically I mean. I know it can never quite be the same, but it does give a glimpse of what the originals were like.

The subject of bands who are basically tributes of themselves is a totally different can of worms. Thin Lizzy, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd to name three who practically are, but many seem to still love them. And again, it's a really personal take. And not always a logical one. Queen is totally wrong and shite for me ... Skynyrd, it works and I love 'em, lol Why? I don't know.

Stanley's voice has definitely deteriorated but it does seem to depend what night you get him on.

There's no doubt that sometimes it's nice to see a certain band's songs live. For many years, I avoided seeing post Lynott incarnations of Lizzy but caved a few years back and went to see them because I wanted to experience their music again in a live setting, and they were actually very good.

Unlike your good self, I don't mind Lambert and have kept going to see Queen.

Not sure yet if I will go to the final Skynyrd tour as I have seen them many times and they are never going to top the one time I saw them with Ronnie at the FTH. I actually saw them in Nashville the first time they went out with JVZ and they were playing Freebird as an instrumental; that was a bit special too.