• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Are club cover bands dead?

Are club cover bands in Your area dead?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Almost dead

  • Will never be dead

  • Carrots

Results are only viewable after voting.
#61
Hyperbole much, or are you trolling?

It's not the 70's anymore with a six night gig at every Holiday Inn, but dead? Beyond ridiculous.

I played 60 gigs last year, a keyboard player I work with played twice that and there are a lot of people on TalkBass who played as many or more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EdO.
#62
PMagers said:
Not dead around Philly either, although the tribute bands seem to be getting more attention from the nicer venues. And a few of the bars we used to play have converted to DJs, Quizzo etc.
Click to expand...
Philly and the burbs still has a decent cover band scene. That said, the number of bars that have live bands of any kind is maybe half what it was 20 years ago. Things were trending badly on that regard before COVID, but the lockdown definitely accelerated things.
 
#63
_Obra_ said:
I'm glad to hear that there are places in the USA where you say that cover bands are not dead.
On the other hand, I would like to see some videos from the recent cover band gigs where there are more than 4-5 old men (mostly woman) in the audience. Everyone is older than 45 within a radius of 200 yards. Sad... :(
Click to expand...
Here ya go.
 
#64
Successful cover bands are getting more difficult to find around here as the trend has been to find a solo or duo on acoustic performing covers instead of a full band. Mostly playing as background noise as opposed to being the focal point. Although, there has been a lot of turnover with venue ownership/venue management/venue entertainment bookers in the last couple of years here locally and a lot of venues are struggling whether they routinely support live music or not. Many businesses seem to be struggling to stay afloat around here so they are pursuing the least expensive entertainment possible. Most full bands I know aren't willing to play for $200 ($50/person or less for larger bands).
 
  • Like
Reactions: EdO. and s_wood
#65
Plectrum72 said:
Successful cover bands are getting more difficult to find around here as the trend has been to find a solo or duo on acoustic performing covers instead of a full band. Mostly playing as background noise as opposed to being the focal point. Although, there has been a lot of turnover with venue ownership/venue management/venue entertainment bookers in the last couple of years here locally and a lot of venues are struggling whether they routinely support live music or not. Many businesses seem to be struggling to stay afloat around here so they are pursuing the least expensive entertainment possible. Most full bands I know aren't willing to play for $200 ($50/person or less for larger bands).
Click to expand...
Sadly, this. At least in the Philly metro area.
 
#66
I know what you are referring to but considering most jazz groups and symphonies are playing "covers", I doubt it will ever die. And I hope it never dies because if White Claw drinking, drunk influencer wannabe girls are going to dance it's most likely going to be to covers that you've played since they were on the charts. If you don't play it, a DJ will. And nobody wants that!
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: Plectrum72 and EdO.
#69
_Obra_ said:
As a former member of several cover bands for past 30+ years, I can say with certainty that club cover bands are dead in my city and probably in the whole country.

There are a few exception that I can count on the fingers of one hand, but they mostly play their original songs in addition to covers.
I emphasize "club bands" because the topic does not refer to big author's or projects that play in big venues and charge tickets...

I won't go into details and questions about why this is so, I'll just ask a question: Are club cover bands dead in 2026?
Click to expand...
Your profile doesn't list your city. What is your city?

My city is the Washington DC and related metropolitan/megopolis. In my experience, the best clubs with the best sound and have the largest, most consistent audiences and paychecks- but which are not the clubs the famous people and almost exclusively ONLY the famous people play at- are cover-band heavy, and original music to the extent that they exist at all, are afterthoughts and also-rans.

I am in three cover bands, and I gig roughly 40 times a year. I've been performing in this area for almost 30 years now. Original music? When it's GOOD, I like it. Good, regularly-gigging original bands that play mostly if not solely good original music? I am not aware of any now. Maybe they're out there but once in a blue moon a solo singer-songwriter that plays guitar or keys musters up the whatever and fields an effort with more than just a duo format that can hang with a great cover band. But that seems the rare exception rather than the rule.

I'm not anti original music at all. I've been lucky to have played some very good original music that was both well-written and also well-played, and some stuff that let's just say I can appreciate it for what it is and to know it's not my thing. But none of these have been mostly, let alone solely original bands. The most original of them was about 30%-40% original and 60-70% covers.

Again, what is YOUR city?
 
#70
silky smoove said:
Just like everything else Seattle-related it is highly dependent on which neighborhood is being described, and I was also describing the greater Seattle area which could, at least in mind) be described as far north as Everett, as far south as Tacoma, and as far east as Issaquah.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks for the clarification. Not trying to debate, I was just about to post an opposite view of the bar/club gigs scene in Seattle.

My answer would not have included the reach you describe.

Everett is a 115,000 person city 30 miles north of Seattle.
Tacoma is a 230,000 person city 30 miles south of Seattle.
Issaquah is a 40,000 person city 20 miles east of Seattle.

silky smoove said:
If you're in Wallingford or Fremont, the broadly defined funk genre seems to absolutely dominate for sure. Ballard is like the last vestige of indie/alternative spots.
Click to expand...

And Fremont, Pioneer Square, Georgetown, U-District, Columbia City, Queen Anne, Uptown, Belltown...plus there are strong jazz, latin, soul, "other" scenes. And a festival season that at least the Seattle ones like Bumbershoot, Folklife, Bite of Seattle, and Capitol Hill Block Party are predominantly touring bands or local Indy/original projects.

True cover bands have limited options in Seattle, but to your point, find audiences in surrounding areas and casinos. For some reason, the "tribute bands" have more options.

silky smoove said:
I know I've been called to sub on gigs all over the area for years, though admittedly in the last few I've been turning down all but the most interesting sub opportunities since I'm playing too many dates as-is, and if I'm going sacrifice my free time to play even more, it had better be good. :cool:
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're gigging more than me at this point, but yeah. We should all be in a position to turn things down or step away from projects when they don't meet whatever standards we set for ourselves, which I do as well.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: silky smoove
#72
Thunderthumbs73 said:
Your profile doesn't list your city. What is your city?

My city is the Washington DC and related metropolitan/megopolis. In my experience, the best clubs with the best sound and have the largest, most consistent audiences and paychecks- but which are not the clubs the famous people and almost exclusively ONLY the famous people play at- are cover-band heavy, and original music to the extent that they exist at all, are afterthoughts and also-rans.

I am in three cover bands, and I gig roughly 40 times a year. I've been performing in this area for almost 30 years now. Original music? When it's GOOD, I like it. Good, regularly-gigging original bands that play mostly if not solely good original music? I am not aware of any now. Maybe they're out there but once in a blue moon a solo singer-songwriter that plays guitar or keys musters up the whatever and fields an effort with more than just a duo format that can hang with a great cover band. But that seems the rare exception rather than the rule.

I'm not anti original music at all. I've been lucky to have played some very good original music that was both well-written and also well-played, and some stuff that let's just say I can appreciate it for what it is and to know it's not my thing. But none of these have been mostly, let alone solely original bands. The most original of them was about 30%-40% original and 60-70% covers.

Again, what is YOUR city?
Click to expand...

 
#75
TroyK said:
For some reason, the "tribute bands" have more options.
Click to expand...
Yep, the tribute scene is alive and well. Maybe too well it seems, at least in the Seattle area. I suspect over time the general all-purpose cover band may eventually fade entirely favoring tribute acts, but I suspect that's a long ways out at this point.

TroyK said:
My answer would not have included the reach you describe.

Everett is a 115,000 person city 30 miles north of Seattle.
Tacoma is a 230,000 person city 30 miles south of Seattle.
Issaquah is a 40,000 person city 20 miles east of Seattle.
Click to expand...
My point here was that if you're a Seattle cover band, you're definitely playing these places on a regular basis, so they seem like a valid inclusion for Seattle as a market. You might even be going as far south as Olympia, or across the water to the west and hitting Bremerton periodically as well.
 
#76
silky smoove said:
Yep, the tribute scene is alive and well. Maybe too well it seems, at least in the Seattle area. I suspect over time the general all-purpose cover band may eventually fade entirely favoring tribute acts, but I suspect that's a long ways out at this point.


My point here was that if you're a Seattle cover band, you're definitely playing these places on a regular basis, so they seem like a valid inclusion for Seattle as a market. You might even be going as far south as Olympia, or across the water to the west and hitting Bremerton periodically as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I get it. I just needed the clarification because I was about to post the opposite. We're both factually right, we were just defining one term differently.

I've played a lot in Tacoma and maybe 1/2 that much in Everett, a bit in Issaquah, and places like Snohomish and Renton. Good gigs are good gigs and sometimes they're worth traveling for.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: silky smoove
#77
silky smoove said:
Yep, the tribute scene is alive and well. Maybe too well it seems, at least in the Seattle area. I suspect over time the general all-purpose cover band may eventually fade entirely favoring tribute acts, but I suspect that's a long ways out at this point.
...
Click to expand...

I don't totally "get" the tribute band thing. Not against it, I just don't quite get it, unless there's a gimmick, like an all female Arrowsmith Tribute called "Sweet Emotion" (real thing). But, it's really big in this area.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back