# Bands you can't believe are still performing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2007, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284 "2007-07-26T20:25:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/21 "2007-07-27T12:21:31Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] I saw a poster in a nearby town that advertised Iron Butterfly at their July Fourth celebration. Iron Fucking _Butterfly!_ [/QUOTE] That’s heavy, man. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/22 "2007-07-27T13:22:41Z")
I saw Mahogany Rush at the Texas Jam in '78. They were good. Their album, _Stange Universe_, is one of my old favorites. They were somewhat popular in the mid-late 70s, primarily as a touring act. They’re Canadian, so they might have been huge there at the time. But Frank Marino is a loon, and when he insisted they start calling themselves _Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush_, I went “meh” and haven’t kept up. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/23 "2007-07-27T13:22:45Z")
Paul Revere & The Raiders. I have a friend who’s a fan from way back and every time she tells me they’re touring, I have to go “Wha-??” ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/24 "2007-07-27T13:22:51Z")
[This event](http://www.livedaily.com/news/12282.html) looks like it was put together in order to generate this thread! > [@](#): > > The second-annual edition of '60s-rock revival Hippiefest looks set to roll in July with a lineup headed by The Turtles, Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals and The Zombies. > The traveling nostalgia festival will also feature iconic '60s and '70s acts such as Mitch Ryder, Mountain, Country Joe McDonald, Badfinger, Iron Butterfly, Denny Laine and Melanie. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/25 "2007-07-27T13:25:51Z")
Pretty much every band that had decent success keeps on going forever. Even if none of the original members are involved, they still rent the rights to the name and the songs to anybody who’ll take it out on the road and generate a little cash. Anyway, John Kay and Steppenwolf appear to still be a going concern; they’ve got plenty of tour dates coming up. Styx is still going, with Canadian singer Larry Gowan doing Dennis De Young’s keyboard and vocal numbers. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/26 "2007-07-27T13:39:16Z")
[QUOTE=ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness] Tommy James and the Shondells are playing a free concert on the beach this weekend. I didn’t know he was still alive, much less still playing gigs. That said, it’s free, it’s at the beach…I just may go. [/QUOTE] If you do, I hope you get some good hanky panky. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/27 "2007-07-27T13:39:19Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] We were all wondering the exact same thing. I heard (no cite) that Frank Marino claimed that when Jimi Hendrix died, his abilities were somehow absorbed by Frank Marino. Heh. [/QUOTE] He reaffirmed that claim in an interview with _Guitar Player_ magazine (I had a subscription) as recently as 2005 or so. I mean, that’s just some _Weekly World News_ shit right there. > [@Weird Al Yankovic](#): > > You can use your ESP to learn to play guitar… 😛 :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/28 "2007-07-27T13:42:57Z")
I don’t get the Mahogany Rush hate! I loved them 20 odd years ago, and while it’s a little harder now to sit through a whole Frank Marino solo, I still occasionally listen to them. I can’t believe they were in the Burgh an I missed them. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/29 "2007-07-27T13:49:22Z")
For some reason I often find myself wondering what Huey Lewis & The News are up to, and it seems like they’ve never stopped touring. Apparently Journey is still going strong, even after losing Steve Perry. Journey without Steve Perry? What is that like, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/30 "2007-07-27T13:55:56Z")
[QUOTE=Brain Wreck] Apparently Journey is still going strong, even after losing Steve Perry. Journey without Steve Perry? What is that like, exactly? [/QUOTE] For a while, they had replaced him with Steve Augeri, who sang exactly like him, had an extremely similar name, and even looked like him except for the curly hair. It was frankly a bit disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/31 "2007-07-27T14:36:56Z")
[QUOTE=Isosleepy] I don’t get the Mahogany Rush hate! I loved them 20 odd years ago, and while it’s a little harder now to sit through a whole Frank Marino solo, I still occasionally listen to them. **I can’t believe they were in the Burgh an I missed them**. [/QUOTE] (bolding mine) Soooo, you’re their fan, huh? Part of the “hate” is that they were playing at an inappropriate setting. Blues fans in Pittsburgh know the lineup for the festival the day it is released. Mahogany Rush is not a blues band. [QUOTE=blondebear] Les Paul is 92, still plays two shows a week, and they sell out every night. I don’t see any reason to stop performing if the artist and audience still have a connection. [/QUOTE] I agree with regard to age. I got the chance to hang out with **Pinetop Perkins** , a blues keyboard guy who is well into his 9th decade. He was awesome. He told me the story of how he wound up on keyboards after a jealous babe sliced up his arm and he could no longer play guitar. ---
**Author:** ![WreckingCrew](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wreckingcrew/32/4080_2.png) [@WreckingCrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WreckingCrew)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/32 "2007-07-27T14:55:42Z")
The local slot parlor just featured REO Speedwagon and K.C. and the Sunshine Band on consecutive nights. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/33 "2007-07-27T15:09:51Z")
I have seen the following live performances in the past few years: Huey Lewis & the News Go-Go’s Duran Duran (3 times) The Alarm The Fixx (2 times) Psychedelic Furs Village People Depeche Mode Of those, I know Duran Duran and Depeche Mode are still putting out new material on major labels. In fact, Duran Duran and Dave Gahan have new albums coming out soon. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/34 "2007-07-27T17:57:13Z")
[QUOTE=Lunar Saltlick] Styx is still going, with Canadian singer Larry Gowan doing Dennis De Young’s keyboard and vocal numbers. [/QUOTE] And he does a fantastic job too! Caught them opening for Def Leppard in Columbus a few weeks ago and was prepped to be bored. NOT! I don’t think I’ve enjoyed an opening act for Lepp since they had Ricky Warwick on tour with them. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/35 "2007-07-27T18:32:48Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] For a while, they had replaced him with Steve Augeri, who sang exactly like him, had an extremely similar name, and even looked like him except for the curly hair. It was frankly a bit disturbing. [/QUOTE] And a few months after they finished their tour with Def Leppard, they booted Jeff Scott Soto, who was Steve Augeri’s replacement, right out of the band. Neal Schon is a class-A douchebag, IMO. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/36 "2007-07-27T18:36:30Z")
[QUOTE=BaneSidhe] Neal Schon is a class-A douchebag, IMO. :mad: [/QUOTE] It makes you wonder, huh? When you see guys (Schon, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Yngwie, etc.) who have 20- or 30- year revolving door bands, you kind of have to figure they’re the asshole in all this. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/37 "2007-07-27T19:29:58Z")
This spring, in St. Louis, we ate at Blueberry Hill. The flyer said Chuck Berry plays there once a month. Along that same street, there’s a walk of fame sorta thing, with bronze plaques in the sidewalks. A whole bunch of very prominent people either were born in St. Louis or had the best part of their careers there. The very last plaque was for a guy who must be so famous, they didn’t even explain his career. _Louis Water Meter._ I had never heard of him. Maybe he founded the funk band _The Meters_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/38 "2007-07-27T19:37:15Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] The very last plaque was for a guy who must be so famous, they didn’t even explain his career. _Louis Water Meter._ I had never heard of him. [/QUOTE] You’re kidding, right? Practically every home in America uses a device named after him! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/39 "2007-07-27T19:39:00Z")
He was the guy that invented the loo? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/40 "2007-07-27T19:41:45Z")
Vanilla Fudge. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284.md?page=3)