Glorified Copy Bands?

[RogueWarrior]

Guns 'N' Roses is set to headline closing night at the Rocklahoma festival. But really it's just the Axl Rose band doing GNR songs. GNR is not GNR without Slash, Izzy and Duff (in my opinion anyway).

Recently saw on TV a Foreigner concert. Which was original guitarist Mick Jones and a bunch of other guys. Not really Foreigner.

So, question. If not part of a festival, would you pay money to see a band that is nothing more than a glorified copy band of itself?

For me the answer is no.

 

[Just Me]

Guns 'N' Roses is set to headline closing night at the Rocklahoma festival. But really it's just the Axl Rose band doing GNR songs. GNR is not GNR without Slash, Izzy and Duff (in my opinion anyway).

Recently saw on TV a Foreigner concert. Which was original guitarist Mick Jones and a bunch of other guys. Not really Foreigner.

So, question. If not part of a festival, would you pay money to see a band that is nothing more than a glorified copy band of itself?

For me the answer is no.

So many variables for me to have a definitive say. I will say it depends. I have seen good and bad bands like this and while I would like to think all the band members really matter generally if the musicians are decent and have the bands song list down I would be hard pressed to know they were not the originals if just hearing them. If you take away just the lead singer of a band I would think it is much more noticeable and would be difficult to cover satisfactorily. :twocents-02cents:

 

[Deleted member 8603]

I think it depends on the band. There are good examples for both!

There are some bands that are totally based on their members. Like GNR, I totally agree they're not the same without the same members.

But bands like The Aquabats, I'd say no.
They go through members like hotcakes. Even people like Travis Barker (The Baron von Tito) have come and gone in the band, and they're still the same because The Aquabats is more a group than a few guys playing music.

It's kindof like a team verses a bunch of individuals that just happen to be playing together.

 

[Kunra9]

Creedance Clearwater Revisited tours with two of the original band members, but neither of the Fogerty's are involved.

However I did see them live a couple years ago and the guy they have singing now sounds just like John and they put on a great show.

So for me they are an example of "I don't give a shit"

However, I would not pay to see Queen for example unless someone can bring Freddie back from the dead.

 

[mynameisbob84]

Depends who it is really.

I saw "Guns N Roses" at a festival (Axl and friends) but wouldn't pay to see them by themselves. I did pay to see "Smashing Pumpkins" though (Billy Corgan and friends). I guess the Pumpkins were always the Billy Corgan Project (Chamberlain was maybe the best drummer of his generation but was still just a drummer and Iha and Darcy were completely interchangeable) so whether I was watching the original line-up or the new line-up, I'd still be watching Billy Corgan play Billy Corgan's songs with Billy Corgan's band.

I saw John Fogerty at a festival last year and it was cool - he just played Creedence songs - but I don't feel like I've seen CCR and I probably wouldn't pay to see him by himself. There are bands touring that barely even resemble their original line-ups (Skynyrd, Lizzy, etc.) but then there's bands like The Cure (with just Robert Smith and Simon Gallup remaining from the original line-up) who I've seen three times and would see again.

So... depends who it is really

 

[RogueWarrior]

I agree with pretty much everything said thus far. My OP was a bit broad in scope, I guess.

Bob, the Smashing Pumpkins reference reminds me of Whitesnake. Basically the David Coverdale Band with a rotating cast of sidemen. Really you could play the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon game with David Coverdale in relation to rock music.

Kunra and Bob, I see your points with Queen, Lizzy & Skynyrd. However, my original thought concerned bands whose members are all still with us. I don't know that I would pay to see any of the three now, although I wouldn't rule it out. Yeah, I would rule out Lizzy. Phil Lynott was Thin Lizzy. Not to discount their great guitarists, but without Lynott it's just not the same.

I mean, I can understand continuing on under the same name if there are 2 or 3 of 4, or 3 or 4 of 5 original members. What I was mostly talking about was the guys touring under the band's name with only 1 or 2 guys from the original band and sometimes not even the most recognizable. For example, a few years ago I saw "Bad Company". Quotes intended. It was the drummer. And four other guys. Doing Bad Company songs. Did they do them well? Yes. Was it Bad Company? No.

Hope that clears up the muddy water just a bit.

 

[Sevrin]

I'm not sure what the problem is. Concerts are expensive enough that I'd only consider going to see a band that I'm a fan of. That means that I'd be familiar enough with their current make-up to know if it was the band I knew and enjoyed, or something else. I'd have enough information to make a decision.

NB: I believe the term you meant to use is "tribute band".

 

[Mirra]

I'm right there on a lot of these. It depends a lot on who remains of the band. I saw Styx a couple years back and would call the current lineup a continuation and not a glorified copy of the original. I'll be seeing Alice in Chains at a festival in May and, while during their prime, I would have said Layne Staley was essential, the circumstances of his death and the fact that Jerry Cantrell is still a part of it matters.

The lead singer is often important and yet look at AC/DC. Sometimes it's not about how great an artist is as to their importance to the band but more about what unique things they bring to it outside of their skill. For instance, I couldn't see RAtM being them without Zack de la Rocha and Morello. I couldn't see RHCP being them without Anthony and Flea. Maybe things will change down the road. At one point, I would have had a hard time thinking of Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy or Nightwish without Tarja but both seem to be doing well (now that Anette is gone) with their replacements. On the other hand, I don't see it being GNR without Slash... ever.

 

[sweetiebatman]

The band "From the Jam"

which is basically The Jam's remaining members ....

....without Paul Weller, the lead fucking singer and voice of The Jam who is sucessful in his own right

and the Jam without lead singer Paul Weller might as well be from the bargin bin!

Sheeeeeitte!