U2 Tribute Bands and thoughts about them.

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I generally think the idea is laughable. Being a musician that preferred to play in bands that only played original music, I tend to look down on cover bands, though I know they serve their purpose and that's fine.

With that said, I have seen a couple of YouTube videos here and there of U2 tribute bands and they have been impressive. I'm thinking it was a cover of Fez-Being Porn that I was really impressed with.

Would I actually go to a show? Maybe if it was free and no one found out about.
 
I think they're fun. I've seen Zoo Station and Under a Blood Red Sky a few times each and had just a blast. Although sometimes I feel weird when the band members start going really overboard in their imitations. (It's usually the Bono one - surprise.)
 
mikal said:
I generally think the idea is laughable. Being a musician that preferred to play in bands that only played original music, I tend to look down on cover bands, though I know they serve their purpose and that's fine.

With that said, I have seen a couple of YouTube videos here and there of U2 tribute bands and they have been impressive. I'm thinking it was a cover of Fez-Being Porn that I was really impressed with.

Would I actually go to a show? Maybe if it was free and no one found out about.
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What instrument do you play mikal?
 
I play bass myself. I have a Mid 70's Fender Jazzmaster. I hear you loud and clear about lack of time. Work keeps my very busy. The stock market waits for no one! Congrats on the wife/daughter though. I don't have children but I do have a wonderful lady in my life.
 
I used to love to go see Elevation around Chicago. They were fronted by an utter prick called Danno.

Guy that played guitar for them, Greg, now plays for Vertigo USA. He is amazing. And not an utter prick.
 
I think they are universally bad, and not just U2 tribute bands, pretty much all of them. I don't mean "bad" as in some don't sound pretty good, some of them actually do. But they're bad because at their best they're just creative leeches.

Let's face it...if you're the best tribute band in the world, all that means is you're #1 at imitation. And the "better" they are, the closer to U2 they supposedly sound, so what's the point in playing doppelgänger on someone's else's creativity? The irony is, some of the musicians in these bands are genuinely talented, but I just that equate that with, say an expert art forger who can meticulously recreate a truly original, and creative, artists work. But it's still a fake. Create your own art.

And the lead singers are the worst...at least the musicians have some degree of talent, but some guy playing dress up and prancing around acting like Bono is just embarrassing. How do you sing a song like, say "Mother's of the Disappeared" or "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and not look like an idiot?

I can see going to a bar and just listening to one of those bands in the background as a curiosity (with lots of alcohol), but the idea of going to see one and kind of rocking out to their music is just kind of silly.
 
Nick66 said:
I think they are universally bad, and not just U2 tribute bands, pretty much all of them. I don't mean "bad" as in some don't sound pretty good, some of them actually do. But their bad because at their best their just creative leeches.

Let's face it...if you're the best tribute band in the world, all that means is you're #1 at imitation. And the "better" they are, the closer to U2 they supposedly sound, so what's the point in playing doppelganger on someone's else's creativity? The irony is, some of the musicians in these bands are genuinely talented, but I just that equate that with, say an expert art forger who can meticulously recreate a truly original, and creative, artists work. But it's still a fake. Create your own art.

And the lead singers are the worst...at least the musicians have some degree of talent, but some guy up playing dress up and acting like Bono is just embarrassing. How do you sing a sing like, say "Mother's of the Disappeared" or "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and not look like an idiot?

I can see going to a bar and just listening to one of those bands in the background as a curiosity (with lots of alcohol), but the idea of going to see one and kind of rocking out to their music is just kind of silly.
Click to expand...

That brings up a good point. I would almost rather go see a tribute band that doesn't try to dress up or act like the band, but just enjoys playing their songs.
 
corianderstem said:
I think they're fun. I've seen Zoo Station and Under a Blood Red Sky a few times each and had just a blast. Although sometimes I feel weird when the band members start going really overboard in their imitations. (It's usually the Bono one - surprise.)
Click to expand...



Agreed--it's when they start talking in a brogue offstage that the alarm bells start ringing for me.
 
I'm still waiting for a "tribute" Bono to perform as Mr. Maphisto. Now that would be funny!
 
mikal said:
Do tribute bands also lie offstage?
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Liars is a three-piece band formed in 2000 consisting of Angus Andrew (vocals/guitar), Aaron Hemphill (percussion, guitar, synth), and Julian Gross (drums). Although initially lumped into the New York dance-punk scene of the early 21st century, they have come to be categorized by their dramatic stylistic shifts between albums, while retaining a consistent interest in rhythm and sound texture.
 
Babyface82 said:
In Italy we've got Achtung Babies! they're great (and they're funny guys, REAL fans who do that because of their love for U2) Please watch it cause they're absolutely amazing!


U2 - Zoo Station - Achtung Babies - YouTube

(I was there that night)
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Just seems odd to me, I get a weird vibe just watching it. If someone enjoys it more power to them. But not for me. :shrug: I will wait for the real thing, even if it takes another year! :wink:
 
Mount Temple said:
Liars is a three-piece band formed in 2000 consisting of Angus Andrew (vocals/guitar), Aaron Hemphill (percussion, guitar, synth), and Julian Gross (drums). Although initially lumped into the New York dance-punk scene of the early 21st century, they have come to be categorized by their dramatic stylistic shifts between albums, while retaining a consistent interest in rhythm and sound texture.
Click to expand...

I enjoy them.
 
Mount Temple said:
The U2 experience - The Hindu
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Got a kick out of this part:

When it comes to performing on stage, the favourites seem to be ‘Bullet the blue sky’, ‘Faulty’ and ‘Desire’..... ‘Faulty’ is always our final song because it’s very anthemic and it gets the audience involved,” says Mark.
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In yet another episode of Lost In Translation...

lol
 
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 ( :wink: ), 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 :shifty:
 
I only wish I could play guitar well enough to be in a U2 cover band. Also, I don't think a U2 cover band would have much of an audience here in rural Ohio. I could probably play Adam's bass parts alright, but no way I could play guitar like The Edge.
 
What Headache said :up: :up:

Even the bands that don't have all the outfits mannerisms lighting video...some just do it for genuine love of the music, they are hardcore fans and it shines through in how they interpret the songs. If they can add those extra elements without making it a parody, even better, it ups the ante in the crowd a bit because people dig that kindof stuff in general, they want to feel even a small part of the feeling they get when they attend a U2 concert. And, they get to hear songs that U2 never plays anymore, or has ever played, even.

Many tribute guys also write and perform their own stuff also.

And this deserves highlighting:

Headache in a Suitcase said:
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 ( :wink: ), and yes, even marriages would never have taken place.
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So true my friend, so true. Wouldn't change it even if I could :hi5: :beer:
 
mikal said:
I generally think the idea is laughable. Being a musician that preferred to play in bands that only played original music, I tend to look down on cover bands, though I know they serve their purpose and that's fine.

With that said, I have seen a couple of YouTube videos here and there of U2 tribute bands and they have been impressive. I'm thinking it was a cover of Fez-Being Porn that I was really impressed with.

Would I actually go to a show? Maybe if it was free and no one found out about.
Click to expand...

I think they are universally bad, and not just U2 tribute bands, pretty much all of them. I don't mean "bad" as in some don't sound pretty good, some of them actually do. But their bad because at their best their just creative leeches.

Let's face it...if you're the best tribute band in the world, all that means is you're #1 at imitation. And the "better" they are, the closer to U2 they supposedly sound, so what's the point in playing doppelganger on someone's else's creativity? The irony is, some of the musicians in these bands are genuinely talented, but I just that equate that with, say an expert art forger who can meticulously recreate a truly original, and creative, artists work. But it's still a fake. Create your own art.
Click to expand...

Lots of derivative artists are genuinely talented. We call them fan artists and slag them until they get paid for it by the copyright owner, at which time we call them scriptwriters or whatever. They're officially extending the franchise, which is exactly the same thing they did before they got paid. Think of the guys who write the Star Trek franchise. You know they are Comic-Con going fanboys.

I think the real question going on here is whether transformative works are art or not. And are tribute bands transformative or purely imitative/derivative? I don't know if tribute artists think of themselves in the context of fan art or not but to me they seem pretty clearly related. They both come from the same place, wanting to extend the work beyond its original context.
 
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