kinda true, but sometimes its cool just to go to a bar and have a kick ass night out with a pearl jam tribute playing, of course their not gonna be like the real thing but its cheap, fun and i kinda like to think of them as a normal cover band but your guaranteed not to get a shit song, at least with tribute bands you know what your getting, i saw a band 2 weeks ago that played alive, killing in the name of and some song by pink, in that order
depends what the situation is, as far as I'm concerned. I know a few bands around the city that have put on tribute shows. Some of them have been really good. There was also a recreation of The Bands Last Waltz to close down a local music venue that was a bunch of local musicians filling the parts. That was REALLY good. I also know a couple of cover bands that are made up of members of other bands. They'll maybe play a show every few months and usually those turn out well.
I think what sets all those apart, though, is that none of those are the musicians main bands. It's just something they do for fun every now and then.
I am not a fan of bands who just do covers and nothing else. I play in a band that started out as a few guys playing some Kyuss covers, but we all agreed pretty quickly that we'd just jam on those while we wrote our own music. Cover bands are boring to be in. Tribute acts belong in Vegas and nowhere else.
i disagree. i saw Ten a few weeks back and had more fun there than at any pearl jam show i've been to. same people that think tribute bands suck are the exact same people who think you should wear a pj shirt to a pj show. to each his own
I know that to some people (like diehard U2 fans) tribute bands serve a purpose and satisfy that jones when your beloved band is nowhere near the road. Some people need their fix.
Personally, I have no use for them. No matter who they're tributing. Earlier this year I went to see The Joshua Tree with a GF who said that I needed to do this just to get it off of my life's list of "Things To Do". Okay, I went. It wasn't horrible, especially since they played songs that U2 hasn't played live for 20 years and probably don't even remember that they wrote. I could dig that and that, to me, was the beauty of a tribute band. Other than that, no use for them.
The real problem was that neither of us knew that an AC/DC band (TNT) was scheduled before The Joshua Tree...dear God but that was unfortunate.
I disagree.
Some bands are decent musicians, but they can't write music.
I would much rather see them perform in a cover band, than to hear them play their own tunes- even if original ( although many are derivative), that suck.
Dirty Frank for example- is great fun- don't know if they write and perform their own songs- since many musicians perform in more than one area of music/band... who does that remind me of?...
Of course I would rather see PJ in person, than Dirty Frank- but I would rather do a lot of things. FOr instance I am going to see GreenRiver tonight, not necessarily cause I am in the mood to see a punk band- but when musicians are having a great time on stage, it is infectious.
Do I go see a Hendrix cover- band and have a fantabulous time?
Damn right. ( however not the one with his younger brother- he makes me nauseous)
I was a little too young to see Janis Joplin, but I saw Duffy Bishop not so long ago & she is killer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnHANpavxKM
OMG that woman has pipes
You must be the change you want to see in the world
-Gandhi
I bet this is the same crowd that will jizz all over the latest Who cover that the band debuts in 2009...
An original band who covers a couple tunes does not equate to be a "cover or tribute" band. It is the guys who set out to only play other peoples music I find boring.
I'd rather see a band that I haven't heard of, that plays their own stuff.
I am currently in college- and admit that a few of the students have shared the same opinion.
I had the feeling that they thought it made them more " genuine" or " original".
which makes me guffaw. ( Particulary when someone who disparaged Pearl Jam, as being too popular- as if the " masses" were so clueless that they had no integrity or taste- but they had never heard of Ella Fitzgerald. Someone who was known by one name long before Bono or Madonna were even born)
Music builds on what came before ( as does anything). It didn't spring up unaffected by other influence.
Smart people- know this and embrace it.
Where would people like Bob Dylan/Kurt Cobain/Robert Plant have been without Leadbelly? http://www.leadbelly.org/re-homepage.html
Even Classical music purists- who can be some of the biggest snobs in the music world, acknowledge that each orchestra, each conductor, each arrangement has their own tweak that they put on the score.
We do have classical composers today- but the bulk of the performances are based on pieces written hundreds of years ago.
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery
Just because you haven't heard a piece- doesn't mean that it isn't a rip-off of someone else's work.
The terms tribute and cover band are rather loosely used.
Flight to Mars I guess would be a cover band- although they do mostly play UFO- if they were a tribute band they would only play UFO and they would attempt to mimic the style of those musicians. I can't say that I have seen any tribute bands recently- however there are many bands that have less than half of the original members but still tour under the big name.
Tower of Power, for instance- has changed their lineup quite a bit from when i used to see them play the roller rink - not a cover band- but they sound much different from what I remember.
I think playing covers is a good way to develop your own style and mature as a musician- don't you think most musicians start out that way?
You must be the change you want to see in the world
-Gandhi
All this negative energy...just makes me stronger.
Cause tonight, we rock Huntington Beach.
That's kinda why I started the thread, also partly to play tribute to azwyldcats who relaibly quotes "tribute bands suck" whenever we post a gig announcement. I too play in a PJ tribute band. I do it because I love it, and so do all the people that come out to see us. I also write my own stuff, but for me thats only part of being a musician.
Is the New York Philharmonic a "cover band"? When they perform the Messiah does that make them a Handel Tribute Band?....tribute bands suck indeed.
Anyway I hope your gig last night went as well as ours did; the place was packed, we played all their requests, and encores until the house lights came on. We had people come up and say that they hadn't heard PJ in years, and were now going to check out some of the post Vitalogy stuff as they liked the "newer" tunes we played.
Oh yeah, and to azwyldcats, thanks for bumping our threads!
I guess after thinking about this for a while, I am not really against cover or tribute bands as much as I thought. I am really just against Pearl Jam cover or tribute bands. I think just because I have seen them so many times and feel like i have such a connection to the real band, that I have absolutely no desire to ever see a Pearl Jam cover band. I would rather wait 2 or 3 years to see the real band again, than see an imitation. That is just because of personally how I feel about Pearl Jam.
Having said that, there is a terrific AC/DC tribute band made of all chicks called Hells Bells, and they are really good! I have never seen the real AC/DC in concert before (oddly enough I will be tonight!), but when I saw Hells Bells, yeah, I didn't know if I would ever see the real deal. And then there are just some really fun, good bands, who play a plethora of other bands songs, and they are a lot of fun to see.
If Handel were all they played all day every day, every performance, then yes they would be.
But they play the material of many other composers so they are, indeed, a cover band....errr, orchestra.
I guess we're a cover band then, because we play "Baba", "Last Kiss" and a few other songs that PJ didnt write....!! I do like the term 'orchestra" though.
Seriously it's nice to see you, and a few others, who will say "tributes are not my thing, but go ahead if it's what blows up your skirt" rather than "tribute bands suck". We enjoy it, the poeple who come to see us enjoy it (mostly), so what the hell.
Although "tribute bands suck" does have a nice ring to it....
Comparing an orchestra playing music from guys that are long dead, is one thing. It is completely different for a band to form a cover band of a band that is still very much alive and playing and writing new music.
I was thinking about this thread yesterday when I was at the Showbox- now- I never go to the Showbox- Market, it seems except to see FTM- or last night Zeke & Green River.
However- since H had expressed that he liked the Supersuckers-( the time at Vancouver when they opened for PJ anyway), we tried to stay for their set.
But not really what I like- even if the songs were original.
I wished we were there to see FTM- even if they play some of the same songs more than once
I would agree that if you had a chance to hear the original band- a tribute band- would be a poor second.
However- some acts do well- http://bostonist.com/2008/04/28/song_sung_blue.php
( Eddie didn't know the words- what a surprise )
OK, using the example of an orchestra playing Shostakovich was a stretch.
However, while I can't think of another tribute band I have seen besides Dirty Frank- they were great when I saw them after Eddies solo show in Santa Barbara earlier this year-and I didn't expect them to be Pearl Jam, I just wanted to hear their music.
Have you ever heard Richard Barone or Kurt Cobain sing Bowies Man who sold the world? & even though Bob Dylan is obviously a fantastic writer- listening to his lyrics by someone with a different style of delivery, like Jimmy LaFave, gives a whole new meaning to them.
You must be the change you want to see in the world
-Gandhi
there....now I feel so much better...it really is liberating to finally get this off my chest...
wrong answer dude
live music is better...don't care if it's all covers, all originals or a mix of both.
don't care who i'm seeing. i saw this band called FIRE. all i can say is that hendrix would have been damn proud. band i saw the other nite covered a weezer tune? wtf? and, um, i dug it. damn
get it while you can, cause tomorrow is too late
########################
Celebration, the ball's in play
And I'm not living this life without you, I'm selfish and clear
And you're not leaving here without me, I don't wanna be without
My best... friend. Wake up, to see you could have it all
I seen a few tribute Pearl Jam bands. They are ok.
I seen No Code at the MSG 1 preparty. I thought they were great!
The guitarist was tight! I enjoy'd it!
Comments
When cover bands plan mini tours and learn a bands new songs, that kind of creeps me out.
I think what sets all those apart, though, is that none of those are the musicians main bands. It's just something they do for fun every now and then.
I am not a fan of bands who just do covers and nothing else. I play in a band that started out as a few guys playing some Kyuss covers, but we all agreed pretty quickly that we'd just jam on those while we wrote our own music. Cover bands are boring to be in. Tribute acts belong in Vegas and nowhere else.
Personally, I have no use for them. No matter who they're tributing. Earlier this year I went to see The Joshua Tree with a GF who said that I needed to do this just to get it off of my life's list of "Things To Do". Okay, I went. It wasn't horrible, especially since they played songs that U2 hasn't played live for 20 years and probably don't even remember that they wrote. I could dig that and that, to me, was the beauty of a tribute band. Other than that, no use for them.
The real problem was that neither of us knew that an AC/DC band (TNT) was scheduled before The Joshua Tree...dear God but that was unfortunate.
...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.
FaceSpace
There's an awesome Sublime tribute band called Badfish, They tour the USA. THey also have their own music called Scotty Don't.
But they do the Sublime songs almost, if not, perfectly!
It's great to enjoy the music of Sublime, especially since they are no longer a band anymore.
It said "Life is nothing but a dream."
I've spent so many years in question
To find I'd known this all along.
Some bands are decent musicians, but they can't write music.
I would much rather see them perform in a cover band, than to hear them play their own tunes- even if original ( although many are derivative), that suck.
Dirty Frank for example- is great fun- don't know if they write and perform their own songs- since many musicians perform in more than one area of music/band... who does that remind me of?...
Of course I would rather see PJ in person, than Dirty Frank- but I would rather do a lot of things. FOr instance I am going to see GreenRiver tonight, not necessarily cause I am in the mood to see a punk band- but when musicians are having a great time on stage, it is infectious.
Do I go see a Hendrix cover- band and have a fantabulous time?
Damn right. ( however not the one with his younger brother- he makes me nauseous)
I was a little too young to see Janis Joplin, but I saw Duffy Bishop not so long ago & she is killer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnHANpavxKM
OMG that woman has pipes
-Gandhi
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008
3 Decibels Doubles the Volume
2006
...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.
FaceSpace
Cause tonight, we rock Huntington Beach.
I'm not into what you do, but who cares? You go.
Either way I'll bet you're 10x better than TNT.
...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.
FaceSpace
I am currently in college- and admit that a few of the students have shared the same opinion.
I had the feeling that they thought it made them more " genuine" or " original".
which makes me guffaw. ( Particulary when someone who disparaged Pearl Jam, as being too popular- as if the " masses" were so clueless that they had no integrity or taste- but they had never heard of Ella Fitzgerald. Someone who was known by one name long before Bono or Madonna were even born)
Music builds on what came before ( as does anything). It didn't spring up unaffected by other influence.
Smart people- know this and embrace it.
Where would people like Bob Dylan/Kurt Cobain/Robert Plant have been without Leadbelly?
http://www.leadbelly.org/re-homepage.html
Even Classical music purists- who can be some of the biggest snobs in the music world, acknowledge that each orchestra, each conductor, each arrangement has their own tweak that they put on the score.
We do have classical composers today- but the bulk of the performances are based on pieces written hundreds of years ago.
Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery
Just because you haven't heard a piece- doesn't mean that it isn't a rip-off of someone else's work.
The terms tribute and cover band are rather loosely used.
Flight to Mars I guess would be a cover band- although they do mostly play UFO- if they were a tribute band they would only play UFO and they would attempt to mimic the style of those musicians. I can't say that I have seen any tribute bands recently- however there are many bands that have less than half of the original members but still tour under the big name.
Tower of Power, for instance- has changed their lineup quite a bit from when i used to see them play the roller rink - not a cover band- but they sound much different from what I remember.
I think playing covers is a good way to develop your own style and mature as a musician- don't you think most musicians start out that way?
-Gandhi
tribute bands are wasting their talent. it's like, those who can't: tribute.
kthxbai!
That's kinda why I started the thread, also partly to play tribute to azwyldcats who relaibly quotes "tribute bands suck" whenever we post a gig announcement. I too play in a PJ tribute band. I do it because I love it, and so do all the people that come out to see us. I also write my own stuff, but for me thats only part of being a musician.
Is the New York Philharmonic a "cover band"? When they perform the Messiah does that make them a Handel Tribute Band?....tribute bands suck indeed.
Anyway I hope your gig last night went as well as ours did; the place was packed, we played all their requests, and encores until the house lights came on. We had people come up and say that they hadn't heard PJ in years, and were now going to check out some of the post Vitalogy stuff as they liked the "newer" tunes we played.
Oh yeah, and to azwyldcats, thanks for bumping our threads!
But they play the material of many other composers so they are, indeed, a cover band....errr, orchestra.
...signed...the token black Pearl Jam fan.
FaceSpace
Having said that, there is a terrific AC/DC tribute band made of all chicks called Hells Bells, and they are really good! I have never seen the real AC/DC in concert before (oddly enough I will be tonight!), but when I saw Hells Bells, yeah, I didn't know if I would ever see the real deal. And then there are just some really fun, good bands, who play a plethora of other bands songs, and they are a lot of fun to see.
I guess we're a cover band then, because we play "Baba", "Last Kiss" and a few other songs that PJ didnt write....!! I do like the term 'orchestra" though.
Seriously it's nice to see you, and a few others, who will say "tributes are not my thing, but go ahead if it's what blows up your skirt" rather than "tribute bands suck". We enjoy it, the poeple who come to see us enjoy it (mostly), so what the hell.
Although "tribute bands suck" does have a nice ring to it....
However- since H had expressed that he liked the Supersuckers-( the time at Vancouver when they opened for PJ anyway), we tried to stay for their set.
But not really what I like- even if the songs were original.
I wished we were there to see FTM- even if they play some of the same songs more than once
I would agree that if you had a chance to hear the original band- a tribute band- would be a poor second.
However- some acts do well- http://bostonist.com/2008/04/28/song_sung_blue.php
( Eddie didn't know the words- what a surprise
OK, using the example of an orchestra playing Shostakovich was a stretch.
However, while I can't think of another tribute band I have seen besides Dirty Frank- they were great when I saw them after Eddies solo show in Santa Barbara earlier this year-and I didn't expect them to be Pearl Jam, I just wanted to hear their music.
Have you ever heard Richard Barone or Kurt Cobain sing Bowies Man who sold the world? & even though Bob Dylan is obviously a fantastic writer- listening to his lyrics by someone with a different style of delivery, like Jimmy LaFave, gives a whole new meaning to them.
-Gandhi
wrong answer dude
live music is better...don't care if it's all covers, all originals or a mix of both.
don't care who i'm seeing. i saw this band called FIRE. all i can say is that hendrix would have been damn proud. band i saw the other nite covered a weezer tune? wtf? and, um, i dug it. damn
get it while you can, cause tomorrow is too late
Celebration, the ball's in play
lez zeppelin
i'd definitely check that out
Celebration, the ball's in play
And you're not leaving here without me, I don't wanna be without
My best... friend. Wake up, to see you could have it all
I seen No Code at the MSG 1 preparty. I thought they were great!
The guitarist was tight! I enjoy'd it!
~D.K.S.
we know