INTRODUCTION

Thinking of starting a theatre-based tribute, or taking your tribute band from the world of pubs into the professional world of commercial theatre? Then this may just help.

This isn't really a guide on what you should do, or how you should do it, but rather some examples of what you definitely shouldn't do and why, that are all taken from my personal experience of playing in theatre tribute shows over the last 8 years.

The first thing to get out of the way immediately is that playing pubs and playing theatres are two totally different worlds. They are not the same. In fact, I'm going to put the word 'not' in capitals because I can't reiterate this enough - they are NOT the same.

Playing pubs is usually something you do for fun. You're with friends, playing music you love, having a laugh and generally spending a few hours on a Friday or Saturday night having a great time. So often you're in the corner of a room that is barely big enough for the drum kit, never mind everything else. You're playing to people who would probably be in there whether you were performing or not … half of whom aren't listening to you anyway. And it's great! After all, what sort of musician doesn't love playing music?

So, taking your decade specific or artist/band tribute into theatres seems like a no-brainer as everyone keeps telling you how great you are and how it's a shame they can't see you somewhere where you can really put on a show. And who doesn't want to play on a big(ger) stage, with lots of lights and a proper big PA? If you've never done it, then here's something you should know - it's £&*"*^& awesome! Yeah, you knew that already, didn't you?

Should you seriously consider the jump? Hell yes!

But...

You knew that was coming, didn't you? Of course there's a 'but'.

The first thing that instantly stands out is that when you start playing theatres, the cracks and weak links in your band will instantly start to make themselves apparent. Why? Because you're not just playing for fun any more. You're working. There can be a lot of pressure. There's a lot of money involved, and at risk. The theatre is your work place. People have spent a lot of money to come and watch your show - and they're actually paying attention to every single thing you do. The theatre staff are also watching every single thing you do, too. Many theatres don't even allow alcohol back stage or on stage at any part of your day. Before, during or after the show - all alcohol-free as far as the cast/musicians and techs are concerned. You're at work, as is every other person who isn't a paying audience member. Not every theatre is this strict; however, every theatre expects you to understand that YOU'RE AT WORK and to act accordingly.

Or professionally, as it's also known.

The problem is, what's normal in the informal world of pub playing is, mostly, not of an acceptable standard in the formal, finance-driven world of theatre. No matter what you may think, first and foremost theatres need to make enough money to continue operating. They also need to have a minimum level of quality so that their audience knows that even if that audience has never heard of the play, musical or tribute show that's playing there, they know that everything that appears at that theatre is always of a high quality and, therefore, worth the risk of buying 'blind'.

Theatres protect this reputation with a fierce, ruthless passion. And rightly so.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU?

If you have live audio/video that you use to promote your show, then theatres will assume that what they're hearing is what you sound and look like on stage. They're not stupid, they know when you're miming to a pre-recorded backing track in the traditional promo video way. But if you claim something is live, and they can't detect any miming, then they're going to assume you're a professional show that does indeed look and sound like the audio/video you sent them. They don't care if you use backing tracks. They don't care if you use auto-tuning. What they care about is that you haven't lied to them and used a heavily produced live recording that doesn't genuinely represent the show they've agreed to have at their venue. If you used additional tracks and/or auto-tuning on your promo material then you better use that exact same technology live, too. Theatres do not appreciate being lied to. Making them look bad to their customers is even worse!

Getting that first booking isn't really that hard if we're honest. It's getting a second one that's the real challenge, which you're not going to get if they think you lied to them, that resulted in their theatre hosting a substandard show compared to what they usually have there.

This is why being a theatre tribute will expose the weaknesses of your band or of certain people in it. Your show has to be of a very high standard at its worst. Much higher than is required for your average pub band. That doesn't mean there aren't pub bands that play to a very high standard; they just don't need to be that good to get a gig. Theatre tributes also don't need to be that good, they need to be great.

Being 'pretty tight' isn't anywhere near good enough. 'Don't worry about the end, we'll busk it' is beyond simply being unacceptable. 'It'll be fine!' - No, it wont! 'The audience won't notice...' This is easily the biggest lie of all that musicians tell each other and themselves - especially in a theatre, where there's no deafening volume to hide behind. Where even the worst mix is still clear enough to hear every vocal, every instrument. If you've got someone in the band that can't keep solid time, if you've got someone whose intonation is lacking, the audience will hear it! The theatre staff will also hear it, and they will tell the people responsible for booking shows at that venue about your substandard performance.

Another obvious challenge is the transition from playing the corner of a pub to playing on a stage. Even small theatre stages will usually be much bigger than the space you're often given to set-up in. And you have to fill it. This doesn't mean you need large sets, or that you need to run around like you're a member of Guns n' Roses. David Bowie, for example, did neither yet somehow filled the biggest stages in the world. However you do it is up to you, but you need to adapt and fill that space, too.

I find one of the biggest give-aways that someone has spent most of their musical life playing pubs is the habit of spending most of the night staring at their instrument while barely moving. Obviously, when there's no where to move and anyone who is paying attention is probably directly in front of you, you learn to perform in a certain way; a way that is perfectly acceptable in that environment. It's not really going to result in much of a theatrical show, though, is it.

And this is another reason why going into theatres can and will expose any issues in your band.

Some people will go from playing the Fox & Hounds to playing The Queen's Theatre in front of a 1,000 people without a second thought.

Some will get there, given a little time and patience, as it can be a huge culture shock.

Some will never realise that the two worlds are completely different and that their playing and/or attitude is simply not good enough. This is the hardest situation to find yourself in because as important as loyalty to the people in your band is, they will drag your show down to their level. They will be the one person people remember, no matter how good the rest of the show is. They will be the reason why a theatre won't book you again. It won't matter how much money you spend on the production side of your show. It won't matter how much money you spend on advertising your show. They will destroy what you're trying to create.

THE TICKET PRICE/EXPECTED QUALITY RATIO

In its most basic form, the higher the ticket price, the higher the expected quality of the show. In the UK at the moment (2026) there are three general ticket ranges for theatre tributes:

Up to around £18

£18 to £27

£27 to £39 (and above)

Obviously there are slight variations depending on location and theatre, but these are fairly good guidelines to the current ticket price situation at the moment.

Up To Around £18

These shows will most likely be in quite small theatres, often community run (usually the most stress-free places to play). Anyone buying a ticket is not expecting a huge stage show or the greatest musicians the UK has ever seen. In the simplest terms, they're expecting the equivalent of a great pub band, but in much more pleasant surroundings. You don't need to be West End perfect for your audience to have a good time and feel like they got value for money. Quite honestly, if only most of the band are genuinely decent musicians, you'll probably still do okay. These audiences have come out to have fun and fun is what they're going to have. These smaller shows will be some of the best, most relaxed and enjoyable experiences you'll ever have as a musician. In theatre terms, you're in the am-dram arena … which, if you've never been to an amateur production in a real theatre, can be much, much more professional than you'd expect.

£18 to £27

You'll probably be in slightly larger theatres now, but the really big difference when you make the jump up to this price range is the change in what the audience will expect for their ticket. You're no-longer in the tribute equivalent of am-dram. You're now in the full-on, professional theatre production world. All those little rough edges you could get away with before are no-longer acceptable. Going to your show is no-longer a cheap night out and while the audiences are still up for a great time, they're simply not as forgiving as the previous price range. No one is there thinking 'you can't really expect that much for fifteen quid...' because a couple who've turned up at that theatre are spending a hell of a lot more than that and they want that expense to be worth it. Two tickets, parking, then one drink each (at theatre bar prices) can easily reach £75. A couple of drinks each and it's not hard to hit £100, all for the pleasure of watching you play music for (hopefully) two hours or more. Make sure you're worth it!

Musically you need to be close to perfect. The very occasional human error isn't going to stand out but anything more just isn't going to cut it. Everything should run like clockwork; slick, effortless, utterly professional. No moments where the musicians are staring at each other because they clearly don't know what's coming next. No staring at iPads because they don't know what the words are. No one on that stage who doesn't have excellent timing and/or intonation. No one on that stage (other than emergency deps) who don't know the songs inside out and can’t play them perfectly.

And for the love of god, look the part. If the audience has made more effort than you have then you shouldn't be on that stage!

Talking of the stage, that should look professional, too. No cables all over the place. The few that have to be there are securely and neatly taped down. No open drink containers anywhere - especially on or over electrical equipment! (How unbelievably stupid do you have to be to do this?!?) Sealable containers (that should be sealed when you’re not drinking from it) should be plain (if possible) and discretely placed, unless the artist you're a tribute to did otherwise.

Don't leave cases and other detritus on the stage! 'I'll just put my guitar cases and bags under the completely open drum riser that absolutely everyone in the auditorium can see.' Again, how stupid do you have to be to think that's okay?

You should also have something along the rear of the stage, too. A cool backdrop or even video projections. Always have lighting cue sheets and spare set lists for the theatre techs. One other thing - sight lines. This is so basic to theatre workers, but it doesn't always seem to occur to some musicians. Don't set up your stage so that certain areas/people are hidden from the audience unless you specifically want them hidden.

Lastly, never, ever forget that you're not playing a gig, you're playing a show in a theatre.

£27 to £37 (and above)

Everything above but remove all the grey areas; all the tiny, little things that are almost perfect, but not quite, need to be faultless.

When you hit these prices, you're directly competing against national touring productions. You're even competing against West End shows who also have seats for sale in this price range. There's no ignoring it - you're playing in the big leagues and that's what those people who are now paying top dollar for those tickets are expecting.

Your stage needs to look great. Every musician should sound and look like the very best person imaginable to play that instrument in that show. Every singer should make your jaw drop with the perfection of their performance.

In short, everything about your show needs to be absolutely perfect. Every. Single. Thing. Just like all the other professional shows at this level manage to do every single night.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Surely the more profit you can make, the better? Technically, yes … assuming you have no long-term plans and don't mind rarely, if ever, playing the same theatre twice.

If, however, you'd like to be doing this for a good few years, increasing your fan base after every show, then you need to understand where you want to sit in the Ticket Price range and make sure you’re actually good enough to be there. No one range is better than any other. Playing Under £18 shows can easily be the most enjoyable, stress-free things you'll do as a musician. Playing £27 to £37 shows can mean playing full-time - being a full-time musician - making a proper wage, which is many people's dream.

The easiest way to judge how well your show is doing is to look at how many theatres are booking you again after that first performance. If the majority are asking you back then you know your production and your ticket pricing is about right. If, on the other hand, you're rarely being invited back then you have a serious problem. Either be honest and fix what's wrong, or accept that you’re throwing everyone's time, effort and money down the drain because your show has absolutely no chance of survival.

RED FLAGS

If someone turns up more than once with gear that is not working correctly, you have to seriously question whether or not they understand what their job actually is. Not getting gear fixed shows a complete lack of respect for the show/band and the people in it. It also shows a complete lack of thought or respect for the theatre, its staff and, most importantly of all, the people who've paid their hard-earned money to have a night out - possibly the only night out they can afford for the entire year. It's extremely unprofessional and completely unacceptable. If they make this mistake more than once then they shouldn't be on that stage!

If you have someone who repeatedly gets their stage cues wrong, misses intros because they're not ready, is dicking around during the big, emotional ballad when everyone else on that stage is following the stage directions to be sombre and still, then they shouldn't be on that stage!

If you have someone who is a full member of the show, who after a number of shows and/or months in the band, still doesn't know how the songs start, or where the bridge is, or how the songs end; they shouldn't be on that stage!

If you have someone on the main part of the stage, who uses a prompt of some sort - screens disguised as wedges, or the more blatant tablet/iPad on a stand - and they spend half the night staring at that screen, then they're not performing. The audience didn't pay to watch someone staring at their iPad, who clearly couldn't be bothered to learn their part but still expects those people in the auditorium to cough up £30 for a ticket. Prompts can be incredibly useful tools. What they're not is a crutch so that someone doesn't have to do at least the absolute bare minimum to get paid.

If you have someone whose actions result in that show being black listed by a theatre or, as happened to a show I was playing with a couple of years ago, black listed by that theatre and every other theatre owned by the same company, then they should be sacked immediately! Yeah, this one should be a no-brainer but… In this instance, the bass player got the show I mentioned black listed (for intentionally taking his clothes off in front of the young, female stage hands!), who were not only black listed by that theatre and its related theatres but who suddenly found it nigh-on impossible to get booked or rebooked for a second time at other theatres they'd previously played at, who then brushed the whole incident (which, it turned out, wasn't the first time he'd done it) under the carpet. Even the other people in the show never found out what had happened … which is also a dirty great big Red Flag.

If you have someone who either can't fix musical issues that the band, the MD (or the person in the band who has fallen into the task of being a de facto MD) has noticed during rehearsals or shows, or who doesn't think there are issues that need fixing, even when there's audio recordings showing the issue, then you have to question the attitude and/or competency of the person involved because conscientious musicians (whether they're seasoned pros or happy-go-lucky amateurs) will recognise their mistake and do everything in their power to fix it. If the musician can't fix the problem of being out of time or out of tune, or they can't even hear the problem, then they shouldn't be on that stage!

If you have someone who physically threatens another member of the band/show, they should be sacked immediately! No ifs, no buts - they're gone. Again, this should be a no-brainer, and yet here I am again, having to state what should be obvious.

If you have someone who creates far more problems than solutions, then they shouldn’t be on that stage!

A SIDE NOTE FOR MDs

I think most people know that you should never try to discuss a gig/show that had issues right after you walk off the stage. Give it at least a couple of hours - better still, leave it until the next day - because having a room of musicians, who've all got an unhealthy amount of adrenaline in their system, rarely results in a calm, productive discussion.

However, this side note is specifically for the MD (or the person who has somehow found themself doing the job of an MD). As the MD, part of your job is to get the best performance out of every person in the band so that collection of musicians and artists creates the best show possible for that particular group of people. This means part of your job is to talk to people when there's something in their performance that needs improving or fixing. This is not the most pleasant of tasks, to say the least, but it doesn't have to be that bad, either, if you remember that getting the best performance out of someone usually comes from encouraging them rather than trying to belittle or berate them.

I think it's safe to say that most bands and shows rely on apps like WhatsApp to discuss band stuff on a day to day basis. This means it's possible to talk to a single person privately if the need arises (perhaps because something happened at the previous gig, show or rehearsal), using carefully chosen words. There's no need to possibly shame someone by doing it in the main band chat. A friendly message, or call if you prefer, is usually a much better way to treat your fellow musicians. Even better if you've got a recording of the problematic phrase/section so that they can hear precisely what you're talking about. I've never had a conscientious musician ever be upset or offended by a polite message of this nature, which has thankfully been by far the vast majority of people I've ever worked with. Those same musicians also never seem to have any sort of issue with that phrase or section ever again, either.

Then there's the other ‘musician’. Thankfully the minority, but who sooner or later, consciously or unconsciously, become a toxic stain that will insidiously destroy the strands of trust, friendship and professionalism in your show until the whole thing falls apart.

If you find yourself in the situation where you've messaged or spoken to someone a few times without them either addressing the problem, or worse still, claiming to not be able to hear anything wrong, then it's time to gently introduce the discussion into the main band chat.

This isn't to publicly shame them, this is to protect you.

Quite honestly, if after a couple of gigs/shows they're still making the same mistakes then, from my experience, you're flogging a dead horse. If they haven't fixed whatever the problem is straight away then it's never getting fixed. But let's assume we have a situation where someone's having a bad month and give them the benefit of the doubt. What you don't want to happen is for that musician to feel like you're privately picking on them. Take it into the main chat as gently as possible and hope they realise that it is in fact something they have to fix rather than you simply being difficult for some reason they’ve created in their head.

However, as I said, I've never found myself in this situation. Instead, it's always been the much more unpleasant scenario, and this is why you must take the situation into the main band chat.

No one wants to be the bad guy but sometimes the MD has to accept that you're going to have to upset someone sooner or later. If you don't take the problem to the band as a whole, you're not being the 'good guy' trying to protect someone's feelings; you're avoiding the inevitable and building the foundations of much, much more unpleasant situations for the future … assuming the show even lasts that long. Do you really think someone who is refusing to accept there's a problem with their attitude or playing is not going to do everything they can to blame someone else for whatever comes next? Do you really think this person isn't going to play the victim? Isn't going to fling threats and accusations? Is miraculously going to become the musician the show needs them to be?

Worse still, if you keep everything that's happening 'behind the scenes' from the rest of the band because you don't want to be seen as the bad guy, what do you think's going to happen if and when that musician goes too far and crosses a line that can't be uncrossed and you finally let rip with the truth for everyone to read or hear? To the rest of the band, they haven't seen the months or years of shitty attitude, of being spoken to like you're an arsehole, of you going well and truly above and beyond any reasonable expectation anyone could possibly have to try and find an acceptable/workable solution for something everyone else in the show has managed without issue; all they see is the explosion. And if you think someone who has spent all this time playing the victim, taking absolutely no responsibility for their actions, is somehow not going to take full advantage of this new situation then you're an idiot. Like me.

Yep, I made this exact error. I am that idiot. Which is why you need to get the situation into the realm of the full band straight away … because it's not going to change! It just isn't! By this point, there's no reason to worry about being the bad guy because the show's doomed if nothing changes anyway. As I said 3,000 words ago; no matter how much you may desperately want it to not be true, the audience in that auditorium hears EVERYTHING. And so do the people who booked the show, who you've now made look bad. Well done, I'm sure you'll be a great success. What professional theatre booker, whose entire job requires them to constantly fill their theatre day in, day out, won't want to book your show with the musician who can't play, or the singer who can't sing? And who won’t want to spend their hard earned wages buying more tickets to listen to you murder their favourite songs?

If every show isn’t the best advert for the next one then you have serious problems. Fix them all, or fail. It really is that simple.