With Summer upon us, music will be all around. People playing covers on restaurant patios on boats. Tribute bands have a crazy run in the summer too.   

The summer is always busy for sure for the ultimate fans looking for the ultimate experience. More than ever though, we see tribute bands year round in Maine in Portland and all over. They aren't "them", but they try hard to give everyone a bit of a thrill and a good time.

For the couple of you unaware - tribute bands are bands that focus on one specific artist and sometimes dress the part; unlike cover bands who usually stay in street clothes play a mix of music from other people. Tribute bands usually want to give you a bit more of the experience focusing on the band's looks or stage antics. More times than not you'll have a singer who sounds just like the real lead singer of the real band. That's always a bonus. Or you have the guitarist who looks and/or plays just like the real guy. It's fun, it's a hoot and can be a crazy money train for some of the bigger acts who perform in theaters, halls and even arenas. That stuff kinda weirds me out though. Sometimes these bands don't realize the difference between reality and show. Who they are, what is theirs and not theirs. I always felt when the money got super big with tribute acts, the fun kind of runs out. Not to mention, the actual band or someone closer to the band should be making some of that money. It's their racket!!

Anyways, here's some acts from all over doing your favorite bands right, overdoing it and maybe shouldn't be doing it.

FAN HALEN as Van Halen (also nice insight into things too)

MISSTALLICA as Metallica (Yeah, I know there's a 5th member, but you gotta give them immediate props for doing "Whiplash" and killing it!)

MUSEST as Muse (Damn nice camera work!)

TOKYO RAMONES as the Ramones (Eh, not so great. Also it seems Johnny is Joey too or the band is just too cheap to hire a 4th member!)

GEMINIS as the Bee Gees (Check the lead guy as Barry Gibb, DAMN, nice vocals)

DAVID BRIGHTON as David Bowie (wow, someone only has one job it would seem)

ATOMIC PUNKS as Van Halen (Look familiar? It's most of Steel Panther, before they were Steel Panther. I heard from many people these guys owned the Sunset Strip with their 80's cover work too. They would sell out basically every show, like all the time)

NERVANA as Nirvana (i mean good for them, but I hope those people support local bands too. Damn that's a crazy s-load of people out there for a tribute band)

GUERRILLA as Rage Against The Machine (wow, these cats are from Slovakia?!! )

RUMORS as Fleetwood Mac (pretty cool look alikes huh? Not a bad Stevie voice too)

ZZ TOPS FINALE as ZZ Top (Beards, a big banner and they're UK based too. Cool)

 

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