Photos of Singers from Tool Tribute Bands is the Best Thing on the Internet Today
It takes a special kind of nerd to play in a tribute band, an act devoted solely to imitating another act with the utmost degree of accuracy and attention to detail. Cover bands that perform in local bars and pubs are a different thing entirely from capital-T Tribute Bands that tour the country (or the world!) with endless stacks of gear, often modeled after the original band’s setup, extensive stage production and elaborate costumes. It’s basically cosplay for music fans.
What does it say about a person that they’ve devoted their lives and careers to imitating someone else? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed a few tribute sets in my time, but the psychology of the whole thing is fascinating, right? What’s more, some of these acts have legions of devoted followers to that specific tribute band, which adds an extra layer of psychoanalytic complexity. It’s an odd phenomenon, right? Especially when the original band is one that’s still actively touring, as opposed to, say, Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin.
What’s more, what does it say about someone who actively chooses to emulate Tool, of all bands??
With that in mind, this Twitter thread consisting of nothing but photos of singers for Tool tribute bands — 14 of them from 14 different Tool tribute bands — is really something. You’ve got guys pretending to be body-painted Maynard, cop Maynard, leotard Maynard, face-painted Maynard, and just plain old regular dude Maynard… and man, if one thing’s for certain, it’s that all of these fellows are VERY SERIOUS about being Maynard. What’s more, I bet they’re pretty good at imitating his vocals, too. Shit, for a $20 ticket as opposed to a $120 ticket for the real thing I can see why folks attend these shows.
