In 1969, nearly half a million people gathered in the middle of a field in New York to watch their favorite bands perform.

Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Santana, the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and more spent three days changing the music scene forever. Tickets cost just $18, and everyone who attended left transformed.

You may dream about those glory days of music and wish to see the giants perform live.

Tribute bands can offer a doorway to the past and an experience that, in some ways, may even be better than the original.

Here’s why tribute bands can sometimes even outshine even the original bands.

Tickets Are More Affordable

One of the most significant benefits of tribute bands over the original is the price of tickets.

For instance, Metallica tickets can run anywhere between $130 and $3,000 each, depending on your seats. And recently, Taylor Swift has made headlines as her concert tickets have sold for up to $28,000.

Assuming you don’t have the price of a nice sedan to drop on concert tickets, tribute bands can be a great way to see your favorite songs performed live.

Most tribute band tickets will either be free, a few bucks, or you may have to pay a cover charge at a venue. Sometimes, you may see them relatively inexpensively at a local theater or performing arts center if you catch an exemplary performance.

They’re More Accessible

How often have you looked at your favorite band’s tour schedule and been frustrated at the tour dates list?

Original performers often only go to big cities with large fan bases and where many ticket sales are guaranteed. Unfortunately, if you live in a less populated area, your favorite performers may never get closer than a six-hour drive from you.

If you don’t want to spend an entire day driving back and forth to a concert, you can still get your musical fix with tribute bands.

Either way, you’re likelier to find one close to you than to get close to the original article.

Musicianship In Tribute Bands Sometimes Rivals or Exceeds the Originals

Sometimes when people think of tribute bands, they imagine amateurs playing in their garage on the weekends. But you might be surprised to learn that the best tribute bands are talented professionals, and many even tour in the “national acts” to which they pay tribute.

In fact, their musicianship can sometimes rival or even exceed the originals.

The fact is that original bands are original because they (usually) wrote the music that they are performing.

But songwriting is a completely different craft than performing.

Of course, the greatest national and international rock acts like U2, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen are singularly sensational performers and songwriters; unquestionably iconic.

But finding a group of sensational performers who didn’t write the songs is far less rare than one might think.

Tribute band musicians work hard to master their instruments, dial in all the most minute musical details (typically as recorded on their best-loved albums) and give incredible performances. The best tribute bands are professionals (and yes, fans themselves!) who book shows, travel across the country and perform gigs just like the originals.

They may even sign autographs and sell their own original music after the show. Chances are, you might even like their original music, as their songs are probably primarily influenced by the original bands that you both love.

When you go to see the best tribute bands, you can sense that you’re in the presence of as much talent as if you were watching the original band.

They Let You Time Travel

The best tribute bands allow us to travel back in time and even see the great musicians we’ve lost.

The sad truth is that you’ll never be able to see the Beatles in concert or rock out with the original AC/DC. Even if the original band members are still alive, they may not tour together or have the same stamina they once did.

But when you see popular tribute bands, fans return to the glory days. Successful tribute bands put a lot of effort into learning to emulate the musicians they’re honoring and to recreate their style and even stage mannerisms and classic banter.

While it may not be the same as the original group, you can recapture some of that same electricity and see a glimpse of what it might have been like to watch them at their peak.

They’re Enthusiastic 

There are few things better than sharing something you love with someone whos just as enthusiastic about it as you are.

That’s one of the things that makes live music such an incredible experience. You’re in a space with hundreds or thousands of other people who are all as excited as you to hear this music from the artist you all love: there’s electricity in that.

So how much better is it when the people you’re watching perform are, themselves, enthusiastic fans of the music they’re playing?

Original bands that still tour have likely lost the joy of playing the same songs thousands of times. But tribute bands are so excited about playing that music that they’ve devoted a lot of time to hone their craft and learn to be like the original musicians who amazed them.

They Keep the Music Alive

The sad truth of the music industry is that no music stays hot forever, no matter how good you are. Tours end, fans move on, bands break up, and the music fades into the background.

How many songs can you name from the 1940s, and how many songs do you think kids today could name from the 1970s?

Tribute bands help keep this music alive in a unique way that the original groups can’t. They keep those songs fresh and relevant to music lovers by performing them live. They breathe new life into the music we love and preserve the legacy of those groups burning bright.

Discover the Joys of Tribute Bands

Tribute bands play an essential role in keeping music accessible and alive even once the original band has stopped touring.

They’re often easier to see in concert and can bring back music from bands that haven’t played together in decades. Best of all, their love for music keeps it alive so the next generation can enjoy it just like the last. 

We can help you rock your audience with national-caliber live tribute bands. Book a show through ProTributeBands today and recapture the magic of music’s glory days.

And if you’d like to continue discovering the joys of tribute bands, check out the rest of our site.