Cover band or tribute band?

The Grateful Dead are probably the greatest cover band there ever was, by the definition of playing other musician's songs. Many have called Dead & Company a cover band as in covering GD music but as long as there are two original musicians in the band it is just a new arrangement or a reimagination of GD music. To me DSO, JRAD and probably LFD are all tribute bands, just without the costumes, and that's OK with me.

Allman Brothers Band also a cover band then. Makes fans mad when you say it!

When a band is fading out and has one or two original members propped up out there (looking at you, Marshall Tucker) I call them "a cover band of themselves."

True story: Recently I was with a younger uninitiated relative (in-law) at Last Fair Deal and pointed out Big River is a Johnny Cash song and Mama Tried a Merle Haggard, etc. as the songs went by and he said, "I didn't realize they are a cover band." I think he was referring to the Grateful Dead.

I think it’s a distinction made on act by act basis… like you’re example of Marshall Tucker… all due respect to Doug Grey any band without Toy Caldwell & Jerry Eubanks isn’t Marshall Tucker. However John Fogherty was & is CCR, just ask him. So when I see John Fogherty I’m not seeing a CCR Cover Band, I’m seeing the real thing whereas if it was Doug, Stu & John’s brother with some other vocalist then that would be a cover band. Then there’s gray areas like if you saw David Gilmour & Nick Mason did you see Pink Floyd or if you saw Roger Watters was still Pink Floyd even though Gilmour didn’t play, etc… Like Jimmy Buffett or Tom Petty’s bands can’t tour without them, they’d be a cover band even though it’s their music too.

In the jam world I feel:
Widespread Panic with Herring is still WSP, with McConnell it was a cover band.
JRAD & DSO are both cover bands.
Billy Strings covers a lot of music, traditional bluegrass especially but with his pedal effects and his unique arrangements he’s more original than most on this list.
Allman Brothers post Dickey Betts was a cover band but a damn good one.
Dead & Company/Furthur/The Other Ones- also all cover bands. Without the four fingered fat guy they just aren’t the real thing.

Then there’s other bands that can be a “Cover Band” any given night. String Cheese, Umphrey’s, etc are all jukeboxes.

When I say they’re a “JukeBox”… I mean they can play anything, any night, anytime, any style and go from one genre to another seamlessly. Cheese can cover 70’s Funk, Traditional Bluegrass, Grunge, Hip-Hop, 80’s New Wave & end with a ripping China-Rider. And they’re gonna do all that with a guy picking a flat top & another guy shredding a mandolin or violin on every tune. Like check out their early Halloween shows like “The Dead Rock Stars Ball” from Shrine Auditorium in LA or the original Hulaween from Hampton. Umphrey’s is the same way… they can cover Metallica to The Beastie Boys.

I think the band name for lots of these point to "tribute band". That, in turn, makes most of them "tribute" rather than "cover." The more I wrestle with it, the more I conclude it's a meaningless distinction.

I watched this last night on my local PBS and it shows up frequently on other channels.  

The Brothers
Celebrate 50 years of the Allman Brothers Band’s music with Jaimoe, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, Oteil Burbridge, Marc Quinones, Duane Trucks, Reese Wynans and Chuck Leavell in this 2020 concert at Madison Square Garden.

Cover? The actual band because there were those who played in the ABB (although Jaimo didn't do much as the only founding member).  Most of the rest played with later iterations of the ABB.  Anyway it was a great show and "Jessica" was worth the price of admission as they say. Warning--too many donor begs interrupting.

The show only features several of the songs from the setlist (note the word "cover")


The Brothers: New York's Madison Square Garden: March 10, 2020

Set 1

Don't Want You No More (The Spencer Davis Group cover)

It's Not My Cross to Bear (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

Statesboro Blues (Blind Willie McTell cover)

Revival (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

Trouble No More (Muddy Waters cover)

Don't Keep Me Wonderin' (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

Black Hearted Woman (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

Dreams (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

Hot 'Lanta (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

Come and Go Blues (The Allman Brothers Band cover) *

Soulshine (The Allman Brothers Band cover) *

Stand Back (The Allman Brothers Band cover) *

Jessica (The Allman Brothers Band cover) *



Set 2

Mountain Jam (The Allman Brothers Band cover) *

Blue Sky (The Allman Brothers Band cover) *

Desdemona (The Allman Brothers Band cover) *

Ain't Wastin' Time No More (The Allman Brothers Band cover) *

Every Hungry Woman (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

Melissa (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

No One to Run With (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

One Way Out (Elmore James cover)

Suggesting Rhythm tonight!!