Fake it 'til you make it: 5 Boston-based tribute bands
By Breakups and hiatuses. Sold-out concerts. Sky-high ticket prices. For whatever combination of reasons, you have yet to cross all the bands off our 'must see live' list, and it's bumming you out.
Nothing will ever be as good as those actual bands, but Boston is home to some pretty convincing tribute bands. While you're waiting for the real thing, head to a live show by one of these groups. If anything, the tickets are sure to be less expensive!
The Timberfakes. For years, I resisted calling myself a Justin Timberlake fan -- my reasons ranged from “Ugh, he was in a boy band,” to “But...but...I’m a Backstreet Boys fan!” -- but now I’ll say it loud and proud: J.T. is totally awesome. But since he’s chosen to focus lately on becoming a “serious actor,” The Timberfakes (who include Justin’s N*SYNC and SNL material in their setlists) will have to tide you over until he comes to his senses.
Aerochix. Between American Idol, in-band fights, and Steven Tyler’s apparent inability to walk anywhere without injuring himself, it might be a while before we see the real Aerosmith on tour again. Fortunately, the ladies of this tribute band can rock out just as hard as one of Boston’s most famous musical exports. They get bonus points for including plenty of scarves.
Backseat Lover. I often find myself slightly sad that I wasn’t born just a few years earlier, in time to really experience the phenomenon that was early-’90s grunge music. Oh, sure, plenty of bands from that era still tour, but they’re not playing tiny clubs. Head to one of this Pearl Jam tribute band’s shows, though, and you might think you’ve time-warped back 20 years.
Cocaine Tongue. Buying a ticket to a Guns N’ Roses show is a big risk; you never quite know if Axl Rose will actually show up, or what he’ll do when he does. In that respect, it’s a major plus that you know the guys in this band will be at their shows. (Not to mention, performing an eight-minute song like “November Rain” is no easy feat.)
Joshua Tree. They may not quite be “even better than the real thing,” but this U2 tribute band is pretty darn good. They can even say they’ve played the Garden (during Bruins games).
Who is your favorite Boston-based cover band?
Photo by kainet (Flickr)
About Angela -- It's "Ang," if you please -- or, alternately, Bill, Penny Lane, or (begrudgingly) Angus to some. I've been with TNGG since the site started and am now the TNGG Boston editor for Boston.com. I graduated from Boston University's College of Communication in 2009 and am a huge fan of live music, hockey, and Thai food. I'm also a bit of a klutz, but that's only because my mind and body are always going in approximately a zillion separate directions. Twitter: @amstefano988
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TNGG Boston is part of an online magazine written by 18 to 27-year-olds about growing up in the information age. It's an experiment in crowdsourced journalism, a mixture of blogging, More »Recent blog posts
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