| YourValentine 17.05.2011 06:39 |
Thomas Crane, known to the Australian Queen community as the singer of the tribute band "Bohemian Rhapsody", successfully performed a Freddie-style version of "The Great Pretender" on "Australia Has Talent" on Tuesday and proceeded to the next round. You can watch him here link good luck, Thomas |
| Thistle 17.05.2011 09:01 |
I'll be honest, I didn't like it. I have listened to Thomas a few times now on YouTube, and for me he just doesn't cut it. In the performance you've linked to, I think his vocals are choppy, his annunciation is poor, he's out of tune and just doesn't sound like Freddie. I know the Australians love him, but that's just my opinion. |
| john bodega 17.05.2011 11:05 |
I think the virtue of having so many Freddie impersonators is that they cover different strengths and areas. For my money, Tom's the only one that can do Nevermore, bar none. He's a great singer and an awesome dude! |
| GratefulFan 17.05.2011 11:17 |
I fully accept that this may be 100% my problem, but the truth is that they ALL make me cringe. I just don't get impersonators/tribute acts in general. The ones that adopt Freddie's mannerisms and gait and such approach unbearable. I think if they just played the music I might be OK. It's all the costuming and other nonsense that is just such a big, lame distraction. Maybe I'd have fun if I was actually there. Perhaps both there and slightly drunk. But on YouTube it's just...meh. |
| Silken 17.05.2011 11:41 |
GratefulFan wrote: I just don't get impersonators/tribute acts in general. The ones that adopt Freddie's mannerisms and gait and such approach unbearable. I think if they just played the music I might be OK. It's all the costuming and other nonsense that is just such a big, lame distraction. ================================ I completely agree with you. Tribute bands and impersonators are utterly sad. |
| john bodega 17.05.2011 19:01 |
"Tribute bands and impersonators are utterly sad". They really are not, you know. I've done fill-in work for one, and it's actually hilarious. Well, that's how I felt about it anyway. I'm just a guitarist, first and foremost, so the idea of dressing up and looking like someone is alien to me - I don't look a thing like Brian May. Can you imagine anything more amusing than being dressed up like him for 90 minutes?? Haha. It's incredible fun, I don't even know how to describe it. Besides which, the audiences enjoy themselves to no end. Can you imagine it - it's just a big Queen party, and nothing else. It's just good fun, and afterwards you get to chat with the punters about stuff. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with this arrangement. |
| Thistle 17.05.2011 19:17 |
Zebonka12 wrote: "Tribute bands and impersonators are utterly sad". They really are not, you know. I've done fill-in work for one, and it's actually hilarious. Well, that's how I felt about it anyway. I'm just a guitarist, first and foremost, so the idea of dressing up and looking like someone is alien to me - I don't look a thing like Brian May. Can you imagine anything more amusing than being dressed up like him for 90 minutes?? Haha. It's incredible fun, I don't even know how to describe it. Besides which, the audiences enjoy themselves to no end. Can you imagine it - it's just a big Queen party, and nothing else. It's just good fun, and afterwards you get to chat with the punters about stuff. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with this arrangement. ============================================================================================= Well said. Anyone who can get us rockin' to Queen songs (they have to do it justice, though) has my support. At the end of the day, it's just a bit of fun and, like zeb said, one big Queen party. |
| Silken 18.05.2011 07:50 |
Zebonka12 wrote: "Tribute bands and impersonators are utterly sad". They really are not, you know. I've done fill-in work for one, and it's actually hilarious. ****************************************** By "sad" I mean "pathetic", (I apologise for my poor command of the English language). I'm not saying it isn't amusing to dress like Freddie or Brian once in a while if you're having fun with friends. But to do that for a living is something that I don't understand and I'd never pay a dime to see four guys dressed as Queen playing Queen songs. I'd rather stay at home and listen to the real Queen albums. Besides, if tribute bands have the talent to play "like" Queen, why don't they try creating their own stuff? |
| Thistle 18.05.2011 12:12 |
They do! You should youtube Billy Moffat's (bass player from One Night Of Queen) tracks with Gary Mullen. |
| john bodega 18.05.2011 13:52 |
"By "sad" I mean "pathetic", (I apologise for my poor command of the English language)." Oh. In that case, this doesn't make you guilty of having a poor command of the English language; it just makes you an idiot. If you find something pathetic in giving people a good evening listening to the music they enjoy, then you are a curious sort of being. Don't get me wrong - I really do find the "dressups" part of tribute acts to be pretty hilarious, but pathetic is quite a strong word to be waving around. By extension, you're applying it to anyone who pays to see one of these bands, and that's just as much bullshit as your post. The problem here is that you're seeing something that isn't there. Possibly you're carrying around the impression of people who have pretensions of being as good or better than the original artists - maybe there are tribute acts like that out there, but as someone who's played in one, I can tell you that there also exists another kind of musician: one with a heartfelt appreciation of the music, and the ability to play it for people. At the simplest level, these shows are just a good laugh - if you can't see the positives of such an arrangement, then you belong in a monastery or something. Although, personally, I think tribute bands can do without the dressups. That's just my feeling though! "I'd rather stay at home and listen to the real Queen albums" Not everyone likes to stay at home... there is no harm going out to see a good band enjoying themselves. Is it the real thing? No - but then no one is claiming that it is, so no harm is being done. "Besides, if tribute bands have the talent to play "like" Queen, why don't they try creating their own stuff?" A lot of them do! You are showcasing your own ignorance by failing to even look for any of it. |
| Silken 18.05.2011 14:38 |
Zebonka12 says: Oh. In that case, this doesn't make you guilty of having a poor command of the English language; it just makes you an idiot. I say: I don't know why so many people here tend to be aggressive as their first reaction to something they don't agree with.. Am I an idiot because I don't like what you like? "Idiot" is quite a strong word to be waving around, don't you think? Zebonka12 says: If you find something pathetic in giving people a good evening listening to the music they enjoy, then you are a curious sort of being. I say: No, I find pathetic the fact that those bands wouldn't be anybody if it wasn't because they are impersonating greater artists. I might be wrong, too. Zebonka12 says: but pathetic is quite a strong word to be waving around. I say: Oh I'm going to hell Zebonka12 says: By extension, you're applying it to anyone who pays to see one of these bands. I say: I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention. Zebonka12 says: I can tell you that there also exists another kind of musician: one with a heartfelt appreciation of the music, and the ability to play it for people. I say: I know that and I appreciate the talent. I wish I was so talented! Zebonka12 says: There is no harm going out to see a good band enjoying themselves. Is it the real thing? No - but then no one is claiming that it is, so no harm is being done. I say: Ok, I agree. Some people enjoy it, some people don't. Zebonka12 says: "Besides, if tribute bands have the talent to play "like" Queen, why don't they try creating their own stuff?" A lot of them do! You are showcasing your own ignorance by failing to even look for any of it. I say: Touché! I'll try to do further research to see what these people can do besides doing tribute acts. Cheers! |
| The Real Wizard 18.05.2011 14:47 |
Silken wrote: I'm not saying it isn't amusing to dress like Freddie or Brian once in a while if you're having fun with friends. But to do that for a living is something that I don't understand and I'd never pay a dime to see four guys dressed as Queen playing Queen songs. ============== But a lot of people would. Experiencing music live is a whole other experience to listening to the record. It's where music comes to life, regardless of who's playing it and whether or not they wrote the songs being performed Furthermore, there so much money to be made in hearing 70s music played live by competent artists. Plenty of people would rather see that than listen to what's currently on the radio. It's a major part of the industry. As a musician, if you're willing to relocate to Vegas as part of a tribute act, you can easily bag 100 grand in six months, then take six months off. Unless you compose full time for TV or large-scale movies, being in a good tribute act is about as good as most musicians can do, money-wise. |
| Silken 18.05.2011 15:00 |
Sir GH wrote: As a musician, if you're willing to relocate to Vegas as part of a tribute act, you can easily bag 100 grand in six months, then take six months off. Unless you compose full time for TV or large-scale movies, being in a good tribute act is about as good as most musicians can do, money-wise. ============================ I'm aware of that, and I'd probably do the same if I had the talent. But I just don't like them. |
| GratefulFan 18.05.2011 18:13 |
I think it in part depends where and how music moves or drives you or whatever. For me, authenticity - for lack of a more inspired and less hackneyed word - is really important. I need somebody to make me forget they're performing at all, or at least make me feel that their performance is bubbling up without artifice from some genuine place in their own core. I'm super sensitive to any sniff of falseness in persona or performance, and that's why I semi-regularly rant about Adam Lambert for example. So that leaves me pretty handicapped in getting past some guy in a yellow Magic jacket jogging on to the stage in the style of Freddie Mercury and all that other derivative and somewhat fruity nonsense. There's just no way from there to my heart/gut/soul. Believe me when I say that it really, really gets in the way. Now in no sense do I think these kinds of acts are at all unworthy in any kind of objective way - they're hugely popular and many, many people love them and have a wonderful time. Those performing presumably enjoy their work immensely and take great pride in it. But in a subjective sense I think people should be allowed to be less than inspired without it being implied they don't know how to have fun or don't adequately understand or appreciate the unique properties of live music or whatever else. People love music for all kinds of personal and collective reasons, and wanting and needing to believe it counts as much as any other. |
| john bodega 19.05.2011 01:39 |
"Am I an idiot because I don't like what you like? " No one said you had to like it. There's a huge difference between liking something, understanding it, and/or appreciating it. I understand and appreciate Kate Bush, but I can't stand listening to her. She just gets on my nerves, owing to a period in my life where my sister forced me to listen to her day in and day out when I was trying to sleep. "I don't know why so many people here tend to be aggressive as their first reaction to something they don't agree with.." If you mistook what I was saying as aggression, I apologise. I was being straightforward with you; in text, this can seem like aggression. Sorry! "No, I find pathetic the fact that those bands wouldn't be anybody if it wasn't because they are impersonating greater artists." Of course - then Johnny Depp is pathetic because he played Ed Wood. Indeed; actors should stop playing non-fictional characters altogether! "being in a good tribute act is about as good as most musicians can do, money-wise. " There is the money thing to think about, as well. Put it this way; I get no greater thrill than in playing my own music, but right now I need to see a dentist, and my original band is a financial non-entity. I reckon if I formed a Backwards Beatle tribute and played all their songs backwards, it'd probably make more money than my music does right now! That's another thing to consider - these bands aren't carbon copies. Tributes often put together setlists of material that was never played live. As long as it's being done properly and with some professionalism, what's the harm? "But I just don't like them" And there's no harm in that! But, that doesn't make them pathetic. Far too much fun is had by too many people for this section of the music industry to be dismissed so easily. Sure - people have fun at Robbie Williams or Miley Cyrus concerts, and I really don't get that ... but I'm not about to wave the 'P' word at them. As long as they're enjoying themselves, then what more can one ask? |
| Silken 19.05.2011 07:15 |
I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I appreciate the talent and the effort, and I know that there are thousands of people who love tribute bands, but I feel embarrassed for them (the bands). I don't know why, and I don't mean to be disrepectful, but that's how I feel. Besides, I didn't know "pathetic" was such a strong word. At least in my language it isn't, so again, sorry! I've been also thinking that this could be a matter of level of "fandom". Many, many Queen fans have all the cds, all the dvds, bootlegs, collect magazines, go to conventions, have autographs, buy the books, know every little detail about their lives, etc, and enjoy tribute bands. I just love Queen's music, I think they're the greatest band ever, but that's it. Nothing else matters to me. The Johnny Depp thing was funny :) |
| john bodega 20.05.2011 01:46 |
Haha, no offense taken. I just felt the need to clarify, because for a long time I had similar negative ideas about tribute bands. Now that I've worked in one, I can tell you that it's not always the case. The Johnny Depp thing is funny because it's true! Haha |