The Perfect Gig

I've been lacking solid ideas for things to write about (I'm sure your sick of hearing that) so I decided to look for ideas by looking on some music forums and the first topic I clicked on brought me to what I think is a pretty interesting topic. Are cover bands pathetic, and if so, are the people who are in them even more pathetic? This is what one person on the forum had to say about the topic:

I find cover bands sad and pathetic, really. I mean, as long as it's just for fun for a little while, it's ok. But when they try to make a carreer out of it, I find it becomes sad. Think about spending all your time pretending your'e someone else, dressing like someone else, acting like someone else, playing someone elses songs....And if they can pull of playing the songs, they probably have basic musical knowledge, so there is no reason for them not to write their own songs.

When I read this I was rather shocked, what exactly is wrong with a cover band and on top of that, what is wrong with people re-creating the beauty these bands once made? To combat what this person said I am going to pick apart his argument.

I am going to skip right to the end of his argument which says "they probably have basic musical knowledge, so there is no reason for them not to write their own songs." Not everyone was granted with an artistic and creative mind, because from my experience writing songs is much harder than one probably thinks, and what is even harder is writing a good song. I'll often write dumb songs which are just poking fun at people and those aren't even easy to come up with.

So why not make a career out of being a cover band? As long as there is a market for it people will come to see it. What is even better about making a career out of it is that these people are playing the music they love, working in a career in something which you love is something most of America does not know. Most Americans have jobs which they feel disconnected from and work just to pay the bills. These cover bands are playing the music they love and getting paid for it, WHAT A JOB!

Now about dressing up and trying to look like the band, that is just a part of the experience. People go to see these shows to get the feeling like they are seeing the band they love, no reason to cut them short with just music, they might as well go the extra mile and dress like them. I know when I've seen cover bands, the people watching the show get really into them and that has to be such a thrill for the band. Most cover bands I've seen look nothing like the members they are trying to be but I give them credit for trying and of course there have been some cover bands that truly did look like their respective band, for example the cover band Who's Next had a singer which looked exactly like the Daltrey of old with the long flowing hair. It was great to watch them especially with a Daltrey look alike on vocals.

Cover bands are about the fun and entertainment and I highly doubt they dedicate every part of their life to trying to be the people they are on stage and therefore are far from being pathetic. Moreover, I envy successful cover bands because I know I would love to be on stage playing my favorite Floyd albums or recreating Townshend's famous windmill, and not only doing this but getting paid and having rooms full of people cheering you on. I have a feeling most people will agree with the fact that there is nothing wrong with cover bands and the more power to them! A matter of fact I will be going to see The Machine (Pink Floyd) in a few weeks if everything goes according to plan.