"Tribute" acts

Philly_Q

I was going to say I'd never seen a tribute act, but then I remembered I've seen an Abba tribute called Abbalicious at Center Parcs a few years ago.  And a Tina Turner tribute in an Indian restaurant in Aylesbury the New Year's Eve before last.

They were both fucking shite.  Especially Tina.

But I've nothing against tribute acts.  Many of the original acts simply aren't around any more, and certainly wouldn't be playing those venues even if they were.  And I doubt they're really stopping any new acts from getting gigs, surely it's all about who's capable of selling tickets at any given size of venue.

sticker

I think I'd rather go and see a good tribute act than one of those "Live Hologram" things like the Roy Orbison one which is touring ...there's something a little bit creepy about those.

maltingsaudio

In no particular order:

cheap tribute acts embarassing, loose the wigs and just do covers

b
Big production tributes, there are young persons out there who will never see those productions values so qualifies as an event

Sad circuit,would rather see a tribute

Solo tributes to tracks = money spinners

Tribute= fuck it I’m getting paid and I’m making money/living the dream

Tribute No 2.= I’m taking the piss you’re drunk and loving it no harm done

p90fool

I have no particularly strong feelings either way, but the last time I played at The Limelight in Crewe, 29 out of 30 acts on that month's programme were tribute bands. 

Whether they're great bands or not, surely as a musician that's fucking depressing?  

Teetonetal

p90fool said:

I have no particularly strong feelings either way, but the last time I played at The Limelight in Crewe, 29 out of 30 acts on that month's programme were tribute bands.  

Whether they're great bands or not, surely as a musician that's fucking depressing?  

Why? 
Music is fundamentally entertaining people and entertaining people is fun.

I'e done originals for years. Yes the good gigs are mega but I've only been in one band that was really top notch and played good gigs regularly. The last 3 years were awful, just no interest at all. We played on gig to 3 people. That is depressing.

On the other hand recently I've been doing a lot of covers either solo or with a rockabilly band. So much fun. Done a few ski resort gigs and those are the best, everyone just out for a good time. Only covers or tributes because they just work.

underdog

Almost every orchestral performance is a tribute act isn't it? This isn't a new thing, it's been going on as long as music has.

Bridgehouse

Most of the big band and swing era was effectively a string of touring tribute acts tbh.. it was huge in the 30s 40s and 50s..

Kebabkid

Dominic said:

I saw the original Abba tribute band ,Bjorn Again,a long time ago ..........they were super fantastic and as good as the real deal.
The production was huge ,........somebody later told me that they make more money Touring than Abba did and I'm sure they said that they're earnings/profits as a band were over £2.5 million a year and that was 10 years ago.
This is serious business not a local working-mans club /Pub tribute act.

I heard that Bjorn Again were a franchise and so several incarnations of them existed and so they could always satisfy demand as they could put out 'one of their acts'.

As a support act, they were managing to open for people like Shania Twain at Wembley.

Dominic

Well ,I think we have established that there are certainly different leagues of Tribute Acts ;
Bjorn Again etc are at the very top
On the other hand I once saw a Chinese Elvis !..........singing Jailhouse Wok ( True )
Some take it very seriously......there was an ad running for a long time looking for a Ritchie Sambora lookalike for a Bon Jovi Act.........( guess they are now looking for a Phil X)
At least you only have to buy the Masks if you're doing a Slipknot tribute.

Iamnobody

I’ve got mixed feelings - bands that have long disbanded or the members are dead. Why not! It keeps the music alive and other people get to experience the music live.

Bands that are still active - I’m not convinced but as it doesn’t personally affect me I don’t have particularly strong feelings either way.

I wouldn’t pay a high ticket price to see a tribute act. Whilst I accept they incur costs like any other band that must be covered - I don’t feel like I want to overly financially reward someone who’s ‘just’ learnt someone elses songs. 

I’ve seen a few tributes in the past The Jam DRC - excellent and a few quid in a pub. I’ve seen a Bowie tribute for about £15 if I recall. Good value and a good gig.

As I said I have mixed feelings!

usedtobe

I’d rather see an originals band, every time.

p90fool

Teetonetal said:

p90fool said:

I have no particularly strong feelings either way, but the last time I played at The Limelight in Crewe, 29 out of 30 acts on that month's programme were tribute bands.  

Whether they're great bands or not, surely as a musician that's fucking depressing?  

Why? 
Music is fundamentally entertaining people and entertaining people is fun.

I'e done originals for years. Yes the good gigs are mega but I've only been in one band that was really top notch and played good gigs regularly. The last 3 years were awful, just no interest at all. We played on gig to 3 people. That is depressing.

On the other hand recently I've been doing a lot of covers either solo or with a rockabilly band. So much fun. Done a few ski resort gigs and those are the best, everyone just out for a good time. Only covers or tributes because they just work.

I fully accept that it's a perfectly valid way for musicians to earn a living and it keeps struggling venues open, I just think it's depressing for music in general. 

I thoroughly enjoy playing in my covers band too, but I never bother going to see them, it just bores me.

Maybe I'm weird, but I'm not interested in tribute bands, covers bands, or even the real thing when they're past their best. 

I love the buzz of seeing a current, relevant band on the up, whatever the style. Watching a bunch of has-beens hacking through decades old hits on a big screen, or worse, someone pretending to be them is a living death to me, on a par with a poxy wedding gig. 

It's all so terribly, well, Pontins for want of a better word. 

Danny1969

I was in a Thin Lizzy tribute for a few years, we took the music seriously and did the best we could but we didn't bother to dress up or anything like that. 
I have quite a few friends in tributes that go the whole hog with costumes and wigs, they themselves don't take it seriously though and there's a lot of humour in it so it's all part of the fun. 

There are a few acts I've worked with who really did think they were the real thing, that's kinda sad!

57Deluxe

Ageing tribute acts names: How many can you think up?

Pelvis Gently
Hip Replacement 
Wake me up before I go-go
New Disorder

Iamnobody

57Deluxe said:

Ageing tribute acts names: How many can you think up?

Pelvis Gently
Hip Replacement 
Wake me up before I go-go
New Disorder

The Bowling Stones

The Who (Am I and what day is it?)

Grateful if I Was Dead

Cliff Yewtree and The Old Ones

The Grandmamas and Grandpapas

Deaf Leopard

The Red Hot Electric Blankets

Wirelesshead

I’ll get me coat now before someone else recommends it...(that’s not a suggested band name).

darcym

can't stand tribute acts I either want to see 

a.) the real thing
b.) a covers band playing covers

dressing up and pretending to be them is just pointless to me.

the only time I've ever found an exception was the bootleg beatles but even that was on thin ice.

Phil_aka_Pip

Iamnobody said:

I wouldn’t pay a high ticket price to see a tribute act. Whilst I accept they incur costs like any other band that must be covered - I don’t feel like I want to overly financially reward someone who’s ‘just’ learnt someone elses songs. 

Except that it probably requires more musical discipline to nail music that someone else came up with because "that's just the way they do it" than it does to do your own music the way you do it or to do your own take on someone else's music. ?

ICBM

Phil_aka_Pip said:

Except that it probably requires more musical discipline to nail music that someone else came up with because "that's just the way they do it" than it does to do your own music the way you do it or to do your own take on someone else's music. ? 

Exactly, which is why I play in a covers band that does our own take on songs . I don't have the discipline or the desire to 'nail' music other people came up with. To an extent it's an originals band which happens to play songs the audience might know, rather than ones they don't. (Done too much of that.)

I like tribute bands where they have the opposite philosophy and do it to a high standard, or even a not particularly high standard but get into the spirit of it - bearing in mind many of the original bands weren't all that good live either. I don't need to see them dressed up as long as they don't spoil the effect by being totally inappropriate.

What I can't stand is conventional covers bands, no matter how 'accurately' they play the songs. I really don't want to hear yet another version of Mr Brightside or whatever that sounds basically the same as the original except just different enough to grate.

AlexC

What @icbm say here ^^^
I haven’t been in a covers band since I was about 19. However, myself and my wife’s band have been hired for very lucrative covers gigs a few times. We just do our own take on a wide variety of songs. Using guitar to play a keyboard line, for example. Or acoustics for electrics. Or putting a reggae back beat on a heavy rock song. You get the gist. And I never, ever learn an existing solo verbatim. I’ll probably reference it, then play off the melody. Anyway - the few times we’ve done this the audience has always seemed to enjoy it, jumping around, singing along and buying us drinks.

mixolyd

I really like the idea of a tribute band that turns the music upside down.

The Tiny Side of the Moon: Pink Floyd on banjo, ukulele and those three string electrics.
Daft Kunt: Scottish semi-acoustic Daft Punk tribute.