Bandiera on tribute shows: You play the music how fans remember it

Bobby Bandiera has played lead guitar for some of NJ's most legendary acts, from Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Southside Johnny. I couldn't think of anyone more qualified than Bandiera to put on a show to pay tribute to some of NJ's finest musicians.

 Bobby called into my show the other night to talk about the reason why he puts on these tribute shows and to share some fond memories of artists he's performed with.

As far as performing a tribute show to all the local legends he's played with Bandiera says, "I'm paying homage to so many acts doing tribute show. I've done Phil Spector and Motown and the British Invasion and Eric Clapton. I figured it's a good time to do one of all the people I've played with,"

What's important to Bandiera when putting on these tribute shows, is to make it sound like the fans remember. Bandiera said about the shows "You want to try and get every note right. You want to play it the way they remember it." Bandiera noted that an artist like Bob Dylan was classic for changing the arrangements on his songs. It could viewed as a disappoint for fans who go to see artists when they're not hearing what they're used to on the records.

As far as talking about other artists, I asked Bobby what it was like to perform with someone like Dave Edmunds. Bandiera said that performing with Edmunds was a change from what he's used to, normally playing with Jersey artists. "I remember playing shows with him. He would only play for an hour and fifteen minutes and I'd say to him 'Dave, I'm just getting warmed up.'"

Listen to the full interview in the YouTube Clip above.