Depends. Have I played Journey/VH/Ozzie/Zep stuff? Yeah, when I was a kid. But in the 80s, that was the contemporary music. Since then, the cover bands I’ve been in played older and newer music than those above, and most of it doesn’t have to have the ‘trueness to the song’ those others require. The 50s/60s stuff doesn’t have to be because the audience for that music doesn’t give a sh@t: they just love hearing those songs live again. And being in a country-ish band was interesting since I didn’t know much of the music, so I made most of it my own except for the solos. My co-guitarist and I worked pretty well together and could make just about anything gel with the crowd, which was fun, confidence building, and inspiring. The crowd can make or break a performance.
Can you still have a douche-nozzle come up and point out you repeated the 3rd verse of Just Got Paid and ruined his favorite song? Sure, even if the band totally lit the place on fire all night.
P.S.
Playing in an original trio/quartet for the past 5 years has been liberating. The stuff I play - and how I play it - is so weird, it can’t be in the style of anyone. Haters can cram it…it’s my way.
Can you still have a douche-nozzle come up and point out you repeated the 3rd verse of Just Got Paid and ruined his favorite song? Sure, even if the band totally lit the place on fire all night.
P.S.
Playing in an original trio/quartet for the past 5 years has been liberating. The stuff I play - and how I play it - is so weird, it can’t be in the style of anyone. Haters can cram it…it’s my way.