I'm serious is it fair to still call themselves Queen when their singer has been dead for over a decade? I'm not sure. Look what happened when The Doors went back on the road with just the keyboardist and guitarist as original members; the original drummer sued them and eventually won preventing them from touring as The Doors since the Lizard King is very much dead. I understand all these bands have great songs and are still talented musicians and all they want to do is what they do best- RAWK! But are they misrepresenting themselves to the general public? Maybe, maybe not. I recently caught Alice in Chains when they played Chicago's Metro and they sounded great.
The set list could have been better but that's a discussion for another time. Regardless, they sounded like Alice in Chains, which they should since everyone playing instruments are original members. Well except the tall skinny Ben Harper looking guy who is now handling vocals. Now he sounds just like the former singer Layne Staley but is that enough? Is this Alice in Chains or a cover band with almost all the original members? I think one can argue both ways but the fans there seemed to enjoy the show. Queen took a different approach and chose an established singer to tour with who doesn't really sound like Freddy Mercury and had mix results. Perhaps that's a more respectable approach even if it didn't entirely work. Of course there's the story of Journey. Their singer isn't even dead but they not only have a new singer these days that sounds like Steve Perry, but he looks like him and his name rhymes- Steve Augeri.
Now I think that's just wrong and creepy. Let's not even get into Van Halen where they have their on again off again reunions split between Hagar and Roth. Guys just give up it was over after you hired Gary Cherone. Of course occasionally it works and the band is as successfully if not even more successful. Probably the best example is AC/DC when they replaced Bon Scott who had just drunk himself to death with Brian Johnson. For some reason it not only worked but produced their biggest album ever with “Back in Black” selling over 10 million copies just in the US. So sometimes the magic is there but more often than not it isn't. I think part of the trick is to not wait ten years or more but to keep going which is not the current approach bands are taking. Also there should be a rule that if band members are still among the living you have to have certain key players in order to continue as said band. For example, Guns and Roses are not Guns and Roes without at least Axel Rose and Slash. I'm sorry if you are a big Duff fan but I could deal with the current line-up if I could just have my Slash in the band, end of story.
Am I right or am I right? Would you go see Aerosmith if Steven Tyler and Joe Perry wasn't in the band? I mean can you name the rest of the band members in Aerosmith? Be honest, no. How about this, would you be comfortable if The Beatles went on tour with just Paul and Ringo? No, but you wouldn't have a major problem I bet if Robert Plant and Jimmy Page went back on tour as Led Zeppelin now would you? Hell, The Who are getting ready to do it right now with just Roger and Pete in the band and for the most part no one has a problem or even cares.
So I guess it's all up to you in the end whether you want to dish out the dough. Perhaps it's a way for fans alike to come together one last time to experience the songs that changed your life. I've seen almost every one of these 2.0 and sometimes 3.0 versions and I have for the most part enjoyed them. On the other hand, I never paid for my tickets either. So long live Jim Morrison, Layne Staley, Michael Hutchence, Freddy Mercury and all the other singers who left us way too soon. Besides, I can't wait for the Foo Fighters to break up so we can get that long over due Nirvana reunion under way. Cobain's daughter, Francis Bean, is practicing her screams in a studio some where at this very moment.!
• Random Noise appears monthly, exclusively in Lumino Magazine.
