If you have a musical hero to which you can claim a passing resemblance, and have an okay voice, you could earn yourself quite a good living as a member of a tribute band. So there won't be the star studded events and the sell out arena tours, but you are getting to play at being your favourite singer and making a bit of money out of it!
Tribute bands and singers are nothing new, but they have increased greatly in popularity. The key thing is to not to take them too seriously. If you have a favourite band who never tour in your country and you just want to enjoy hearing their music played live, then a night out at your local theatre watching a tribute band can prove to be a great night out.
There are by far the greatest amount of tribute singers and bands for those who, for whatever reason, or no longer with us. You don't need me to tell who the most copied superstar is worldwide, yep, Elvis. Unfortunately, for every decent tribute singer, there are 100 fat men in white suits who think they look like Elvis and, even worse, sing like him. There is a good living to be made as a tribute singer, go to any holiday resort around the Mediterranean and the boards outside the bar will proclaim that appearing tonight they have Elvis, Robbie Williams, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury and the list goes on. Not bad work if you can get, a summer in the sun, singing a few songs in the evenings to drunken British holidaymaker who, by the time you come on, aren't even sure who you're meant to be and don't care!
Tribute bands take things a lot more seriously, they have to be able to play musical instruments for a start. They also have to be able to play them well enough so that the die hard fans of the original band can appreciate the music without heckling and throwing various items at them. These acts tend to appear in local theatres or venues where there is enough room for all their equipment. The 3 foot square stage in a bar in Majorca may be big enough for Frank Sinatra, but you'd only get a quarter of the Beetles on there.
Tribute bands to the Beatles, Queen and Abba are in high demand. They put on a good show; everyone knows the words and a good time is had by all. They are finding a niche at evening wedding receptions and are guaranteed floor fillers. These bands go to great lengths to find lead singers, the musicians, let's be honest, can sit at the back in a wig, but the front man must really stand out. There is one Queen tribute act who spent a year finding their perfect Freddie Mercury, now that's dedication, and also shows how serious they were about being a tribute as opposed to a parody, which sadly many are.
If you are a tribute to the Beatles, Queen et al, you may make a better living than others as people who never got to see the real thing have a chance to experience their favourite group playing live. They will suspend reality fro a few hours and imagine they are witnessing the real thing. Groups of this standard regularly do sell out tours throughout medium sized venues and are living their dream; they get to dress up as their heroes and play their favourite music to appreciative audiences, that's a pretty good way to earn a living if you ask me!
So if, like me, you're too young to have had the opportunity to see your musical heroes live, get online and check out their tribute acts. The better ones all have websites and the review sites are a must. You may have been born too late to see John, Paul, George and Ringo, but Jim, Pete, Gerry and Roger will do their best to entertain you!
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