# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/41 "2007-07-27T20:20:34Z")
I saw April Wine perform at a local bar about a year ago. The drummer had to suck oxygen halfway through his solo. :eek: :eek: :eek: ---
**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, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/42 "2007-07-27T20:23:04Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] 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. [/QUOTE] RJD scares the poop out of me. Not just because he and my fave Leppard, Vivian Campbell, hate each other on sight, but because he’s older than dirt AND WILL NOT GO AWAY!! Yes, he might be great to his fans but to the people he works with? I think not. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/43 "2007-07-27T20:24:44Z")
Tommy James and the Shondells. Probably not a single member of the original band left except for Tommy James, but they’re still touring and releasing albums. Absolutely baffling. Strawberry Alarm Clock. Still touring, not sure (and don’t care) if they’re still releasing recorded material. Two of the most mediocre bands that ever existed, who should have faded into much-deserved oblivion after their few pathetic little top 40 hits faded away, and they’re still around. There’s just no justice in this world … (Probably should mention these are 60s bands, but that would let the young 'uns know just how much of an old fart I really am … ) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/44 "2007-07-27T20:58:56Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] I saw a poster in a nearby town that advertised Iron Butterfly at their July Fourth celebration. Iron Fucking _Butterfly!_ [/QUOTE] God bless 'em, but without Doug Ingle (their original lead singer, organist, and main songwriter) it isn’t really Iron Butterfly as far as I’m concerned. [QUOTE=LonesomePolecat] Two of the most mediocre bands that ever existed, who should have faded into much-deserved oblivion after their few pathetic little top 40 hits faded away, and they’re still around. [/QUOTE] Tommy James & the Shondells had more than a “few” Top 40 hits (14 to be exact, plus three more credited to Tommy James alone), and had a lot more going on than their bubblegum image would suggest. The _Cellophane Symphony_ album in particular had some extraordinarily creative and experimental cuts, specifically the title track (an extended piece of avant-garde weirdness as freaky as anything by the '70s Krautrock bands) and the proto-prog “Changes”–what other rock band was doing songs with Moog synthesizer solos in 5/4 time in _1969?_ ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/45 "2007-07-27T21:02:19Z")
Peter, Paul & Mary. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/46 "2007-07-27T23:36:49Z")
[QUOTE=Captain\_C] I gotta defend Great White here. Second best band I’ve ever seen live (Best was Deep Purple about 2 years ago). [/QUOTE] So, who ya gonna see for your third concert? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/47 "2007-07-28T03:04:30Z")
I’ve heard on my local classic rock station ads for a summer-of-love nostalgia concert that includes Big Brother and the Holding Company. Yep, that’s right. Considering even the most obsessive 60’s collector knows no one in the band besides the late Janis Joplin, and her voice and image totally dominated the band, what’s even the point? True the guys calling themselves the “20th Century Doors” are just as delusional, but at least the other guys in the band have modest name recognition. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/48 "2007-07-28T03:24:09Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] So, who ya gonna see for your third concert? 😃 [/QUOTE] Tenacious D was good… ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/49 "2007-07-28T03:29:05Z")
[QUOTE=installLSC] I’ve heard on my local classic rock station ads for a summer-of-love nostalgia concert that includes Big Brother and the Holding Company. Yep, that’s right. Considering even the most obsessive 60’s collector knows no one in the band besides the late Janis Joplin, and her voice and image totally dominated the band, what’s even the point? True the guys calling themselves the “20th Century Doors” are just as delusional, but at least the other guys in the band have modest name recognition. [/QUOTE] Actually they’re the Riders on the Storm now–I think John Densmore stopped them from using the Doors name. As for Big Brother, at least the first album they made after Janis split, _Be a Brother_, was pretty decent. (Janis even made a guest shot on it.) They get points for bringing Nick Gravenites in on vocals, instead of doing the obvious and hiring another belting chick singer. (That would come later.) ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/50 "2007-07-28T04:12:51Z")
Here in LA, any music act you ever heard of is most likely performing somewhere around here within the next year, even if all the original members are dead (I believe that may even include solo acts). **Gladys Knight** is playin the Hollywood Bowl as I type this. **The Cult** and **Squeeze** will both be playing The Grove at Anaheim in the next couple of weeks. **Lynyrd Skynyrd** is playing the Greek Theater right now, the venue where we went to see **Earth, Wind and Fire**. Tomorrow they have **Bob Weir and Ratdog**. Next month they will feature the aforementioned **Squeeze** , **Zapp** , the **Beastie Boys** , **UB40** and **Crowded House**. **Steve Miller** will be playing there in October, right around the time my wife and I have tickets to see **The Pet Shop Boys** at the Hollywood Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/51 "2007-07-28T04:36:25Z")
[QUOTE=installLSC] I’ve heard on my local classic rock station ads for a summer-of-love nostalgia concert that includes Big Brother and the Holding Company. Yep, that’s right. Considering even the most obsessive 60’s collector knows no one in the band besides the late Janis Joplin, and her voice and image totally dominated the band, what’s even the point? True the guys calling themselves the “20th Century Doors” are just as delusional, but at least the other guys in the band have modest name recognition. [/QUOTE] That was the show I saw with America and Chicago. Like America, Big Brother and the Holding Company wasn’t very good at all. I didn’t enjoy them, I endured them. When Chicago finally came on stage, the difference was like night and day. Chicago can still rock. I might add that all the bands on that show had at least one guy who was way too young to have remembered the Summer of Love. I’m 31, and some of those guys looked younger than I am. (In case you’re wondering why I went in the first place, it was because my girlfriend’s father got free tickets.) They had some young chick who sang a lot of the vocals, including filling in for Janis Joplin. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/52 "2007-07-28T04:46:28Z")
I suppose it’s my turn to be the guy who asks, “When their job title is ‘professional musician’, what do you expect them to be doing?” ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/53 "2007-07-28T05:14:01Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] Jerry Lee Lewis is still touring. I saw him up here about 10 years ago and back then I remember thinking, “He’s still alive?” [/QUOTE] He released a new album a little while back called “Last Man Standing”. It’s pretty good - covers with some very famous folks, it sounds like a lot of musicians getting together and just having tons of fun. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/54 "2007-07-28T06:35:49Z")
I found [a site](http://www.casenet.com/music/clubsall.htm) listing all sorts of local venues for this summer (some dates have passed), and found: Leon Russell Ian Hunter Angry Samoans Steve Winwood L.A. Guns Pat Benetar W.A.S.P. Stephen Stills Rusted Root Dickie Betts and Great Southern Boz Scaggs Ten Years After The Bangles KC and the Sunshine Band Dramarama Asia Air Supply New Model Army The Plimsouls and The Average White Band ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/55 "2007-07-28T08:09:07Z")
Most of these bands that are still touring are generally playing to 500 to 2000 seat venues. They’re basically on the nightclub circuit. How many of these old bands can still pack stadiums? Here’s a few: Lyrnyrd Skynyrd The Who The Rolling Stones U2 The Police Elton John Rod Stewart Aerosmith Who else? ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/56 "2007-07-28T08:24:53Z")
There are multiple Jefferson Airplane/Starship splinter groups out there. Grace Slick isn’t in any of them. There are only two original members of Lynyrd Skynyrd left in the band. They weren’t supposed to be allowed to use the name if they got down to less than half of the original lineup–a good rule, if you ask me–but somehow they worked it out. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/57 "2007-07-28T14:09:47Z")
[QUOTE=DoctorJ] There are multiple Jefferson Airplane/Starship splinter groups out there. Grace Slick isn’t in any of them. … [/QUOTE] I saw an interview with Grace Slick a few years back (might have been a Behind the Music or an E True Hollywood Story), where she was asked why that was. She replied, “I do not like old people on a rock ‘n’ roll stage, and that includes myself.” ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/58 "2007-07-28T14:39:04Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] Most of these bands that are still touring are generally playing to 500 to 2000 seat venues. They’re basically on the nightclub circuit. How many of these old bands can still pack stadiums? Here’s a few: Lyrnyrd Skynyrd Who else? [/QUOTE] Are you sure? I checked out the website a previous poster linked to, and it was a lot of casino’s a county fairs. Sheesh, man, doesn’t anyone remember half the original band including the singer went down in a plane 30 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/59 "2007-07-28T16:37:43Z")
[QUOTE=Poysyn] I saw April Wine perform at a local bar about a year ago. The drummer had to suck oxygen halfway through his solo. [/QUOTE] That brings back memories–April Wine was the first “rock concert” I ever went to, in about Grade 10 or so. (I’m 42 now.) They played at the Castlegar arena. They were past their prime then! (But, hey, it was a real rock concert! In my small town! We had to go!) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284/60 "2007-07-28T17:26:56Z")
[QUOTE=China Guy] Are you sure? I checked out the website a previous poster linked to, and it was a lot of casino’s a county fairs. Sheesh, man, doesn’t anyone remember half the original band including the singer went down in a plane 30 years ago? [/QUOTE] You must be looking at that list pretty selectively. Here are some of the venues they are playing: AT&T Center VBCC Arena St. Petersberg Times Forum Innsbrook Pavilion First Mariner Arena RBC Center New Orleans Arena Philips Arena Shoreline Ampitheater Hard Rock Casino FNC Bank Arts Center To get an idea of the kind of crowd they are running with, I took the first venue on the list, AT&T center in San Antonio, and looked up other acts performing there. Coming up in the same location are The Rolling Stones, Beyonce’, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, and Cirque du Soleil. On the first part of their tour, .38 special is opening for them. Skynyrd still has a HUGE following. Sure, they play a lot of southern fairs, but that’s because that’s their ‘home base’. They’re written songs about playing fairs. Their rural southern boys, and playing county fairs is what they do. But do you know how many people see them at those gigs? I’ve got a DVD of one of their recent outdoor concerts, and there has to be 20,000 people or more in the audience. They’re not just a novelty act, either. They put out an album of fairly critically acclaimed material in 2003 (Allmusic gave it 4 stars), and they released 7 albums of new material in the 1990’s. And it’s mostly the surviving members of the original band - Gary Rossington, Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, and Ronny Van Zandt’s brother Johnny, who looks and sounds very similar to Ronnie. Plus they picked up the drummer from Damn Yankees. These guys are pretty much all legends of Southern Rock, and they’re probably still the biggest Southern Rock band around. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-you-cant-believe-are-still-performing/413284.md?page=4)