So, a friend invites us to take in dinner and a show where she works – the House of Blues in Atlantic City last night. The band was a Springsteen tribute band, and they were quite good. They sounded dead-on, and if I wasn’t told they were a tribute band, it would’ve taken me awhile to realize that wasn’t the Boss on stage. He looked just like Springsteen, had the moves down pat, spoke and sang just like him. Which got me thinking…
What comes first? Does someone think “Hey, I’m a huge Springsteen fan…I’m going to do everything I can to look and act just like him, and start a tribute band”? Or is it a matter of someone realizing they look exactly like Springsteen, and figuring “Well, tribute bands can make some good bucks…I may as well learn to sing and play guitar”?
I’m sure it’s the first option. Learning all the songs and moves is just too much work if you don’t love what you’re doing; there can’t be that much money in the tribute band scene.
The phenomenon of fans who look like members of the band they love has been on my mind lately. I’ve seen my share of Allman Brothers Band shows, and at those shows and pre-show parties, I’ve seen quite a number of fans who could be impersonators. A lot of the guys have beards and long hair in a braided ponytail a la Gregg Allman; many have mustaches and cultivate the cowboy look, as Dickey Betts did (although there aren’t as many of them as there once were); some have the same shoulder-length hair as Warren Haynes, and I met one guy who is almost a dead ringer for Derek Trucks (tallish, young, blond hair in a tight ponytail).
The Dark Star Orchestra is one of the better-known Grateful Dead tribute bands. I’m told one of their members looks a lot like Jerry Garcia. Alas, it’s the bassist.
Actually, I think I found the answer, at least in this particular case. According to the band’s web site, “Matt looked so much like Bruce in high school he earned the nickname ‘The Boss’ even before he ever owned a Springsteen record.”