Okay I'll bite.
I get why some people dislike tribute bands and cover bands. There are many of them who are simply out to make a buck and have little to no interest in the band for which they are imitating. Not just with U2 obviously.
I had a conversation backstage once with a dead on ringer for Bruce Springsteen. He had the look, the sound and then charisma. It was uncanny. I asked him if he had seen the Hammersmith Oden DVD, which had just come out. He had no idea what I was talking about.
We all know the good ones and the bad ones. The good tribute bands are just that... tributes. They are fans who put on a performance for fans. The outfits, mannerisms, lighting, video, etc. is done so meticulously because its a genuine love of the band, and the knowledge that the true fan will see right through the phonies.
I run Unforgettable Fire's website, and act as an occasional roadie / lighting guy. They're all fans. Some more than others, true. But they're all into it for the love of the music and the band. I don't say that simply because I work for them, or because they're friends... I started as a fan first.
And if they we're frauds, well... let's just say a long list of incredible life long friendships, amazing experiences, drunken encounters with Paul McGuinness, meeting the real band, business ventures, basketball state championships (
), and yes, even marriages would never have taken place.
So yea... I'm glad when I first went to see UF play 10 years ago at The Inn in Long Beach, Long Island that they were the real thing.
So yea... they might not be everyone's cup of tea. But the real ones serve a genuine purpose for those fans who are willing to suspend reality for one night.
Or a few hundred nights