Tribute shows are all the rage. Just witness the plethora of bands out there who ape much more famous bands. The pinnacle of this trend has to be Who’s Bad, the Michael Jackson tribute band because they have two “Michaels,” one who can really sing and one who can really dance.
Tomorrow night, the Stones Fest at Tipitina’s is a different sort of animal. First off, the band is composed of the cream of the crop of local musicians. Secondly, they don’t play together all the time. In fact, this particular aggregation doesn’t really ever play together. They are just a bunch of musicians who love the Stones. The video below features many of the same musicians two years ago.
Some like Dave Malone, formerly of the Radiators now with Raw Oyster Cult, have been covering the Stones for years. Although truth be told, as a kid in Edgard, Louisiana he was much more partial to the Beatles.
Bandleader Alex McMurray (pictured below) has said he was more into Led Zeppelin and AC/DC when he was growing up. No matter.
What matters most is the band’s dedication to learning and playing the songs. Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones’ venerable guitarist and songwriter, stated the reason why most bands have a hard time faithfully reproducing most of the group’s biggest hits in his autobiography. It’s because Richards uses an unusual tuning. Luckily for fans, he revealed the secret in his book.
Besides, the aforementioned musicians expect to see John “Papa” Gros, Chuck Credo IV, Joe Stark, Carl Dufrene, and Chad Gilmore on stage. The Honey Island Swamp Trio opens.
