OT: When does a long term Musical Act become essentially a "cover band"?

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Radiohead seems to be one of the most polarizing bands of their generation, there is literally almost no middle ground.

I seem to be a rare exception, I enjoy them but don’t think they’re a HOF type group. Most others that I’ve ever heard absolutely either love or hate them.

Me too. I think OK Computer was fantastic and other assorted works good, but I am not lady gaga about them nor obviously do I not like them. But I remember on some camping trip one time with a bunch of people when I commandeered the music and played it, I had one friend go 'what he hell is this crap?"

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I like Radiohead and was at the concert-

But plenty of their songs literally put me to sleep while standing.

They are fantastic when actually being most like a rock band.
90% of the techno stuff, you can keep

 

[Ambst95]

I'm a Pearl Jam fan and have attended 8 shows over the years. One thing that makes their shows unique compared to some of their contemporaries is that they don't have a cookie cutter template for the show and they play for 2.5 hrs. Because they play a different set list each night, I think the shows have a lot more life and the band stays much more engaged. They aren't afraid to mess up on stage trying something they hadn't done in forever. Combining that with a fairly large catalog of originals and covers, it helps them to maybe buck the trend a bit as a live act.

Just to give you an idea to the repetition factor, I thought I'd share my PJStatTracker app stats.

I've attended 8 shows. (2003 - 1x, 2008 - 1x, 2009 - 1x, 2013 - 2x, 2016 - 3x) In those 8 shows they've played a total of 260 songs for roughly 32.5 songs a show. Of the 260 songs I've seen performed, here is the frequency of the songs.

0 songs - 8x
5 songs - 7x
2 songs - 6x
5 songs - 5x
7 songs - 4x
11 songs - 3x
26 songs - 2x
75 songs - 1x

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I'm a Pearl Jam fan and have attended 8 shows over the years. One thing that makes their shows unique compared to some of their contemporaries is that they don't have a cookie cutter template for the show and they play for 2.5 hrs. Because they play a different set list each night, I think the shows have a lot more life and the band stays much more engaged. They aren't afraid to mess up on stage trying something they hadn't done in forever. Combining that with a fairly large catalog of originals and covers, it helps them to maybe buck the trend a bit as a live act.

Just to give you an idea to the repetition factor, I thought I'd share my PJStatTracker app stats.

I've attended 8 shows. (2003 - 1x, 2008 - 1x, 2009 - 1x, 2013 - 2x, 2016 - 3x) In those 8 shows they've played a total of 260 songs for roughly 32.5 songs a show. Of the 260 songs I've seen performed, here is the frequency of the songs.

0 songs - 8x
5 songs - 7x
2 songs - 6x
5 songs - 5x
7 songs - 4x
11 songs - 3x
26 songs - 2x
75 songs - 1x

Yes, they are one of my all time favorites, first saw them in 1992. Always a great show, definitely a band that is much, much better live then in the studio.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

That’s what quality art is all about, IMO. It forces you to have a prospective.

As I said, I don’t look at it as an objective thing. I think music, like all art, is entirely subjective. I couldn’t care less if everyone loves Radiohead or if nobody else likes them. I’m not recruiting anyone.

I just feel fortunate that I have benefited tremendously from their music and from my perspective they are the greatest band of my generation – and not by just a little bit. I think they are are miles and miles ahead of everyone else.

For me, it is a lot like hockey. I love it and talk and read about it all the time. I just find it endlessly interesting. However, I also know a lot of big sports fans who cannot stand it or who don’t get its appeal at all and I’m perfectly fine with that dynamic as well.

 

[pitt-girl]

Not a country music fan, but we were invited to an event at the Rascal Flatts concert on Friday night. I was shocked that in the middle of their concert they truly became a cover band, starting with "Don't Start Believing" followed by a couple of other covers. Head scratcher for me since they have been around a very long time and have plenty of their own music. I mean Journey? Yikes.

 

[Dointhatrag]

That’s why I think a group like the greatful dead was unique. They were around for 30 years but still came out with new music and never played the same songs or show twice in their career. Always played a large repertoire of songs and not just theirs “singles”. A lot of jamming and so their concerts never got stale playing the same 4 minute song as it was recorded 20 years ago on the record. You may not like their music but it made their shows original and why they developed such a large following that didn’t go to one show a year to hear their hits.

 

[PittPanther44]

There are some old bands that I would probably just as easily see a cover band playing their songs. So to the OP’s point, the actual band doesn’t add any additional entertainment value to it ....they are basically providing the same value as a cover band.

The songs in a lot of cases take me back, more so than the band. So if I go to a bar and see (say) a good 90’s cover band, I can hear a lot of great old songs for $5, 10min from home — as opposed to getting to a concert

Obviously, the above is not all encompassing. I’m sure there are older bands that are still great live (example Pearl Jam), or they are famous enough that you need to see the actual band members.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Again, my main point is not playing someone else's songs, or not even a group just mailing it in, it is we, the people, after a 20 year career, do people really care about their new songs.

If the Stones come out with a new album, and go on tour, what percentage of the people who go to those concerts want to hear that new material vs Satisfaction or Sympathy of the Devil? U2 is touring now supporting a new album, how many people want to hear those songs vs Sunday Bloody Sunday or Streets Have No Name? Pearl Jam has a new album, but again, they do a great job with some covers on their own, but people want to hear Alive or Jeremy, etc...those are the songs that get the most reaction when played.

Maybe my term of "cover" is confusing. "Nostalgic" is what I am really going for. If Steve Perry got back together with Journey (hmmmm) and they put out a new album, I am sure it would do okay, but people my age don't buy much music anymore. If they go on tour, you know "Don't Stop Believing", "Faithfully", etc... those are going to be the crowd favorites.

And this is back to my point. You are an artist, and music is so emotional, unlike a writer or a painter, while it is in your DNA to create new works, likely the longer your body of work, the less people will positively react to that new work. And that must be frustrating.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

You may not like their music but it made their shows original and why they developed such a large following that didn’t go to one show a year to hear their hits.

I thought the reason they developed such a large following was the drugs. Lots and lots of them, in fact.