By Ken Lass
I noticed where the Trussville Entertainment District recently featured a band called the “Music City Stones,” a tribute band for the Rolling Stones. Among the other attractions on the schedule for October is a group named “End of the Line.” It is being promoted as a tribute to the Allman Brothers.
Ken Lass, Tribune columnist
Tribute bands (they used to be called cover bands) are all the rage now. You can find multiple versions of these impersonators touring stages throughout the country. There are tribute bands for Journey, Abba, the Bee Gees, the Grateful Dead, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison, Cher, and Tom Jones. There’s even a tribute band for Engelbert Humperdinck, which must be a very short show because, for the life of me, I can’t think of more than one or two Engelbert Humperdinck songs. In addition, the boy band One Direction has a tribute band called “Only One Direction.”
This does not even take into account the two acts that are, by far, the most imitated, those being Elvis and the Beatles. There is a website that actually ranks the top fifteen Beatles tribute bands. I’ve seen two of them. The band ranked number one was Rain. I saw them last year at the Birmingham Concert Hall. They sounded very much like the real deal, and their concert is intermixed with videos from the careers of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The other one was called Liverpool Legends. I saw them at the Lyric Theater in Birmingham. Of course, they dress in the iconic outfits of the Fab Four, and when they talk to the audience, they speak in British accents, even though they are from places like Los Angeles or The Bronx. There are certain mandatory requirements for every Beatles tribute band. The bass guitarist must play left-handed like Paul; the rhythm guitarist must wear the Ben Franklin glasses like John; the drummer must have the long nose, a la Ringo.
It’s certainly understandable why tribute bands are so popular. Their fans love the music, especially when it is performed live, but the real artists have either grown too old to tour or have passed away. So a cover band is the next best thing. I get that. But sometimes, the perspective seems to get a bit out of whack. I remember when the Liverpool Legends had finished their performance, they announced that they would be available in the lobby for autographs afterward. I actually thought they were joking. Sort of poking fun at themselves so that the audience would know they weren’t taking themselves too seriously.
They weren’t joking. There were tables set up across the lobby, and the impersonators were parked behind them, Sharpies and a stack of photos in hand. Even more startling to me, a large crowd was lined up in a zig-zagging queue, eagerly awaiting their chance to meet the “celebrities.” This both surprised and puzzled me. I can appreciate why anyone with a taste for Beatles music would thoroughly enjoy a tribute band concert, but why would you want their autograph? What would be the value? Do you show it to your friends and say, “Look! I have an autograph from somebody pretending to be Paul McCartney”?
My puzzlement got even more pronounced as I walked past the tables and got a better look at these guys. At close range, they don’t look as much like their celebrities as you thought. No doubt, they are best observed from a distance.
I do enjoy some of the names these tribute bands come up with. One of the Beatles cover bands calls itself “The Fab Faux.” I’d pay to see them just for that.
Anyway, the next time a tribute band comes to Trussville, by all means, go see them and enjoy the music and the memories they retrieve. But I don’t recommend standing in line for autographs after the show. Try to keep telling yourself it’s not really Elton John or Mick Jagger signing those pictures. It’s probably some guy named Ralph from Jersey City.
Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham TV news and sports anchor and Trussville resident.
