Can a band go on with zero original musicians?

[FTX I]

I don't go to concerts anymore but I'd need at least one of the founding members to be the same band. How about you?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/a...-reunions.html

[bobernet]

Apparently Foreigner can. We saw them with Whitesnake last Fall.

Edited to add: sports teams do this?

[Widows Son]

A big no!!!!!! I grew up in the 70's going to concerts like Boston, Foreigner, and Styx. When I see them on TV now with non original band members, it's more than sad.

[crew]

Originally Posted by bobernet

Apparently Foreigner can. We saw them with Whitesnake last Fall.

Edited to add: sports teams do this?

The most well known lead singer of Foreigner, and the man singularly responsible for the Foreigner sound, Lou Gramm, lives in my town. He is seen regularly living a nice retired life after battling brain cancer for several years. He and Mick Jones had a difficult relationship and collaboration. Mick is a very good song writer but Lou was the interpreter of how it was sung. Lou had a very distinctive sound, similar in its uniqueness to Steve Perry of Journey. If you see either band without these two guys you’re not seeing the real thing in my opinion.
Lou will still make an occasional appearance with Foreigner (he and Mick have reconciled to a degree) but apparently Steve Perry won’t sing again. I had hoped he would join the band for a song or two when Journey was inducted to the R&R Hall of Fame, but he declined. Too bad.

[Abdullah71601]

No. It’s just an authorized cover band at that point. IMO, the band dies when all its members are gone.

[THC]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

No. It’s just an authorized cover band at that point. IMO, the band dies when allnits members are gone.

Agree 100%

[piratfisk]

Well, if you have a wooden rowboat, and little by little over the years, it needs repairs, and you replace one piece of wood followed by another and another, until after so many years, you've replaced every piece of wood from the original. Is it still the same rowboat?

Yes, technically, it is still a rowboat, but I think it is not the same. I wouldn't wanna see a band play that didn't have at least half of the original members. I understand being in a band is a tumultuous experience/lifestyle & relationships deteriorate, but I'd feel like I was just seeing a cover band who happened to charge 2x as much...

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by piratfisk

Well, if you have a wooden rowboat, and little by little over the years, it needs repairs, and you replace one piece of wood followed by another and another, until after so many years, you've replaced every piece of wood from the original. Is it still the same rowboat?



Yes, technically, it is still a rowboat, but I think it is not the same. I wouldn't wanna see a band play that didn't have at least half of the original members. I understand being in a band is a tumultuous experience/lifestyle & relationships deteriorate, but I'd feel like I was just seeing a cover band who happened to charge 2x as much...

And the Captain’s name was Theseus ?

[Blansky]

Reminds me of some Motown bands floating around a few years ago. Had maybe one or none of the originals.

Time marches on and these guys are dying or retiring. In most cases except for exceptional musicians like Clapton, what people are clinging to is really the front man or lead singer to be there.

Personally I’m not really interested in reliving my youth by seeing bygone era bands anyway so it doesn’t really matter to me if Foreigner Part Deux or Queen Part Two are performing, although my wife would go see Aerosmith if they had to wheel them all in on wheelchairs.

[GoingPlaces]

No, something are best left in the past. Remember them strong.

[Art 1]

No.

[Cryten]

Not at all, but Queen and AC/DC are still going apparently (and they still have some of the original members). I wouldn't go and see either of them.

[AzPaul]

Originally Posted by Blansky

. . . . . Personally I’m not really interested in reliving my youth by seeing bygone era bands anyway so it doesn’t really matter to me if Foreigner Part Deux or Queen Part Two are performing . . . . .

Feel the same.

[kneedeep]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

No. It’s just an authorized cover band at that point. IMO, the band dies when all its members are gone.

Could not agree more. Bunch of new guys buying or licensing the original band's name does not make them that band. Misleading advertising unless you do your homework before buying tix if you want to hear the music.

[timedate]

i saw g n r a couple of years ago, after seeing them in '93

truth is they were not the original line up in '93 never mind in '17

[Andad]

I have Trigger’s broom.

[timedate]

Originally Posted by directioneng

I have Trigger’s broom.

i was going to mention that but i thought it wouldnt work on a mainly american forum, lol.

[Duey]

We saw Foreigner last year in Las Vegas and after the second song we realized it's merely a tribute band now. They sounded good but kind on a joke to call them Foreigner

... Did see Lover-boy last week and they were all original and sounded great !

[Watch This]

The Dead lost Jerry and as far as I am concerned it ended there.

[colpol]

Originally Posted by Cryten

Not at all, but Queen and AC/DC are still going apparently (and they still have some of the original members). I wouldn't go and see either of them.

Saw AC/DC on their last tour - last 45 mins all I did was look at my watch wishing it was over. Sometimes just better to remember them in their prime

[tie219]

Agree with most comments here. It's especially difficult when the original lead singer is replaced.

AC/DC is one of the few bands I can think of that did it successfully.

[FTX I]

Originally Posted by tie219

Agree with most comments here. It's especially difficult when the original lead singer is replaced.

AC/DC is one of the few bands I can think of that did it successfully.

+1 but there are many examples of successful changes. Bruce Dickinson replaced Paul Di'Anno, David Coverdale - Ian Gillan, Dio replaced Ozzy in 1979 and the list goes on. I may prefer the original lead singers in most cases but some substitutes were great too.

[Cryten]

Originally Posted by FTX I

+1 but there are many examples of successful changes. Bruce Dickinson replaced Paul Di'Anno, David Coverdale - Ian Gillan, Dio replaced Ozzy in 1979 and the list goes on. I may prefer the original lead singers in most cases but some substitutes were great too.

Bruce Dickinson made Iron Maiden, then he grew up and became a pilot. He's a many of many talents

[Cryten]

Originally Posted by colpol

Saw AC/DC on their last tour - last 45 mins all I did was look at my watch wishing it was over. Sometimes just better to remember them in their prime

I thought Axel Rose did a pretty good of their songs, but he's not Brian Johnson, and therefore not AC/DC. With out Brian they're just a cover band.

[FTX I]

Originally Posted by Cryten

Bruce Dickinson made Iron Maiden, then he grew up and became a pilot. He's a many of many talents

Agree. That is truly amazing and from what I've always read the band is very professional.

[dba]

I have tickets to see Queen this July. Although no one can replace Freddie Mercury, Adam Lambert does a pretty good job. Different voice obviously but very a powerful one and he's just as flamboyant as Freddie!

[GradyPhilpott]

I don't think that there are any original members in the United States Marine Band.

https://www.marineband.marines.mil/About/

[enjoythemusic]

Welcome to the music BUSINESS. Looks like BUSINESS as usual.

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
― Hunter S. Thompson

[77T]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Welcome to the music BUSINESS. Looks like BUSINESS as usual.

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
― Hunter S. Thompson

That’s a great HST quote...

Yes music is a business and I can’t say the royalty holders shouldn’t have a right to some form of business continuity.

Streaming has killed sales of CDs, and killed the rates that recording artists, songwriters, promoters, publishers and master owners get.

So live performance is all that’s left to make the do-re-mi. And if the musicians of today can master the signature sound of the original artists - and they generate a fair rate for all involved, I am for it.

The next step I think will be AI generating new content by simulating the creative talents of famous artists. A sort of non-linear simulation of the creative concepts merged with a signature sound.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Rashid.bk]

Originally Posted by Abdullah71601

No. It’s just an authorized cover band at that point. IMO, the band dies when all its members are gone.

I agree. Seems like common sense. Would the Beatles or the four dudes calling themselves the Beatles today be anything respectable. It's equivalent to professional karaoke.
Honestly at that point I'd enjoy a Las Vegas impersonator much more.