The Sincerest Form of Flattery
Doctor Terror looks at tribute acts
Meat Loaf may be gone, but tonight at the Epsom Playhouse I saw the superlative Lee Brady, his show aptly entitled Heaven Can Wait, do Meat Loaf's greatest hits and it was magical. My sister has seen Neil Diamond at Glastonbury. I haven't but I loved Fisher Stevens paying him tribute in his show, Beautiful Noise. And, unlike my mate's Scouse nan, I wasn't born when she would boogie to lunchtime discos down at the Cavern Club. But I can't fault The Bootleg Beatles.
These are tribute acts at the top of their game, but they're still a cheap night out - particularly compared to a decent seat at a West End show (Paddington, anyone? Prepare to sell your entire family into slavery). In fact, tribute acts can often (at least at this point in time) be better than the real thing. The Counterfeit Stones don't need Zimmer frames and oxygen masks. Half of Come Together, the Lennon and McCartney Songbook tribute wasn't shot dead by Mark Chapman. I can guarantee you that Ticketmaster's satanic 'dynamic pricing' won't apply to No Way Sis. The Illegal Eagles won't fall apart amid vicious recrimination and far too much cocaine any time soon. And Maureen Lipman won't foam at the mouth when PLO start singing Mr Blue Sky.
Okay, I made that last one up.
Sometimes, watching a tribute act costs you literally NOTHING AT ALL. I saw a breathtakingly good Rod Stewart act free of charge in The Black Bull in Wylam. My own brilliant (and now award-winning!) local, The Eight Bells in Ewell, along with their many other music nights and promotions do a tribute act once a month. Just Chas, a one-man Chas and Dave tribute, blew me away. Coming up next: Robbie Vs Barlow (again, just one guy, I believe. I can't wait) and still to come this year are Elvis, Abba, The Beatles, Tina Turner and, yes Rod. I mean, they'd prefer it if you bought a drink or two. What are you, some kind of monster?
Mention of Tina reminds us that hugely successful West End Shows are sometimes just mega tribute acts, like Tina or Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons), Beautiful (Carole King), Sunny Afternoon (The Kinks), The Simon and Garfunkel Story (guess!), All or Nothing (The Small Faces) and The One And Only (Chesney Hawkes). I made that one up too.
One of the most unusual I have seen is Oliver Darley - with Chad Lelong on the piano - reinterpreting David Bowie as mellow jazz at the Riverside Barn, Walton. It really works. He does the same with Sting, Frank Sinatra, Freddie Mercury and George Michael.
So next time you fancy a great night out without breaking the bank, you know where to go. Tell them Doctor Terror - currently working on a Wurzels tribute with a handful of friends - sent you.