Saturday, June 10, 2017

Day 220 INXS Experience- KICK tribute band- Hard Rock in Pittsburgh


Cory Massi lead singer with KICK-INXS Tribute Band, Pittsburgh
When we hear music that was popular  during our youth, we  are transported back to that time remembering our past antics and the fun. Maybe that is why so many of us enjoy a good  tribute band.  These bands give us the experience of a concert that most likely would not happen without them because either the band no longer exists, tours, or the front man is no longer with us.  This is the case with INXS the Australian pop/rock band of the 80’s and 90’s who’s lead singer, Michael Hutchence, self -induced his death in a hotel room in l997. “KICK-INXS Tribute Band" from South Carolina was playing at the Hard Rock Cafe in Pittsburgh and I wondered if they really could give me the INXS experience that I remembered.



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KICK 

Reflection
I have had a brief run of trying tribute bands (See Day 186- Decades Rewind and Day 201- Brit Floyd). I think that I got a little hooked on them because for a price that does not break your piggy bank, you can hear music that often times sounds just as good, if not better, than the music from the original band.  

Cory is in  the crowd singing "New Sensation"

KICK (which is also the name of  INXS's  popular album) is one of the only tribute bands  dedicated solely to the music of INXS. Their lead singer, Cory Massi, has the good looks and magnetic stage presence of  former INXS front man, Michael Hutchence.  The musicians were skilled playing all the singles just the way I remembered them- "Need You Tonight", "Devil Inside", "Never Tear Us Apart", and "Suicide Blonde-original" (watch some more KICK here). 


Massi knew how to work the crowd as he sang among them during “New Sensation”. People were dancing and feeling the memory!
Cory and I before the show 


The Hard Rock Cafe is a great  venue for an intimate musical experience. We had dinner before the show and had a table to enjoy the band. I will definitely  keep KICK the band, and  the Hard Rock Cafe's summer line up in my survival tool box (see Hard Rock Pittsburgh events here). 

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