Cover band can be pejorative. Tribute act puts a nice shine on the label, but it still can have a negative vibe to some. But musicians concentrating on other artists’ work can actually move a genre forward.
Jazz depends on it. Blues depends on it. Rock ‘n’ roll found its way into its second and third waves via covers — see the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, and the Grateful Dead.
So as you look at the spring calendar and see a few cover bands, please think of them as part of a grand tradition. A grand tradition that a few acts this season will twist in strange and welcome ways.
Brit Floyd, March 24, Orpheum Theatre
You gotta have lasers – like, a lot of lasers – if you want to do Pink Floyd. Thankfully, Brit Floyd has a lot of lasers, a lot of lights, and a lot of musicians dedicated to getting it just right. About a decade ago, band leader Damian Darlington came out of The Australian Pink Floyd Show (already the world’s leading Floyd tribute act) thinking he could do the catalog even more justice. To do this, the group has nearly a dozen ace musicians plus a crew of tech wizards, cuz, you know, lasers! orpheumtheatremaboston.com
Grateful 4 Biggie, March 24, City Winery
Yes, this is exactly what you think it is: A Grateful Dead/Notorious B.I.G. mash up. If you’re wondering how this is even possible, go to YouTube and look up the group’s live hybrid of “China Cat Sunflower” and “Kick in the Door.” It’s madness and genius (and kinda the sound Red Hot Chili Peppers have been swinging at, and missing, for years). Turns out hip hop and hippie grooves are a delightful combination when done by an ensemble this open minded. instagram.com/grateful4biggie
Bearly Dead, April 6, the Sinclair, Cambridge
Bearly Dead got a head of steam going with a beloved Wednesday night residency at Somerville club Thunder Road. The band’s trick? The guys make the Dead come alive with wildly bold, bright, fast and freewheeling jams. When the club got bulldozed, the Boston band found other local venues to pack. But, frankly, these musicians are too talented to stay in one place. Bearly Dead came out of COVID as a nationally touring act (that doesn’t forget it needs to play Somerville and Cambridge a few times a year). bearlydeadmusic.com
Marc Martel & One Vision of Queen at the Boston Pops, May 15 & 16, Symphony Hall
Marc Martel is one of three guys ever that can keep pace with Freddie Mercury’s voice (George Michael and Adam Lambert being the other two). Martel is so remarkable, he lent his pipes to the biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Imagine, a guy with this voice – and the rest of the aces in the One Vision of Queen band – leaning to a set of classics with the Pops. Please, please, do a symphonic take on “Who Wants to Live Forever.” bso.org/pops
