How many times has this happened? You nestle into your seat at a concert or festival, to see one of your favorite bands, and they announce from the stage their regular fiddler couldn’t make it, but they have so-and-so filling in at this show?
It’s pretty common, actually, for a lot of reasons. Professional bluegrass bands have to tour like crazy to make ends meet, and health and family situations intrude not infrequently. Unless you’re a huge fan of the musician who couldn’t make it, it’s not too disappointing. Professional bands find professional substitutes and most of the time, the audience doesn’t feel short-changed.
But what about when your favorite band swaps two or more members? Again, the dip in talent is rarely the issue – pro bands will substitute with other high-level players. But at some point, does the appeal of the act get diminished?
Any band that hangs around for a decade or more is bound to replace members along the way. Seldom Scene is a good example – the current touring band has literally none of the original members. How does the band’s brand – its appeal survive?
There are a couple of reasons – the band’s name is associated with a sound or style, and subsequent lineups seek to preserve that, and they continue to please fans, despite turnover in personnel.
This happens a lot in pop and rock music – often the songs are at the heart of the appeal, and bands with few or no original members can tour with competent – excellent, actually – musicians to play those songs, and still draw large audiences.
Of course, if a band’s brand is tied to a particular performer, this gets tougher. No one is going to pay to see Del McCoury without Del McCoury, or Rhonda Vincent without Rhonda Vincent. These bands don’t owe any explanations when they change lineups, so long as the headliner remains intact.
How does this affect bands on a semi-pro level? When a local band submits for a spot as California Showcase Band with one lineup, and by the time the next Father’s Day Festival some around, they’ve replaced a member or two? I think in these cases, a judgment call has to be made – was the lineup change organic, or did the band load up on “hired guns” to do their demo?
Like they say, change is the only constant, and we bluegrass fans have to decide on a case-by-case basis how these inevitable changes will affect our loyalties.
