What do you think about tribute acts? In some cases the original acts are not around any more, but then you have bands like the Rolling Stones who are effectively a tribute to themselves. I have seen a few doing Abba, David Bowie and others. They generally put on a good show and some put in a lot of effort to recreating the look and sound of the act. I see some of them touring the UK in some pretty big venues. There is a general demand for nostalgia with music fans of the 60s onward having money to spend on gigs and merchandise. Some bands have cashed in by recreating their own albums in full. I even saw Bowie do with with his Low album when he did the Meltdown festival. In some cases the crowd don't really want to hear new music by the band. They just want the old hits.
I reckon you can now experience music from just about every era in history somewhere out there. Pop and rock music is relatively new, but still has a rich history. I play plenty of cover versions, but I will do them in my own style as I generally won't be able to match the original. Being in a tribute act might be restrictive as you can't express yourself as much, but I expect it's a lucrative gig for some of them.
When we saw a Bowie tribute last year my wife got annoyed by the singer trying to imitate him. She didn't mind the singing, but she finds it hard to watch someone acting out his moves now.
This was spurred by hearing some tracks by The Security Project on Critic's Carnival. This band play songs by Peter Gabriel and their singer manages to match Peter's distinctive voice so that at times it's uncanny. Some of the band actually played with Peter, so I guess they can claim to be more authentic than others. They also have a female singer who can replicate Kate Bush pretty well.
I just love to experience good live music. I want it to be done with passion and conviction. I missed a lot of great acts and a tribute may be the only way to get close to the experience. But I'll also seek out new music and bands.
