Opinions on Dire Straits coverbands?

[Pottel]

not interested in them whatsoever (DS ones) but i have no problem with them as long as they are clearly stating to be just that, a cover band.
recently saw a (german, but amazing english pronounciation) Floyd coverband and was truly amazed at how close they stayed to the original (in a well done way) and still managed to sound "different"

[rmarques821]

Legacy, Experience, Brothers in Band, Dire Wherever...

Let these guys earns their money.
It's a job.

ps. Chris comments are just perfect.

They earning money by playing someone else's work. They're artistic leeches.
It's good for them that Mark is only bothered enough to write a song about it (and a few lines in another song).

[rmarques821]

not interested in them whatsoever (DS ones) but i have no problem with them as long as they are clearly stating to be just that, a cover band.
recently saw a (german, but amazing english pronounciation) Floyd coverband and was truly amazed at how close they stayed to the original (in a well done way) and still managed to sound "different"

Right. But a few of them have come milimeters close to branding themselves as the original thing. I personally know a couple of people who have bought tickets for this kind of show thinking they were going to see the actual Dire Straits. And then being extremely disappointed when they realise it isn't. Their mistake for not reading the miniscule letters below "DIRE STRAITS".

[Brunno Nunes]

Legacy, Experience, Brothers in Band, Dire Wherever...

Let these guys earns their money.
It's a job.

ps. Chris comments are just perfect.

It's funny that some points of view seem to be full of spite. You're absolutely right, Rolo. I'll add one more thing: Mark Knopfler only has something to gain from tribute bands like DSE or DSL. As far as I know, they have to pay a fee, a percentage of each ticket that goes into MK's account. I don't know if the same thing happens with Spanish bands like Oscar's band, Alchemy Project or Brothers In Band, but for MK, there are only advantages. He makes money while sleeping, brushing his teeth... while cover and tribute bands provide entertainment for those who want to pay for it. I have no doubt that there is a lot of effort and dedication in each of these projects to bring something that matches the quality attributed to a Dire Straits show. It's never the same, but they fulfill the role of any quality cover or tribute band. If there are people who think they are paying to watch a Dire Straits show, without a doubt it is someone who only knows a couple of songs that they are able to recognize by name, SOS, SFA, MFN or WOL at most, so it is not the bands' problem, it is their problem that they do not inform themselves in the information age.

[Brunno Nunes]

Legacy, Experience, Brothers in Band, Dire Wherever...

Let these guys earns their money.
It's a job.

ps. Chris comments are just perfect.

It's funny that some points of view seem to be full of spite. You're absolutely right, Rolo. I'll add one more thing: Mark Knopfler only has something to gain from tribute bands like DSE or DSL. As far as I know, they have to pay a fee, a percentage of each ticket that goes into MK's account. I don't know if the same thing happens with Spanish bands like Oscar's band, Alchemy Project or Brothers In Band, but for MK, there are only advantages. He makes money while sleeping, brushing his teeth... while cover and tribute bands provide entertainment for those who want to pay for it. I have no doubt that there is a lot of effort and dedication in each of these projects to bring something that matches the quality attributed to a Dire Straits show. It's never the same, but they fulfill the role of any quality cover or tribute band. If there are people who think they are paying to watch a Dire Straits show, without a doubt it is someone who only knows a couple of songs that they are able to recognize by name, SOS, SFA, MFN or WOL at most, so it is not the bands' problem, it is their problem that they do not inform themselves in the information age.

In addition to spreading the songs written by Mark Knopfler, making them travel around the world, entering people's daily lives, that is, they promote them, make these songs live, because they are invoked and in essence are presented by fans to fans, this is keeping the flame of the band's memory alive, since we will no longer have the opportunity in this existence to see Dire Straits again, Mark Knopfler nullified all possibilities. When they reversed the time machine and I was able to travel back in time to watch the performance at Rockpalast 79, Alchemy... in person, the tribute bands or covers won't make as much sense to me. 😅

[Stanko]

Just for fun

[Chris W]

I personally know a couple of people who have bought tickets for this kind of show thinking they were going to see the actual Dire Straits. And then being extremely disappointed when they realise it isn't. Their mistake for not reading the miniscule letters below "DIRE STRAITS".

That would be odd seeing as Dire Straits ended their live performances in 1992 and officially disbanded just a few years later.

[Chris W]

They earning money by playing someone else's work. They're artistic leeches.
It's good for them that Mark is only bothered enough to write a song about it (and a few lines in another song).

Have you ever done anything original?
Mark is making money off all these cover bands playing his songs. It is also extremely hard work to play the songs at the right level to pay respect to the originals and attain the high standard that modern audiences expect.

[Rolo]

I See that, to a die-hard fan, tribute bands could be offensive.
It's strange, however, there is a thin line between being cool or being offensive.

If a pub-band plays a very well played DS set during the concert, It's fine. This little band is paying their respect do DS.
However, when this little band realises there are enought audience interested on more DS songs and they turned themselves into a serious DS cover band.... Oh, no. This is outrageous.

And if this little band starts touring as DS Cover Band... Ufff. It's a deadly sin.

If you don't like DSL, don't watch them.
The same as for any cover band that you dislike.

[wayaman]

In the end MK makes money without doing anything so that comment that these bands are milking him it's quite nonsense.

[quizzaciously]

I See that, to a die-hard fan, tribute bands could be offensive.
It's strange, however, there is a thin line between being cool or being offensive.

If a pub-band plays a very well played DS set during the concert, It's fine. This little band is paying their respect do DS.
However, when this little band realises there are enought audience interested on more DS songs and they turned themselves into a serious DS cover band.... Oh, no. This is outrageous.

And if this little band starts touring as DS Cover Band... Ufff. It's a deadly sin.

If you don't like DSL, don't watch them.
The same as for any cover band that you dislike.

I see no problem when it's done by fans, for fans. However, when ex-band members step in, it becomes a little bit weird to me and deserving of all the hate. Also applies to ex-band LEADERS who resurrect their old, money-making projects obviously only to pay off their mortgage. Just imagine all the tankers, trucks and freight trains full of money Mark avoided by not resurrecting DS in any shape or form. If I had a tribute band and had a chance to bring an ex-member on board, I would say no to them.

[rmarques821]

I personally know a couple of people who have bought tickets for this kind of show thinking they were going to see the actual Dire Straits. And then being extremely disappointed when they realise it isn't. Their mistake for not reading the miniscule letters below "DIRE STRAITS".

That would be odd seeing as Dire Straits ended their live performances in 1992 and officially disbanded just a few years later.

Yes, but there are always those people who only know the hits and are completely out of what happens in the music world, or may even have forgotten that the band has ended. They might be led to think that the band is back, which is of course their fault, not the tribute bands.

[rmarques821]

They earning money by playing someone else's work. They're artistic leeches.
It's good for them that Mark is only bothered enough to write a song about it (and a few lines in another song).

Have you ever done anything original?
Mark is making money off all these cover bands playing his songs. It is also extremely hard work to play the songs at the right level to pay respect to the originals and attain the high standard that modern audiences expect.

Yes. The work that I do daily for my employer (which happens to be a Government) is original. It all comes out of my head, as I'm sure is the case with most of us here. I'm certainly not (directly, at least: for example, I use a laptop which is not my creation, but you understand my point) using someone else's templates or ideas to make a living.

That's why I always have tremendous respect and support for young artists/songwriters who are creative and come up with their own work, even if today in the streaming era, it gets very difficult.

My conclusion is that the guys involved in these tribute acts are not creative or talented enough to come up with their own material (or at the very least material that can pay their bills) so they resort to playing someone else's stuff to make a living.

[rmarques821]

In the end MK makes money without doing anything so that comment that these bands are milking him it's quite nonsense.

I don't know if this comment is direct response to my comments, but that's not what I said at all.

I don't care if Mark is making money with it or not. My point is that tribute bands are not talented or creative enough to create their own work, so they resort to play someone else's work to pay their bills, which I'm pretty sure is artistically reprehensible at least (I'm not even going into legal Intellectual Property details).

I'm pretty sure they're nice people and put a lot of work into it, but I find it difficult to give them credit when they're selling themselves with work that's not theirs.

[rmarques821]

I See that, to a die-hard fan, tribute bands could be offensive.
It's strange, however, there is a thin line between being cool or being offensive.

If a pub-band plays a very well played DS set during the concert, It's fine. This little band is paying their respect do DS.
However, when this little band realises there are enought audience interested on more DS songs and they turned themselves into a serious DS cover band.... Oh, no. This is outrageous.

And if this little band starts touring as DS Cover Band... Ufff. It's a deadly sin.

If you don't like DSL, don't watch them.
The same as for any cover band that you dislike.

I see no problem when it's done by fans, for fans. However, when ex-band members step in, it becomes a little bit weird to me and deserving of all the hate. Also applies to ex-band LEADERS who resurrect their old, money-making projects obviously only to pay off their mortgage. Just imagine all the tankers, trucks and freight trains full of money Mark avoided by not resurrecting DS in any shape or form. If I had a tribute band and had a chance to bring an ex-member on board, I would say no to them.

Yeah, that's it. I wouldn't mind going to see a DS cover band playing in their yard or garage or something like that. It would be fun. It just tickles my mind a bit that these tribute bands go around the world selling themselves and then you start thinking: "very nice, but that's not your work."