People Are Strange A Tribute To The Doors. Thursday July 30th At Parima

Words by Tim Lewis.

I recently read a couple of things about a Doors cover band that has played Burlington a couple of times. I have always loved the Doors, and while cover bands run the gamut from really bad to almost perfect, I thought it might be worth taking a chance. After all it was just $1 to walk in the door. Considering my history of being able to not get a drink at Parima, it had the chance to be a cheap evening. Of course I would need a beer or two if the band was great, but that mindset took me out the door on my way to Pearl st.

When I walked in they were playing in the main dining room. My first thought was they were playing well, and they sounded good, but I was not catching the vibe. I hung out and watched several waiters walk by not offering to sell me a drink.

The band got into a groove, with People are Strange and 20th Century Fox, where they sounded pretty good. The singer had the deep Morrison voice, but sang the songs a bit too blank and deadpan. It’s the Doors. It needs the fire and passion. With the Doors, any of the players could explode on a moment’s notice. The cover band played the songs with skill and grace, but didn’t attack their instruments like they needed to.

That was the key to my not really liking them. Don’t get me wrong, they were really good. They played well and sounded great, but the energy just seemed to be missing in the crucial spots.

I made it 4 or 5 songs in when they played the Crystal Ship. I absolutely love that song, but they just couldn’t find the power in it. I made it most of the way through when I had to head out the door. At least my curiosity had been placated.

This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.