Illegal Eagles
Went to see Eagles tribute band The Illegal Eagles with the In-Laws last night (father-in-law's choice, and they were paying so...) and they were pretty good. Several thoughts as the evening progressed.
1) I don't know whether tribute bands generally try and look like the band they're doing but this lot didn't look remotely like the Eagles. Instead we had:-
Lead singer / guitarist who has Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme's hair.
Bass player - a cross between a pre-headband Mark Knopfler & Charlton manager Alan Pardew
Guitar / keyboards - Steven Gerrard in about 20 years
Drums - David Blunkett
Lead guitar / double necked 'Hotel California' guitar - Richard Stilgoe with Lieutenant Dan's haircut.
2) "Y'all got the new album ? Pretty good huh ?" (obviously hasn't read the Word review or correspondence about it - suspect the band probably got it thinking "man I hope this doesn't suck")
"Anybody been to see 'em on tour ? We''d like to but we can't afford it !" (Ho ho)
"Anyway we're gonna play a song off the new album..." (really wanted to shout 'do some old' but decided against it.)
3) Who would buy tribute band merchandise ? They plugged their double CD 'available in the foyer' - why buy that when you've probably got all the Eagles you could want at home, done by the actual band. And they're filming a live DVD on this tour. The mind boggles...
4) Didn't suffer from any of the concert going problems I've been reading about - there were no mobile phones being held aloft and everyone seemed to be there to listen to the band playing these songs we know and love, rather than get hammered or try and film it or chat all the way through. I wonder what the audience at the proper Eagles concerts were like in comparison.
- More from Simon Hoyle.
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If I had to see a tribute band of any description
it wouldnt be one of the Eagles. Glad you didnt have to pay!!
I've only seen one so far...
... a Rush tribute band called "Tom Sawyer" who were VERY good, despite;
a) Playing to an audience of 34 in a venue with a capacity of 300
b) Looking nothing like the band
They were note perfect, very talented guys. I spotted one of them in the crowd when I went to see the real thing last year, obviously copping notes for the new tunes.
I did toy with the idea of going to see "The Musical Box" who are a 70's era Genesis tribute, but with tickets at £39.50 PLUS booking fee, I don't think so...
Rarely been disappointed
I haven't seen too many tribute bands but I have rarely been disappointed - Counterfeit Stones, Re-Genesis, The Beautiful Southmartins, Bootleg Beatles, Bjorn Again. All excellent.
Bjorn Again....
....are fab! Saw them at the Pick'n'mix smorgasbord that is Guildford some years back, expecting to hate em, not least as I am no fan of the original. Against all expectation they were a hoot, doing also other numbers in the style. I even caught myself singing along, necessitating stern words.
Have only otherwise seen a very dodgy Free covers band upstairs in a Kings Heath pub, another Brum reference.
The Dylan Project don't really count, do they, being professionals in their own right, away from that? (Steve Gibbons, bits of Fairport, the excellent P.J. Wright of the seemingly resting Little Johnny England and, occasionally Rabbit Bundrick
Sinnerboy
Rory Gallagher tribute band. Apparently endorsed by the Gallagher family as well.
Very much in the 'tribute' mode rather than the 'copycat' mode.
I did buy their album from their website - Down and Out in Hammersmith - and very good it is too.
Beatles LIVE! Stones LIVE! Tickets still available.
A few years ago, I had the strange pleasure of seeing the (Bootleg) Beatles and the (Counterfeit) Stones on consecutive nights in a virtually empty field at the now-defunct Middlesex Show in Uxbridge.
The show had been offered the real Beatles in the mid 60s for about twenty quid, but had refused them, so they were perhaps trying to make amends.
Unfortunately they'd barely publicised the event, so my brother and I had the surreal experience of watching the Beatles and the Stones with a few scattered people in deckchairs.
Bootleg John Lennon's calls to the crowd were met with responses only from my brother and me, gamely trying to conjure up Beatlemania between the two of us. "Obviously we're not very big in Uxbridge", replied Bootleg John, acerbic Scouse accent present and correct.