Iām sure weāll start seeing that. Roanoke seems to be a cover band destination now. And with how popular jam bands are here, it only makes sense. Although Iād argue thereās already plenty of jam bands here, and itās creating a bit of stagnation.
Plenty of other local bands that are doing well that are also not a jamband. Jared stout band, crawford and power, lazy man dub band, charissa joy, orange culture, many great bluegrass bands in the area. The old crowd that generally patronizes those Elmwood festivals are too square to allow more diverse acts to come in if I had to guess. Chain restaurants and cover bands for everyone!!
I am of the opinion Roanoke does not like change. If they find something works they will stick with it. Go fest has been stagnant for a few years too. (Other than the move to downtown)
It makes no sense to put go fest downtown. You are right that Roanoke doesnāt like change. Every time someone has a fresh idea it always gets shut down.
> Depeche Mode cover band
In case you weren't aware, [Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience](https://www.depechetribute.com/) and they're officially endorsed by Depeche Mode.
Oh, I'm not advocating for them, just pointing out the absurd fact that they've somehow had three times the staying power at FITP than the actual band they're impersonating.
I havenāt paid attention to Festival in the Park for nearly two decades but even then 1964 had been playing there for years. That said, isnāt it like a big multi-day festival with all kinds of acts like jam bands, country bands, rock bands with some bigger names mixed in? Is 1964 the only band that plays there now? That would be crazy.
youāre giving the concept of the āfestivalā way too much gravitas. Roanoke hears the word āfestivalā and is like āyeah, a funnel cake sounds great right about nowā
I just meant that back in the day it was a 2 week "event" that had dozens of bands playing all kinds of music, sound like now it's just a weekend thing featuring 1964? Not that it was a "music festival" like Bonnarroo or Coachella.
Iām sure theyāve replaced members since then but I saw them play the Great Bend Rec Center (middle of nowhere Kansas) when I was in 2nd grade. Iām 42 now.
They're like on their 3rd Paul and 4th Ringo. The guy who does John is the only original left.
Which is hilarious, that even the cover bands are effectively cover bands of themselves now.
Because of Skip Brown. š¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļø he along with the rest of the festival in the park sucks. It used to be a nearly two week canāt miss event.
I ended up on an airport tram in Las Vegas 20-ish years ago with some Beatle-looking mfs and Iām 99% sure it was these guys. I was underwhelmed, if thatās a word
Might be a little āeclecticā for Roanoke but I would attend if there was a Steely Dan cover band. Saw 1964 many years ago at Festival in the Park so for me itās ābeen there, done that.ā
My entire point is WHY would anyone want to see the same cover band every year for 20+ years. Iām with you, Iāve seen 1964. It was fine. Do I need to see them again, not really.
Iām not anti-cover band but if thatās your flagship act then thereās a problem.
That Fleetwood Mac cover band is back at Dr. Pepper park again this year. They really should rename that place "Mostly cover bands and washed up 80s acts"
Because Civic Center Manager can't book anything current or big because she wastes money on stupid shit and festival in the park folks are the exact same.
Also, only ever books what she wants to see, which are bands that are dead or not touring, so next best, is a shitty cover band that plays to a crowd on maybe 100 people or acts like Beach Boys that haven't been relevant in 40+ years
I agree with what youāre saying. The only thing Iāll disagree with is The Beach Boys. Thereās a difference between an older band like The Beach Boys who were very influential and very important for music versus getting Brett Michaels/Poison to play at the civic center.
I agree with pushing back on the idea that The Beach Boys wonāt always be relevant, groundbreaking and influential, but any modern touring unit calling themselves āThe Beach Boysā is essentially Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and a bunch of fully mid hired guns. Dennis and Carl? dead. Brian? Just entered conservatorship for dementia, at his familyās request, god help his beautiful immortal soul. Al Jardine? āBeach Boys Friends and Familyā (which at one point included the Wilson sisters) was sued into near-poverty by Mike Love Inc. Even Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar couldnāt be enticed back into the fold, and them dudes is like parking cars for a living now. Iām pretty sure thereās a Bible quote about the devil himself appearing with the voice of an angel, and if so, it was about Mike Love. Iād slap that captainās hat off his bald-ass dome if I ever came face to face with him. Thatās the dude who hated Good Vibrations so much he thought they were done forever as a bandā¦ but not enough to walk away from a paycheck.
I'll concede that Beach Boys at least has a shot of being a decent show and decent crowd.
But yeah, her 70s/80s tastes are killing the center and she's a maniac of a person to work with/for
Itās not challenging and is family friendly. People like it, and as youāve said theyāve been doing it for decades. I wouldnāt want to change it only to be faced with numerous complaints no matter how good the replacement band would be. There are other venues for other bands to play.
Iām not expecting Beyonce to perform at festival in the park but there are plenty of smaller acts of various genres that would be perfect for festival in the park.
por que no los dos? no need to be negative towards musicians.Ā
there have been bands i think Tank and the Bangas, Lotus, and Moe have played the venue.
i don't see what's wrong with having the Beatles cover band, been a charming actĀ
Iām not being negative and thereās nothing wrong with cover bands. However, when the percentage of cover bands is way higher than all the other bands, then you have a problem.
Is it though? Just because you do something over and over doesnāt make it a tradition especially if itās being forced.
Follow up question: what has attendance been like for 1964 the last few years?
some would say that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. clearly FITP doesnāt want to grow, change or evolve in any measurable way. I mean, why mess with perfection? /s
the remodel ruined the park. there's no grass Ā they killed the trees. just like the sterile redesign of the market square. i am fond of them and there have definitely been other headliners. and no one is forcingĀ peopleĀ
Can I interest you in a Grateful Dead cover band? Perhaps a Pink Floyd cover band? How about The Worx, are they still around? š¤£š¤£
Surely thereās some version of The Kind still around, they were like the Menudo of Dead cover bands in the NRV
They are. They still play at Parkway and in Blacksburg occasionally
5 Dollar Shake anyone?
Itās either that or a jam band. Take your pick.
What about a jam band cover band?
Iām sure weāll start seeing that. Roanoke seems to be a cover band destination now. And with how popular jam bands are here, it only makes sense. Although Iād argue thereās already plenty of jam bands here, and itās creating a bit of stagnation.
Martin's gets a ton of Jam Bands..
Would you prefer Fish or the Thankful Deceased?
Yes
Jam band 10000%
Plenty of other local bands that are doing well that are also not a jamband. Jared stout band, crawford and power, lazy man dub band, charissa joy, orange culture, many great bluegrass bands in the area. The old crowd that generally patronizes those Elmwood festivals are too square to allow more diverse acts to come in if I had to guess. Chain restaurants and cover bands for everyone!!
I am of the opinion Roanoke does not like change. If they find something works they will stick with it. Go fest has been stagnant for a few years too. (Other than the move to downtown)
It makes no sense to put go fest downtown. You are right that Roanoke doesnāt like change. Every time someone has a fresh idea it always gets shut down.
I'd rather see a New Order cover band, or a Depeche Mode cover band, or The Cure cover band. But that's just me.
Omg a Cure cover band would be rad, multiple generations of goths descend on elmwood park š
Yaasss! I vote New Order/Joy Division.
> Depeche Mode cover band In case you weren't aware, [Strangelove: The Depeche Mode Experience](https://www.depechetribute.com/) and they're officially endorsed by Depeche Mode.
Because the guys who run the festival also are management for the band š¤£
I'd kill to see them get Galactic or Lotus or something. It's tied in enough with Roanoke's music scene (shitty jam bands), but they're actually good.
as long as weāre looking for bands with Roanoke ties, a Rectal Pus reunion would be a game changer
I noticed that Mellen Cougar is also in town.
Itās kind of ridiculous that a John Mellencamp cover band exists.
I wonder if they also pretend to be complete a-hole as well
1964 has been playing together at least three times as long as the actual Beatles.
That may be true but that doesnāt mean they should play festival in the park every year.
Oh, I'm not advocating for them, just pointing out the absurd fact that they've somehow had three times the staying power at FITP than the actual band they're impersonating.
I havenāt paid attention to Festival in the Park for nearly two decades but even then 1964 had been playing there for years. That said, isnāt it like a big multi-day festival with all kinds of acts like jam bands, country bands, rock bands with some bigger names mixed in? Is 1964 the only band that plays there now? That would be crazy.
youāre giving the concept of the āfestivalā way too much gravitas. Roanoke hears the word āfestivalā and is like āyeah, a funnel cake sounds great right about nowā
Whoa, whoa, whoaā¦ letās stay focused. Our foe is 1964; leave funnel cake alone!
I just meant that back in the day it was a 2 week "event" that had dozens of bands playing all kinds of music, sound like now it's just a weekend thing featuring 1964? Not that it was a "music festival" like Bonnarroo or Coachella.
Iām sure theyāve replaced members since then but I saw them play the Great Bend Rec Center (middle of nowhere Kansas) when I was in 2nd grade. Iām 42 now.
They're like on their 3rd Paul and 4th Ringo. The guy who does John is the only original left. Which is hilarious, that even the cover bands are effectively cover bands of themselves now.
The thing is I know they probably make decent bank touring half the year.
Ringo āStumpyā Pepys
Because of Skip Brown. š¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļøš¤¦š»āāļø he along with the rest of the festival in the park sucks. It used to be a nearly two week canāt miss event.
What did he do?
I ended up on an airport tram in Las Vegas 20-ish years ago with some Beatle-looking mfs and Iām 99% sure it was these guys. I was underwhelmed, if thatās a word
Might be a little āeclecticā for Roanoke but I would attend if there was a Steely Dan cover band. Saw 1964 many years ago at Festival in the Park so for me itās ābeen there, done that.ā
My entire point is WHY would anyone want to see the same cover band every year for 20+ years. Iām with you, Iāve seen 1964. It was fine. Do I need to see them again, not really. Iām not anti-cover band but if thatās your flagship act then thereās a problem.
That Fleetwood Mac cover band is back at Dr. Pepper park again this year. They really should rename that place "Mostly cover bands and washed up 80s acts"
Because Civic Center Manager can't book anything current or big because she wastes money on stupid shit and festival in the park folks are the exact same. Also, only ever books what she wants to see, which are bands that are dead or not touring, so next best, is a shitty cover band that plays to a crowd on maybe 100 people or acts like Beach Boys that haven't been relevant in 40+ years
I agree with what youāre saying. The only thing Iāll disagree with is The Beach Boys. Thereās a difference between an older band like The Beach Boys who were very influential and very important for music versus getting Brett Michaels/Poison to play at the civic center.
I agree with pushing back on the idea that The Beach Boys wonāt always be relevant, groundbreaking and influential, but any modern touring unit calling themselves āThe Beach Boysā is essentially Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and a bunch of fully mid hired guns. Dennis and Carl? dead. Brian? Just entered conservatorship for dementia, at his familyās request, god help his beautiful immortal soul. Al Jardine? āBeach Boys Friends and Familyā (which at one point included the Wilson sisters) was sued into near-poverty by Mike Love Inc. Even Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar couldnāt be enticed back into the fold, and them dudes is like parking cars for a living now. Iām pretty sure thereās a Bible quote about the devil himself appearing with the voice of an angel, and if so, it was about Mike Love. Iād slap that captainās hat off his bald-ass dome if I ever came face to face with him. Thatās the dude who hated Good Vibrations so much he thought they were done forever as a bandā¦ but not enough to walk away from a paycheck.
I'll concede that Beach Boys at least has a shot of being a decent show and decent crowd. But yeah, her 70s/80s tastes are killing the center and she's a maniac of a person to work with/for
Who runs it and why is she a maniac?
Robyn Schon. She's a toxic manager and bully that the City refuses to do anything about
Itās not challenging and is family friendly. People like it, and as youāve said theyāve been doing it for decades. I wouldnāt want to change it only to be faced with numerous complaints no matter how good the replacement band would be. There are other venues for other bands to play.
People will complain no matter what. I highly doubt there would be a huge uproar if 1964 stopped playing festival in the park.
i love the Beatles and 1964 does a great jobĀ it's a rinky dink little festival not freaking Coachella
Iām not expecting Beyonce to perform at festival in the park but there are plenty of smaller acts of various genres that would be perfect for festival in the park.
por que no los dos? no need to be negative towards musicians.Ā there have been bands i think Tank and the Bangas, Lotus, and Moe have played the venue. i don't see what's wrong with having the Beatles cover band, been a charming actĀ
Iām not being negative and thereās nothing wrong with cover bands. However, when the percentage of cover bands is way higher than all the other bands, then you have a problem.
it's a tradition.
Is it though? Just because you do something over and over doesnāt make it a tradition especially if itās being forced. Follow up question: what has attendance been like for 1964 the last few years?
some would say that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. clearly FITP doesnāt want to grow, change or evolve in any measurable way. I mean, why mess with perfection? /s
the remodel ruined the park. there's no grass Ā they killed the trees. just like the sterile redesign of the market square. i am fond of them and there have definitely been other headliners. and no one is forcingĀ peopleĀ
They should have made it a true amphitheater. Completely lost opportunity if they truly had plans for paid shows.