GREAT PRETENDERS: A guide to who's really playing in the vintage bands headed for metro Detroit.
BY BRIAN McCOLLUM
FREE PRESS POP MUSIC WRITER
It's easy to figure out that Creedence Clearwater Revisited isn't Creedence Clearwater Revival. If only the rest of the concert schedule were so simple.
Detroit is in the thick of the summer music season, which means we're getting plenty of visits from vintage bands with famous names. But as many concertgoers have learned, sometimes the expensive way, what's in a name isn't always what's on stage when it comes to classic rock 'n' soul.
Creedence Clearwater Revisited will play CCR's rock hits at DTE Energy Music Theatre tonight and Friday, minus the original group's distinctive vocalist and songwriter, John Fogerty. It's one case where the band's name makes clear there's a difference. Not so with, say, last month's show by the Guess Who, which brought plenty of familiar songs but didn't bring signature members Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman, the band's singer and lead guitarist.
More egregious forms of fakery have plagued the concert landscape. Most notable have been knockoff outfits touring the oldies circuit under well-known monikers -- the Drifters, the Platters, the Coasters -- but with no connection to the original groups.
The phenomenon has prompted several states to enact so-called Truth in Music laws barring such performances. Michigan's version of the bill, prohibiting use of a group's name without at least one original member involved, was approved last month by the state Senate and awaits a vote by the state House. The bottom line: If you're not sure the band on a bill is the same one you remember from ye olden days, it's worth finding out before you buy a ticket.
|
