Evolution -- The Journey Tribute

Evolution -- The Journey Tribute
19 August 1006: The Canal Room — New York

Tribute acts are cover bands with sillier names -- the Achtung Babies or Fleetwood to the Max. They're music's C-list, sure, but can they really rock like the big boys?

by Elizabeth Black
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I've been to at least a dozen weddings, so I've seen plenty of cover bands. A tribute act, though? Never had the pleasure. And to be honest, I've never cared enough to make a distinction between the two. Tribute groups have always seemed like cover bands with more specific, punny names -- the Achtung Babies or Fleetwood to the Max. Whichever word you use, they play someone else's music and put on a performance more theatrical than anything else -- it's the musical equivalent of a C-list.

Evolution is a tribute band devoted to the music and hairstyles of the glory days (a term equally exchangeable with "the Steve Perry days") of Journey, and the group definitely employs theatrics. Look no further than lead singer Hugo, a dead ringer for Steve Perry, for evidence of that. But, they are seasoned musicians as well, and they put on a damn fine show.

Unfortunately, the Canal Room is the furthest thing from a stadium or even an average rock club. It's the type of place where a company would have a holiday party -- wood-paneled, very modern and sleek. And clean! Someone spilled a beer on the floor just before the show and it was mopped up within seconds. The old fogey I've become appreciated the cleanliness, and the great sound quality, but the young'un inside knew the place wasn't very rock 'n roll. Also not rock 'n roll was the plea for punctuality "Show begins at 8:30 SHARP!" on the poster for the show. So, if we're keeping score it's:

Old Fogeys: 2
Rock Gods: 0

Hugo (just plain Hugo, no last name) looks uncannily like Steve Perry; he has that same earnest, eyebrows-reaching-for-the-sky, "Oh, girl, I'm singing this song for you" look. It makes me wonder how he goes through life looking so much like someone else, and doing it professionally at that, while also being Hugo on his days off. Is the Steve Perry hair just an on-the-job requirement? Does he wish he could cut it all off but knows the Felicity-like scrutiny he'll face when he goes onstage? During the show, I remained mesmerized by the Perry likeness, but Hugo is in other bands and a musician in his own right, so these issues of identity must not plague him the way they do me.

The rest of the band did not attempt to role-play, as Journey's actual lineup was far too volatile for that. If they were going for an accurate tribute, Evolution's own members would need to be replaced every third song. Instead of pretending, they just played to hundreds of fans -- fans of Journey, obviously, but also fans of the band in front of them. It's a slight, subtle distinction, but the band brought something to Journey's music that we never would have seen otherwise. For that, the fans were grateful. Of course, it's hard to play an arena-rock show without an arena, but the band gave us what we wanted and didn't mess with the power-guitar-and-vocals combo that the original did so well.

Essentially, the show was a best-of compilation -- they couldn't do what they do without including songs like "Don't Stop Believin'", "Separate Ways", "Faithfully", or "Any Way You Want It." But, for the fans who craved more than just the hit parade, the band also played "Stone in Love", "Mother Father", and "Oh, Sherrie" -- not a true Journey song, but that was clearly not an issue for anyone. The crowd was mostly in their twenties and thirties, some older, and everyone was loving it. That had a lot to do with the band's theatrics: Hugo would crouch down to allow fans to sing into the microphone with him, and one girl was treated to "Happy Birthday".

The whole night felt like your favorite band playing a private show for you and your friends: intimate setting, wasn't too crowded, you were right up by the stage, and only your favorite songs were played. That's the thing; you have to love the music in the first place to appreciate these types of bands. The band itself is a tribute, but being there as a fan is too. After all, it's not actually your favorite band up there. Of course, the weird part about this show was that, after a while, you couldn't tell the difference.

— 5 September 2006