Tribute Bands - do you play in one? Just for fun

[rushbo]

53 minutes ago, borntohang said:

'ello. I'm second from right in a very silly gig indeed.

 

 

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one?

Wasn't to start with, then listened to nothing else for six months to get into shape, then couldn't listen to them again outside of gigs for the next three years. I'm finally getting round to enjoying them casually again now.

 

How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed?

Oh, lots and lots and lots. If you get the broad strokes right people fill in the blanks; even the hypercritical snobby fans (who are thankfully few and far between) don't notice as much as they think they do. We try to be true to the spirit if not the letter. We have an authentically upside-down left-handed bass player, and I'm a bald guy on keyboards/guitar, and that's about it. Our singer looks uncannily like Mark when she wears her glasses which is a nice co-incidence.

 

The really odd bit is that we have a nice little sideline in logo branded t-shirts that do quite well. I think we've built up a bit of a following now so we get a fair few people coming to see us just because they specifically like what we do, as opposed to just liking the material. DEVO aren't touring over here and  even if they were they aren't playing the early seventies vibe that we're trying to cop, so I'm happy to fill that niche. 

 

Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig?

A bit. It'd feel a bit daft to pretend to be the exact Spuds, but we go for the attitude and vibes and people seem happy with it. We have a lot of handy folks in the band so we've gradually built our own props/costumes/instruments over the years. It's helpful that our bass player is usually allergic to anything sniffing of 'commercialism' so we have a finely tuned barometer of "that's a right womble idea" to run ideas past; if he's game for it then it's probably not too cheeseball.

 

Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?)

We all have other projects. I wish writing with these guys was as easy as touring with them because we've made it six years or so without any major fallouts or line-up changes. They're very accommodating of me dropping the odd "sorry chaps, but I have to block two months out of the calendar for this other tour" as it's not a full-time gig for any of us.

 

Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’?

I don't think putting a silly hat on is going to stop garage bands from playing original music. It doesn't even stop me.

 

Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say?

DEVO shared us on their facebook page a couple of Halloweens ago and they were asked about us in a Guardian Reader's Questions feature (Jerry was very diplomatic) so they know we exist. We've spoken to their team a few times and they've politely requested we don't use certain bits of artwork which we're happy to do. My requests to be the UK franchise of the band have been politely ignored.

 

What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you?

I try to take something away from every gig I play with, but I suppose it's been an interesting exercise into really deep-diving into one particular catalogue. I can't think of many other acts where I know 30-40 songs to gigging standard.

 

Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different?

Oh, probably not. I like the idea of doing brief dives into a catalogue to do a one-and-done Stars In Their Eyes tribute night or something, but it's been a bit intensive learning all the music plus co-bandleading really. I auditioned on keys for a Foos tribute a couple of years back but my heart wasn't really in it even though the money would be better and the material significantly easier. I sometimes see other tributes post audition lists and then go away and learn them just as an exercise (Slade and Blink 182 recently) but I don't think I'd connect with them quite like WAND.

 

I saw We Are Not Devo play in Wolverhampton a little while ago and they were bloody great.  

[toneknob]

Hang on no one mentioned photos. Here's me in action at a French trib festival omg was it really 15 years ago.

Edited October 24, 2022 by toneknob

[toneknob]

And another of all the stuff.

[borntohang]

6 minutes ago, rushbo said:

 

I saw We Are Not Devo play in Wolverhampton a little while ago and they were bloody great.  

 

Thanks! Was that the Art Centre show? I've started to lose track now the gigging is more of a regular thing than novelty...

[rushbo]

Just now, borntohang said:

 

Thanks! Was that the Art Centre show? I've started to lose track now the gigging is more of a regular thing than novelty...

 

Yes it was - a fantastically entertaining gig. I went with a mate who is a real hardcore Devo-tee and his jaw was on the floor for the entire performance.  We'll be at the Brum show next year. 

[borntohang]

3 minutes ago, rushbo said:

 

Yes it was - a fantastically entertaining gig. I went with a mate who is a real hardcore Devo-tee and his jaw was on the floor for the entire performance.  We'll be at the Brum show next year. 

 

A nice venue if I remember right. Come over and say hi if you make it to Birmingham. I'm the one not playing bass, obviously.

[chris_b]

I have never played in a "proper" tribute band, but I certainly would if asked. Having said that one of my current bands sometimes goes out under the working title of a "Tribute to Chess records". That's a bit of marketing, as not all of the numbers were recorded on Chess records! We usually go down well, so I don't think anyone in the audience really cares whether that claim is 100% accurate or not. I know several guys who are in tribute bands and it's just another opportunity to gig for most of  them. The only rules that would apply for me; the musicians have to be good and enjoyable to play with.

 

All the answers are IMO. . . . 

 

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one?

No. You just have to enjoy playing with the band.

 

How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed?

There are 2 kinds of tribute bands; one plays the music and one also puts on a theatrical performance. My preference would be for the former.

 

Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig?

For me, it would just be a gig. I know guys who get into character, but it's just a gig to them too.

 

Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?)

I wouldn't find playing a night of only one artist/band limiting. If you're doing it right, all music should be "fulfilling".

 

Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’?

I don't understand the question. The two are not linked.

 

Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say?

I have not. If I did I would hope the original guy would be happy that I did a good job on his songs.

 

What (would) the overriding thing being in a tribute act (have) taught you?

They are just another band and just another song.

 

Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different?

I wouldn't turn a gig down just because it was a tribute band.

 

After initially being snobbish I have seen some great tributes, my favourites being ELO Experience (featuring @casapete), Limehouse Lizzy and Purple Zeppelin.

I wouldn't go out of my way to see a tribute band, but I've seen the Beatles band at the Cavern, Fleetwood Mac and Blues Brothers tributes at Wimbledon Theater and The Straits, basically Dire Straits without Knopfler, at the Albert Hall. All good bands, doing a good job. 

[police squad]

I did 2 different Police tributes. One just played in local pubs, the other did bigger gigs.

 

 

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one?

I am a fan of the Police, so it was easy for me. Both bands I was in, were also big fans

 

How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed?

I look a lot like Sting, even when not on stage and as he is the focus it worked well. I spent quite a lot of money on the correct basses and the matching outfits

 

 

Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig?

I spent a lot of time watching Sting live and copying his moves but I don't speak like him

 

Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?)

Try singing and playing some of those songs. Driven to tears is the hardest playing/singing at the same time song I've done

 

Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’?

Absolutely not. Why would it

 

Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say?

No, but I tweeted a video to Stewart Copeland and he commented on 'you got the sound right but I pity the poor B'stard in the cute shorts'

 

What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you?

Nothing I didn't already know. You can't please everyone all the time. I always put 100% effort into every gig, big or small

 

Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different?

I would yes but not The Police now. My knees hurt and a bad shoulder means I can't jump up and down and so it's not authentic enough now

 

anyway here's a few pictures of the gear etc

 

 

[steantval]

I played in a Free tribute band for a few years.
 

 

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one?

All the guys in the band were big fans of Free, we had all played some Free numbers in the Classic Rock bands we had been in previously.

 

How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed?

We made an effort to wear clothing of that era, but no long haired wigs.

Musically we were definitely right up there, at least 80% of the Free recorded numbers actually have keyboards (piano, Hammond), we went out as a five piece which included a keyboard player so we could replicate the songs as close as possible.

I played an Epiphone EB3 through a MarkBass rig, the EB3 was horrid to play compared to my usual MM Stingray, but it looked the part and sounded like Andy Fraser.

Our guitarist did not use a Les Paul, he really disliked them, he used PRS, always had two on stage, his amplifier was a boutique U.K. made all valve Cornell head through a Marshall 4x12 cabinet and reproduced a very authentic Kossoff sound and tone.

Our drummer was Jeff Rich who played with Status Quo for many years, Free were one of his all time favourite bands, he played a DW kit as he was still endorsed by them.

 

Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig?

I did not get into character, it was a gig, albeit a very fulfilling one, absolutely loved playing all those fabulous Andy Fraser bass lines and people paid to come and see us perform and a captive audience of people who are really into the band.

 

Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?)

Not musically limiting at all, took a lot of time and effort learning and playing the bass lines correctly, I was also playing in another band at that time, first and last time I have ever been in two bands at the same time.

 

Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’?

No qualms at all, Free have been long gone, Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke are still about doing a few tours of either Free or Bad Company material.

 

Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say?

Never met either of the two surviving members, although we did get to support Wishbone Ash and I had a good chat with one of my guitar heroes from my teenage years, Andy Powell.

 

What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you?

Being able to replicate the material from one of your favourite bands with real accuracy involves serious discipline and all the other band members have that same ethic.

 

Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different?

I would love to do the Free stuff again, but finding a vocalist that can pass as Paul Rodgers is very difficult, unfortunately our original vocalist Richard has moved on to other projects, mainly his own material as he was also a very good songwriter.

If was to do it again, I would really enjoy playing in a tribute to The Cult, one of my all time favourite bands, bass lines are fairly easy, but boy do they rock.

 

Pictures below are from 2010.

 

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by steantval

[Franticsmurf]

On 22/10/2022 at 09:25, Franticsmurf said:

I've just been told 'The Long Road' are gathering once again with the same singer and a bunch of new musicians. I was half expecting a phone call but it doesn't appeal to me and I'd say no.

Oh, the irony. 😃

 

I had the phone call at 11.30 this morning and I said yes, mainly because the singer is a mate and they needed a bass player at short notice. I decided to do the gig and see how things worked out before deciding whether to make it a long term commitment.

 

I'm just back from their rehearsal. It was better than I expected. The old singer is taking a much less prominent role and the two guitarists and the keys player are very good (I've worked with the keys player before). They are also putting a lot of effort into it and it shows, with great vocal harmonies and nice arrangements. It's still very much a 'music of the Eagles' act rather than the full blown tribute. 

[Dr.Dave]

On 21/10/2022 at 22:57, Mickeyboro said:

 

 

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one? - no , but I was.

 

How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed? No rules bit I enjoyed the dressing up. I was in a ZZ Top trib - who wouldn't ?

 

Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig? - no. I'm not an actor. I just wore the clothes. I met a bloke who sang in a queen trib. He was on his knees in the dressing room envoking Freddie's spirit. Tosser.

 

Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?) The trib band was the side band. I didn't find it limiting , I found it a different skill.

 

Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’? I couldn't give a toss about that.

 

Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say? No.

 

What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you? That it's possible to earn a grand a night.

 

Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different? No , not again....probably.

 

 

 

[Dr.Dave]

Here's a pic 

[JapanAxe]

14 hours ago, Dr.Dave said:

Here's a pic 

Remind me what band you're doing a tribute to...

[12stringbassist]

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one?
I think to do it as well as possible, it helps to be an enthusiast about the act concerned.

 

How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed?

I personally think that it is interesting to put your own stamp on other people's work in a tribute, but I also see the appeal of being a carbon copy.

 

Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig?
I dressed in a style that very vaguely approximated Jim Lea of Slade, when doing a tribute gig at a Slade convention once, years ago. I don't think I would ever personally dress up as someone from a band, except on stage. It's rather sad to do that. I know a couple of people who walk round dressed up in some form of imitation of their heroes. It's creepy.

 

Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?)
I've only done the odd tribute gig. My band does a cross section of covers and we dress as ourselves.

 

Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’?
Not in the slightest. It has its market and its place. it keeps a lot of people happy.
If people don't like it they can avoid it. There's room for everybody.

 

Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say?
I've met Jim Lea a number of times. I have never mentioned doing the tribute gig. When my guitarist and I met Francis Rossi, we mentioned doing a few of their songs and he was curious as to whether we were a tribute. We aren't. We just do a few of theirs.

 

What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you?
Learning the songs properly is key. You can't really muck about and wing it. It just makes you look stupid. I have seen a couple of Slade tributes that rely on one person doing all of the main singer-lookalike thing and those bands, tbh, totally fail for me.

 

Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different?
I couldn't be arsed doing it again. I was offered the bass job in a Slade tribute a few years ago. Too much trouble with other players. The Slade guitarists all thought they were Dave Hill. The players were all geographically remote and they never seemed to make a profit on gigs...

Edited October 28, 2022 by 12stringbassist

[Lozz196]

58 minutes ago, JapanAxe said:

Remind me what band you're doing a tribute to...

Bros?

[casapete]

16 hours ago, Dr.Dave said:

Here's a pic 

Great beardage! Was yours real Dave?

(Loving the pint of bitter on the mic stand too...) 

[Mickeyboro]

47 minutes ago, casapete said:

Great beardage! Was yours real Dave?

(Loving the pint of bitter on the mic stand too...) 

Jack Daniels, surely? (If it’s iced tea, Dave, please don’t spoil the illusion…😁)

[Dr.Dave]

5 hours ago, Mickeyboro said:

Jack Daniels, surely? (If it’s iced tea, Dave, please don’t spoil the illusion…😁)

No , it's beer. The moustache is mine but my goatee had to go to glue the long false beard on. The gum wouldn't come off and I used to look like a burns victim for days afterwards !

[clarkpegasus4001]

I have played in the following tributes in order:

Phoenix Rising (Wishbone Ash), In For The Kill (Budgie), Hell Bent For Priest (Judas Priest), DIIO (Ronnie James Dio) and I've played dep gigs in Sack Sabbath (Black Sabbath) and Black Angus (AC/DC).

So to answer the questions:

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one?

Not necessarily but I think it helps. I love all of the bands I've covered above. The Budgie tribute was my idea as Ive been a fan since I was at school. 

How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed?

Our guitarist thought it very important to dress up and try to look the part. Not really in Budgie and Wishbone. I guess if you play in something like Kiss then it's pretty essential. Musically I think you should try to be accurate where possible. 

Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig?

I tried to get into character. I always tried to put in 100% so it's more than just a gig.

Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?)

No not necessarily limiting as I played in a covers band as well. It fulfilled my needs of wanting to play in larger venues with the tributes. I've played a ton of gigs since 2006 from postage stamp pubs to festivals and everything in between. 

Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’?

Non whatsoever. There's a place for originals, tributes and covers. Tributes are basically covers anyway right?. A lot of people can't afford to watch some originals so the tributes are an option. If you play to a good standard then its all good. It also promotes the original band as maybe some people may not have heard of the original band. This happened a lot with Wishbone and Budgie so it got them more sales hopefully.

Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say?

Yes. We had members of Martin Turners Wishbone Ash see us in the Wishbone tribute and they loved it and they came again to another gig. I also become friends with them. Ray Philips from Budgie saw our Dio tribute and enjoyed it. Pete Boot from Budgie saw our Budgie tribute and he enjoyed that. Simon Lees from Budgie even joined us for an encore jam in the Budgie tribute. Les Binks saw our Judas Priest tribute apparently but I don't know what he thought. Andy Sneap saw our warm up debut Priest gig and he enjoyed it according to a friend. 

What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you?

I think just to play as accurately as possible and be as professional as you can.

Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different?

Yeah I'd probably do it again but I've no idea to what tribute. I mean, I've played in all these bands so what's left? I'd still want the music to be accurate as possible.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by clarkpegasus4001

[martin8708]

I have not played in a tribute band , but as a resident of the IoW and frequent goer to the Isle of Wight festival , one of the best bands I saw was the Australian Pink Floyd show , I was too young to see the original line up ( on my own ) so this is the closest I got to a Floyd gig and it was bloody brilliant .

Nick Mason thinks their great too . 

[Dad3353]

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

On 24/10/2022 at 11:01, cetera said:

Also, I believe there to be two distinct types of 'tribute'.

1) A 'Tribute to the Music of....' - Bands/artists not known for their look/visual impact/frontman with specific image i.e. Steely Dan, Eagles, Chicago etc

2) A Tribute Band/Artist - has a strong visual as well as musical impact whether just frontman or whole band i.e. Stones, Beatles, Queen, KISS, Bowie etc

Great post Gary and I agree with 99.9% of the points you raised, apart from the inclusion of Bowie in the quote above.

 

Being a die hard Bowie fan for what seems like forever, I’ve never understood the fixation with (choose your era really, but it’s usually….) the Ziggy phase. In reality (see what I did there?), it was a very short period in the man’s career and as good as it was, I don’t believe it to be defining. There was so much brilliant stuff that came after - and before for that matter.

 

The difference for me, in the context you’ve given, is that The Stones, The Beatles, Queen and Kiss come with a certain expectation of what you’re going to get. I don’t believe that to be the case with Bowie. After he was done with Ziggy, his look was very different. I think he came out wearing pegs and jelly sandals to an audience that were still mainly wearing make-up and capes and he laughed at them. They didn’t know what to make of the change then and that was a theme that continued.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love all phases of Bowie including the Ziggy period. Much like Zappa, he had a phenomenal who’s who of players who were at the top of their game performing for him. The more he did and the more he had to choose from in his repertoire, the better the shows. Rockpalast ‘96 - a phenomenal performance, even taking into account his drum’n’bass phase at the time - the version of Andy Warhol is just genius. Glastonbury 2000 - suffered from illness, crippling nerves and not being on tour - some of it wasn’t great, but I watch it over and over. The BBC gig from 2 days later - awesome, probably one of my favourite sets he ever did. The Reality Tour - what a way to go out!

 

I know it’s a bit self centered as it’s what we used to do, but if you’re going to do Bowie, do what he would have done at the end. Perform the songs to highest standard with the best people you can get and in the way he would have done it then. The songs themselves are the legacy, not the make-up and capes.

[JapanAxe]

8 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

…

 

The Reality Tour - what a way to go out!

 

I know it’s a bit self centered as it’s what we used to do, but if you’re going to do Bowie, do what he would have done at the end. Perform the songs to highest standard with the best people you can get and in the way he would have done it then. The songs themselves are the legacy, not the make-up and capes.

Well put.

 

We’re all about Bowie’s music and we play the Reality Tour versions of a lot of the songs in our repertoire - they are outstanding arrangements.

[goblin]

So, I've been doing tribute work for quite a while now. I've been with a George Michael tribute for the last five years doing theatres, festivals and clubs. I'm also the MD for a Katy Perry and Taylor Swift tribute, and I've depped for numerous others including Oasis, Elton John, ABBA, and I'm due to start working with a Barbra Streisand tribute, and a Take That tribute.

 

Do you have to be a fan of the original artist, or maybe you become one?

 

I think it definitely helps, but it's not imperative in my situation. The main thing for me is that it helps to have an understanding of the music, as I'm a stickler for detail from particular sounds to musical nuances. So being a fan of the music in the first place helps because you naturally want to invest yourself in learning the material properly. However there are instances where I've had to potentially start to like or "get into" that artist, such as the Barbra gig for example.

 

How important is it to be visually/musically identical? How much latitude are you allowed?

 

I've found with tributes there are two main schools of thought here. If it's a full on tribute, then it makes sense to be visually as close as you can, or at least for the main person (George in this case). However there are instances of it being a celebration of the music, so you can end up in a position where they may not sound or look like the original artist, and it's their own performance of the songs. It's very much down to how you market it. As for myself on the gig, the only show where I'm in costume is the ABBA show. How accurate my costume is? I don't really know. It's white and has sequins, but it at least looks the part. The main cast of the show are a lot closer. The other gigs, it's usually stage black.

 

Do you ‘get into character’ or is it just a gig?

 

Being effectively in the backing band, there's not really any character to get into in my instance. Good example of this is I remember meeting Rick Astley's previous keys and guitar players. I've seen Rick live on TV various times, but had absolutely no idea or recognition of these gents. A session band generally speaking just fades into the background. 

 

Does it feel musically limiting, or is it fulfilling your needs? (Maybe you have a side band?)

 

I'm quite lucky that I play with so many, as it keeps things interesting. With it all being different styles, different quality of dots (some are learn by ear), and other shows can have really challenging pads to read as well. The George Michael and ABBA gigs are probably the most challenging to play, though with the GM gig been under my belt since early 2017, it's like an old pair of slippers and I only use dots when new material goes in. I don't find it limiting as in a way I have a free pass to add more interpretation, as GM loved bass and I've been told that his bassists have been known to be taken off on a tangent by GM with the MD left powerless to stop them, but there's a fine line between being tasteful and overplaying. I'm very much about the pocket and groove of it, but every now and again it's fun to throw in a tasty fill or run which still turns other band members' heads. I've even managed to turn Wayne (George)'s head with a massive grin on his face in the past too. But, don't overdo it. The Barbra gig is going to be the other end of the scale I imagine.

 

Do you have any qualms about tributes ‘stifling original music’?

 

It's a totally different market, so not really! 

 

Have you ever met or been seen by a member of the ‘originals’? What did they say?

 

Yes, one of GMs keys players came down a couple of years ago and introduced himself before the gig, came back to watch the gig and then stuck around afterwards. Loved the show (very lucky as it was our first night with our new drummer as the last one was terrible, and was sacked... and then he went and setup another GM tribute), and he stuck around telling stories, said to me "Steve (bass) would like your playing!" . So... seal of approval I'd say. We're also very privileged to have recently had GM's percussionist join us for a gig, and he wants to do more in the future. We also have Cliff Richard's drummer depping for us fairly often, and one of Sister Sledge's guitarists. So I imagine we've been doing something right! 

 

What is the overriding thing being in a tribute act has taught you?

 

It's a dog eat dog world. I see so many tribute bad mouthing each other, it only seems to be Beatles and ABBA tributes which help each other out in that sense. I've known other GM tributes accuse our guy of miming (absolute BS by the way), and the punters can also be VERY harsh as well. You'll never please anyway, because people are such big fans of original artists, they often expect to see a perfect clone, which will rarely happen. You could sell out a 4000 seat theatre, there'll be 3995 blown away people, and 5 people who think it was the worst thing they've ever seen... you just get on with it. 

 

Having done it once, would you do it again? If so, would the musical angle be very different?

 

It's my job, I play music all over the world for a living and tribute work is a big part of that. I'll be honest, I much prefer it to function work. I play with some top function bands too, but I've had enough of weddings and the way musicians are often treated. My fiancée is a wedding planner, so on her jobs I know we get looked after, and not all weddings are bad, however I've seen drunk people falling over gear, walking through where we're setting up and being very racist towards members of the band, which is wholly unacceptable. I was gigging down in Maidstone a few months ago (I live in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire), so it was about 250 miles home. I left an ABBA gig at about 22:00 - 22:30, and I tend to give other musician mates a call on my way home, and I called one of the guys in one of the function bands I work with, and he said "sorry can I call you back, we're just packing down" ... I'd already completed 225 miles of my journey at least, and they hadn't even loaded the van, and the money was only a little bit less for me. I love tribute work for that, it's still a lot of miles, but the people going to these gigs want to be there and enjoy it more. Less alcohol is consumed generally speaking (GM gigs are still middle aged women behaving badly though - someone in her 50s grabbed his crotch the other night!), but it's much better than weddings for me. The next step for me is to get onto the bigger acts, but I'm very happy doing what I'm doing at the moment, and wouldn't hesitate to do more tribute work, and I wouldn't really change any angles either. The only thing which bothers me is that if I was MDing it, I'd be writing all the charts myself, because I'm sick to the back teeth of getting a bass pack, and the parts are inaccurate.

Edited October 31, 2022 by goblin