While I haven’t yet had the chance to venture out into public and survey a random group of individuals, I would wager that if I did, and in this survey asked folks their opinion of tribute bands, the general consensus would be ‘nay.’ It pains me to consider this, although I can understand the reluctance to show support for a tribute band because enough people have had rather poor experiences with them.
My parents and I often attend tribute band concerts, although I should likely stipulate that the ones we go to are fantastic. Have we been to ones that are absolute shit? Unfortunately, yes. But, I would say that out of all of the tribute bands we have seen, maybe two left us feeling disappointed, and considering how many we have been to at this point, these are decent odds for sure.
We have seen Rumours, a tribute band for Fleetwood Mac, several times now, and because we were so impressed the first time we saw them, anytime we hear they’re coming back to an area relatively local to us, we get tickets.
We have also seen Hotel California, a tribute band for The Eagles, many times. Again, this tribute band is fantastic, and we have told friends and family about them, who also now purchase tickets when they come to town.
I personally quite enjoy tribute bands, assuming they’re good, because while a tribute band is obviously not the original artist, I think it’s fantastic that other musicians with a similar sound can reiterate the sound of a band or singer who made a solid impact on the music scene. Furthermore, a tribute band has the opportunity to make some of the songs they’re performing personal to them, and can make small changes here and there to give a classic song an almost new sound.
Photo by Martin Marek on Unsplash
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