I am just in from seeing these guys at Harper's Ferry, a live music club in the Allston section of Boston.
This is my first U2 tribute band experience, so I don't have anyone to compare them to, but my thoughts follow:
They were EXCELLENT. All 4 of them. They don't much go for the image, no conscious effort to look like their counterparts. The bassist dresses a little more like Adam and the guitarist a little more like Edge, and the drummer wears the white shirt w/the same design as Larry on 360 but that's about it.
They go for the sound, and it shows. All of them were very, very tight and accurate, so much so that I always knew the next note, just like when I am at a U2 show. The Edge sound was replicated very well, and the drummer had the 2 floor toms that give Larry's fills their unique touch. You could tell these 2 guys especially had watched a ton of video and knew Edge's and Larry's set ups cold. The bassist hit the notes, even playing Streets like Adam does live, with that slight tweak. Unlike with the real U2, the bassist is the back up vocalist. The singer himself was also spectacular. The guy knows he is not Bono, and aside from copying some stage mannerisms, he brings his own unique touch. He does the songs justice but does not go overboard trying to copy Bono exactly. The words are right, the highs and lows are right, the emotion is there at exactly the right spots, and its easily recognizable as Bono style singing. The emphasis is there over trying to sound exactly the same, which is probably impossible for any 2 humans. I don't think all tribute singers grasp this the way he does.
I came in skeptical having seen U2 live 4 times and now seeing a tribute act in a small club. I had a great time and left very impressed. What brought me the most joy was to see what I always see at U2 shows; people in their 60s and people in their 20s, and everyone in between having a great time together! I was so impressed with all the people who were in the crowd belting out the "wide awakes" in Bad and singing All I Want Is You and Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses! Alot of them were about my age- early 20s. I really needed this reassurance as the hatred of U2 in my age group has been remarkable the last couple of years. Granted, most people there knew a U2 tribute band was playing that night and chose to come. That explains some of the 21 year olds' knowledge of Bad and OOC, but we all know at nightclubs, people come in groups and often go along with what 1 or 2 friends or their boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse want to do. You also have the regulars who will come no matter who is playing. So not everyone there is super fan, especially when you are not shelling out $100 for tickets.
Not everyone is super fan, but most were extremely into it. I loved how a good amount of the crowd left by the time we got 80% of the way through, and the only ones left at the end were the die hards who knew every word! I swear, most of the 200 or 300 people left out of about 800 at the end of the night were screaming out "I fought fate, there's blood on the garden gate...." It was awesome!
My suggestion: If you are in Boston, see Joshua Tree, you will not regret it! If you are anywhere else and are wondering whether or not to see a tribute band, definitely do it! It will be in a small club guaranteed to draw other committed U2 fans to talk to, you will see just how popular U2 and their music are with the average person, and it will be a high energy, intimate experience. I only hope you are lucky enough to see a tribute band as good as Boston's Joshua Tree!!
Here is what they played:
Magnificent
New Year's Day
Gloria
In God's Country
Helter Skelter
Desire
Unforgettable Fire
Running To Standstill
Bullet The Blue Sky(no, not a typo, they reversed the order!)
Still Haven't Found
Crazy Tonight
Beautiful Day
------------SHORT BREAK------------------------------------------------
11 O'Clock Tick Tock
Pride
Vertigo
Elevation
Electric Co
Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
City of Blinding Lights
Bad
All I Want Is You
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Mysterious Ways
Out of Control
Streets
With or Without You/Shine Like Stars(with Zoo TV Washington Solo!)
Highlights: IGC, Electric Co, OOC. Especially Electric Co, the guitarist and drummer knocked this one out of the park and then some, it ROCKED!
This is my first U2 tribute band experience, so I don't have anyone to compare them to, but my thoughts follow:
They were EXCELLENT. All 4 of them. They don't much go for the image, no conscious effort to look like their counterparts. The bassist dresses a little more like Adam and the guitarist a little more like Edge, and the drummer wears the white shirt w/the same design as Larry on 360 but that's about it.
They go for the sound, and it shows. All of them were very, very tight and accurate, so much so that I always knew the next note, just like when I am at a U2 show. The Edge sound was replicated very well, and the drummer had the 2 floor toms that give Larry's fills their unique touch. You could tell these 2 guys especially had watched a ton of video and knew Edge's and Larry's set ups cold. The bassist hit the notes, even playing Streets like Adam does live, with that slight tweak. Unlike with the real U2, the bassist is the back up vocalist. The singer himself was also spectacular. The guy knows he is not Bono, and aside from copying some stage mannerisms, he brings his own unique touch. He does the songs justice but does not go overboard trying to copy Bono exactly. The words are right, the highs and lows are right, the emotion is there at exactly the right spots, and its easily recognizable as Bono style singing. The emphasis is there over trying to sound exactly the same, which is probably impossible for any 2 humans. I don't think all tribute singers grasp this the way he does.
I came in skeptical having seen U2 live 4 times and now seeing a tribute act in a small club. I had a great time and left very impressed. What brought me the most joy was to see what I always see at U2 shows; people in their 60s and people in their 20s, and everyone in between having a great time together! I was so impressed with all the people who were in the crowd belting out the "wide awakes" in Bad and singing All I Want Is You and Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses! Alot of them were about my age- early 20s. I really needed this reassurance as the hatred of U2 in my age group has been remarkable the last couple of years. Granted, most people there knew a U2 tribute band was playing that night and chose to come. That explains some of the 21 year olds' knowledge of Bad and OOC, but we all know at nightclubs, people come in groups and often go along with what 1 or 2 friends or their boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse want to do. You also have the regulars who will come no matter who is playing. So not everyone there is super fan, especially when you are not shelling out $100 for tickets.
Not everyone is super fan, but most were extremely into it. I loved how a good amount of the crowd left by the time we got 80% of the way through, and the only ones left at the end were the die hards who knew every word! I swear, most of the 200 or 300 people left out of about 800 at the end of the night were screaming out "I fought fate, there's blood on the garden gate...." It was awesome!
My suggestion: If you are in Boston, see Joshua Tree, you will not regret it! If you are anywhere else and are wondering whether or not to see a tribute band, definitely do it! It will be in a small club guaranteed to draw other committed U2 fans to talk to, you will see just how popular U2 and their music are with the average person, and it will be a high energy, intimate experience. I only hope you are lucky enough to see a tribute band as good as Boston's Joshua Tree!!
Here is what they played:
Magnificent
New Year's Day
Gloria
In God's Country
Helter Skelter
Desire
Unforgettable Fire
Running To Standstill
Bullet The Blue Sky(no, not a typo, they reversed the order!)
Still Haven't Found
Crazy Tonight
Beautiful Day
------------SHORT BREAK------------------------------------------------
11 O'Clock Tick Tock
Pride
Vertigo
Elevation
Electric Co
Whos Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
City of Blinding Lights
Bad
All I Want Is You
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Mysterious Ways
Out of Control
Streets
With or Without You/Shine Like Stars(with Zoo TV Washington Solo!)
Highlights: IGC, Electric Co, OOC. Especially Electric Co, the guitarist and drummer knocked this one out of the park and then some, it ROCKED!