Foreigner, Little River Band, Foghat, and other Great Cover Bands
My buddy Aaron is a big classic rock guy, and he and I have long discussed the idea of bands being brands that should theoretically go on forever. Steve Howe is the only guy left in Yes? So what! Keep playing, and in ten years, twenty years, and beyond, the Yes name can continue to put on good shows long after Howe is gone. After all, we can still hear Beethoven’s Fifth performed – why shouldn’t we continue to hear “Close to the Edge”?
I’ve never been as comfortable with this logic, and even Aaron is hitting his limit. He said to me this morning, “We cheer for people who have meant something to us along the way. When I see these bands, I don’t even know who I’m cheering for anymore.”
It’s a legitimate point. For example, Foreigner is on their farewell tour, and there are literally no foreigners left in Foreigner! Not a one. It’s a cover band. Now, there’s nothing wrong with being in a cover band – I’ve been in several over the years – and there’s nothing wrong with paying to see a cover band of music you enjoy, but there is something wrong with Foreigner advertising itself as Foreigner. They should call themselves “The Official Foreigner Tribute Band” or something similar – musicians who are performing under the Foreigner banner as sanctioned by Mick Jones, or whomever owns the band name.
When “Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas” is advertised, you know what you’re getting: you’re getting Mickey Thomas and a bunch of good musicians backing him up. You’re not expecting to see Grace Slick and Marty Balin.
By contrast, should Little River Band be advertising itself as Little River Band? If so, by what logic? There’s not one member in this band from their heyday. As my friend said, “Who am I cheering for?” Or Foghat – the only guy left is drummer Roger Earl, not exactly the guy people came to see when Foghat was selling out concert venues in the 70s. If they want to call themselves “Foghat Featuring Roger Earl” or something along those lines, that’s good by me.
If you’re willing to shell out $60 for a really good cover band, there’s no harm in that, but you should know that you’re shelling out cash for a cover band and not be duped into thinking that there’s anything authentic about the product. There will of course come the day when all of the original people associated with all of the bands from the 70s and 80s are long gone, by which point it will be obvious what we’re getting, but even then, I would like things to be labeled properly. Then again, the Count Basie Orchestra continues to play four decades after Count Basie’s death, and I don’t think anyone attending those shows feels shortchanged, so what do I know?
For me personally, it’s hard to get excited about listening to music that none of the performers on stage had anything to do with. But the alternative is to have the music die over time, and that’s not such an enviable ending. It’s a tricky balance. I do hope that in a hundred years someone can see “Close to the Edge” performed live; I just hope it’s not advertised as Yes.