The Musical box

[NoahZark]

I may be remembering this wrong, but....

 

I think I read that Tony Banks, in comparing the crowds at his solo shows to the crowds at shows by The Musical Box, once said, "I could make more money pretending to be me than actually being me." If true, that's just very funny.

 

I think that was Steve Hackett. In fact, I think someone on this forum posted a link to that interview.

 

You're probably right on both counts.

[Mark Schmieder]

Hmm. If said by Tony Banks, it was probably light-hearted and in jest. If said by Steve Hackett, there might be some bitterness behind it.

[DanS]

That said, I don't know if I'd want to see someone re-create their shows. I mean, the videos linked in this thread were great... until the singer came in and then the fantasy is broken. Nobody can sound like PG or Collins.

 

You need to see them live before saying something like this. The singer who does all the Gabriel era stuff is spot on.

[Jim Alfredson]

I've seen the vids. He's quite good, but Gabriel's voice is totally unique.

 

I guess it's no different than going to see La bohème or something, but... it's just weird.

 

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

I've seen the vids. He's quite good, but Gabriel's voice is totally unique.

 

I guess it's no different than going to see La bohème or something, but... it's just weird.

 

 

There is inherently something creepy to me about the tribute bands that try to 'be' the band they are emulating. One local Springsteen band, the guy does a Springsteen imitation between songs, trying to do the 'patter'. I appreciate cover bands doing a good job on a tune, and I appreciate the dedication that tribute bands put into learning material so exactly, but the rest makes me unhappy. I know you're not John Lennon, you know you're not John Lennon, and when you try to act like Lennon outside of the boundaries of the songs, ...uhhhhhh......

 

anyway, never been my 'thing'.

[Ian Benhamou]

There is inherently something creepy to me about the tribute bands that try to 'be' the band they are emulating. One local Springsteen band, the guy does a Springsteen imitation between songs, trying to do the 'patter'. I appreciate cover bands doing a good job on a tune, and I appreciate the dedication that tribute bands put into learning material so exactly, but the rest makes me unhappy. I know you're not John Lennon, you know you're not John Lennon, and when you try to act like Lennon outside of the boundaries of the songs, ...uhhhhhh......

 

anyway, never been my 'thing'.

 

On most counts I agree with this. There's a local U2 tribute around here that often gets booked on the same festivals as my Floyd tribute. The singer tries to be Bono, and it gets really annoying. I feel like if they just did the music and abandoned all the mimicry it would be a lot more palatable.

 

That said, The Musical Box are in a league of their own. Obviously, it's not like having Peter Gabriel up there, but it's done with such passion and detail that it doesn't come off as mimicry but instead as a completely authentic recreation.

[BillWelcome Home Studios]

 

On most counts I agree with this. There's a local U2 tribute around here that often gets booked on the same festivals as my Floyd tribute. The singer tries to be Bono,....

 

Maybe it is the personality thing.... like, a lot of bands, only the really dedicated fans know the members and no member really stands out as a personality... those tribute bands don't try to imitate the 'personality' between songs, and are much more palatable. But with the Bonos, Springsteens, Beatles, etc; we all have a more real impression of the particpants, and the 'tribute' doesn't work for many of us... it's like the difference between a beautiful woman and a guy in drag.

[Eric Jx]

So I saw The Musical box last night.

 

This is the second time I saw the show, and I caught something this time I didn't notice the first time around.

 

This was the trick of the tail tour, which is the first tour without Peter Gabriel, so Phil Collins is out in front singing for most of the show. The Musical Box has a faux Bill Bruford (complete with his Boston Bruins jumpsuit) doing the drum work for most of the concert, however "Phil" does run back to get behind his drum kit during instrumental passages.

 

I always thought it was amazing that they found someone who could sing like Phil, and play drums like Phil, and sorta looks like Phil too. That's asking a lot of one guy.

 

It turns out....it isn't one guy.

 

When singer "Phil" runs back to play the drums, he takes the long way around behind his gong. When he ducks behind the gong, another guy jumps out and gets behind the kit. Drummer Phil is wearing the same outfit as singer Phil. Drummer Phil can pass as singer Phil because he's wearing a wig and fake beard.

 

It was the wig that gave him away. Once I spotted that, I couldn't believe that I didn't notice it before.

 

Still it was a great show despite the fact that we were seated directly in front of some a-holes who thought it was appropriate to hold full conversations about their cesspool problems in the middle of songs....and the woman next to them who's singing sounded like someone was torturing a parrot. They totally ruined Squonk for me. We moved to other seats before they could ruin supper's ready.