Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Ins And Outs Of A Neil Diamond Tribute Band

By Lila Barry


Neil Diamond is a monumental performing artist of our time. He has been producing hits since the mid 1960s, therefore for more than five decades, and some of his material is rated in the classic category worldwide. It is therefore important to take a look at the make-up and performance of a Neil Diamond tribute band.

To begin with, then, some information about the original artist. Neil Leslie Diamond was born in January 1941 in the suburb of Brooklyn in New York City, to Jewish parents. His ancestors came from Russia and Poland. He began recording as a university student, and since then he has sold in excess of 120 million copies of his recorded work. His career as a musician has lasted from those early days in the 1960s until today.

Of course, this level of success makes him an obvious choice for cover artists. He has produced many internationally popular hits such as "Kentucky Woman" and "Sweet Caroline". Songs such as these are instantly recognizable and are therefore prime candidates for cover tracks by other artists.

Cover acts of this musician are an established sub-industry in the music scene. At present, the most popular tribute bands include acts like Super Diamond (Surreal Neil), Cherry Cherry and more. These outfits perform his songs for die-hard fans who are unable to see the original artist in concert or who want his sound at their events and functions.

A cover band needs to resemble the original artist, both musically and visually, and at the same time be able to entertain the audience in its own right. Playing cover tracks is never easy. It may seem easy given that it involves the mere reproduction of already composed material, but there is an art to it that requires a great deal of practice and artistic inspiration.

At the same time, a tribute outfit is a musical entity, and so it needs to have the necessary musical capacity to perform the chosen work, which in turn translates into a need for talent and experience. Cover outfits are under extreme pressure because the audience already has the original artist to compare them to. This frame of reference means that top selling artists like the one under discussion are exceptionally hard to imitate.

It is to the advantage of the band if their key vocalist bears some resemblance to the artist being covered. This is about more than mere physical appearance, although that is also important. Costume, performance style and even stage banter need to be researched and practiced. It may appear to be simple to imitate an existing band, but skill and hard work are required to do so in a fashion that is entertaining to the audience.

A Neil Diamond tribute band needs to consist of at least a talented main vocalist, a guitarist, a bass guitarist and a drummer. Most of the fun in a tribute band lies in the quality of the imitation, and a good imitation is sure to entertain the audience. Ultimately, there needs to be a comprehensiveness to the imitation that is both appealing and accomplished.




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