Rock music lives on at The Westcott Theater’s 80s, 90s show
Revival bands Elevation, Supersonic and Murmur keep rock music alive by embodying the legacy of U2, Oasis and R.E.M., respectively. The tribute bands allow these groups to live on far past their glory days of the ‘80s and ‘90s.
On Friday at 8 p.m., these bands will join together at The Westcott Theater to perform “‘80s vs ‘90s: Rock and Roll Rewind,” paying homage to the popular rock groups.
Shawn Brady of “The World’s Greatest U2 Tribute Band” is tasked with portraying U2’s lead vocalist, Bono. Brady said that Elevation’s success is due in part to their top-of-the-line equipment and their time investment into perfecting each note.
“It is an honor to perform U2’s music, and we take it seriously,” Brady said. “But we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We have a lot of fun and laughs doing this.”
The members of the Toronto-based band dedicate each performance to sparking joy, energy, and connection with the goal of fans being able to “bask in nostalgia” of positive memories, Brady said. With 18 years performed and 17 countries traveled, Brady said the band’s greatest reward is meeting U2 fans from all over the world and continuing to be amazed by the power of music.
Similar to Elevation, Supersonic sets out to create as authentic an experience as possible. Dylan Shepherd, who takes the role of Liam Gallagher in the internationally renowned revival band, said that the bandmates “provide audiences with the exact sound, look and feel of the original band, note for note, with all the raw energy, swagger, and a cool Brittania persona.” To him, it’s their responsibility to Oasis’ cult following to do so.
Though onstage they’re a reflection of Paul McGuigan, Paul Arthurs, Alan White and the Gallagher Brothers, off stage these high school best friends come from a variety of occupations, including real estate and engineering. Some married and some not, they are all fathers bound together by a reconnecting phone call 15 years ago.
“No one can match or come close to what we do for as long as we have,” Shepherd said in an email. “We’re the entire package.”
Shepherd said that he hopes The Gallagher Brothers think Supersonic is succeeding at impersonating Oasis.
Unlike other tribute bands, the members of Murmur said that they do not seek to imitate the band members of R.E.M. in their entirety and instead focus on perfecting their sound for fans.Courtesy of Murmur
The other band that will perform is the R.E.M tribute band, Murmur. Murmur has a bit of a different take on the act of impersonation, aiming for the listeners to think it’s R.E.M they’re listening to, without the band members taking on the persona of R.E.M entirely.
Lead vocalist Keith Calveric finds the greatest challenge is incorporating a new generation to the fan base, while keeping the original R.E.M fans captivated.
“Many fans of R.E.M are a bit older now and aren’t quite as tapped into their local music scene,” Calveric wrote in an email. “So, we’re always looking for new ways to let people know that we’re out here. One thing is for sure: once an R.E.M fan sees us, they’re hooked.”
Out of six platinum albums and multiple Top 100 hits, Calveric said his favorite song to perform is the 1986 release “Fall on Me” because of the environmental message and what he believes is Michael Stipe’s best performance.
Regardless of the pressures, skeptics and challenging vocals, Calveric said it’s all worth it to give people the chance to experience the power and passion of R.E.M.
“I think that pressure exists for every tribute act,” Calveric said. “People inherently doubt you can pull off something that’s so dear to them, but I feel like we’ve put in the time … We are meticulous, and it shows.”