The Conventions

It's Abbey Road on the River Fest this weekend. It got me thinking about conventions and fan gatherings generally. I've been to quite a few myself as a musician and have enjoyed them immensely, though I've also been infuriated by them too. When it comes to bands at these get togethers there seems to be two types - the look-alikes who try to be the Beatles and the fan types who want to represent the Beatles in the best and honest way possible. I have to say straight off, I'm always embarrassed by the look-alike thing...because with that always comes the acting like them too, it then becomes "we are them" and then they call each other by Beatles names...it's toe curling for me! There are I suppose, maybe one or two places where this is ok (well....ish).... say...the BIG theatre tour or stadium show, where it's "biographical" and the main art form on display is acting and not some self fulfilling ego. The other place where it's fine to think you are the Beatles is er...in your dreams!
I've seen bands dressed up in the 1964 suits for example, coming on stage in make up and wigs, looking immaculate, paying attention to detail, playing the same guitars through the same amps and to all intents and purposes being the Beatles...and then the quasi Liverpudlian accents, then the Hollywood Bowl rhetoric, and before you know it, it's a bad movie with a terrible soundtrack set up inside a grimy pub where it's really out of place. Perhaps that's why it might be more believable to accept from half a football field away. Then it's easier to suspend your disbelief, and that's supposing the band are cohesive and have half a clue about the music. The sight of four tiny suited and booted figures, with Gretch, Rick, Ludwig and Hofner for company MIGHT have you with them then- hell, you might even enjoy the show! No. For me, if you see a kick ass band ten feet away from you playing Rock'n'Roll Music or While My Guitar Gently Weeps, who are really giving it large, sounding great and having a good time on stage just being themselves, then it's game over. There is no competition and it serves proper justice to the songs, which are after all, what it's all about. I've always said it - be inspired by it, don't try to BE it! There's nothing worse than sitting there thinking, "he's not a bit like Cagney is he?"