Would rather listen to recordings in the comfort of my own home.

... we're there for the songs, anyways.

Somewhere around 15 years ago, a friend was excited because he had seen "The Beach Boys" the night before at a local winery.

Except it was Mike Love & Bruce Johnston's Beach Boys cover band, since Love bought the rights to the name, and could assemble any band he wanted and call it "The Beach Boys."

And, as you said, my friend was there for the songs, and he got them, and the details of the delivery were irrelevant to him.

as I'm sure everyone knows, so ... not really a cover band, even if Love is a bit of an ass

I would say it's 99% 'no' on this question, but maybe with a very occasional, specific exception. OR it's really cheap and my frame of mind is I'm going to see a cover band cause I like the bands tunes so much and I've heard the cover band is great.

I love classic rock, and I love me some Skynyrd... but it's not the same. It's a cover band. Would I pay to see a "cover band"? No, but I don't object generally bands playing a show of mixed covers, if that makes sense. It's the old viking ship question... if dig it up and you've replaced the mast, the hull, the sails, and the oars... is it stll an authentic viking ship?

Though I'd hella go see Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe. Though I know Bill is retired so, the other three and a good drummer? Sure. And I wouldn't cry if they called themselves 'Yes' but I think it'd be better if they didn't. Squire was a founder and only member to appear on all albums.

Foreigner or Skynyrd in 1978.

Every group I can think of I'd pay to see would rrquire either a reuniting or a resurrection. Montrose and Gamma. Pink Floyd. Deep Purple Mk. II. Queen. The Ramones. Sweet. Slade. The not "family-friendly" Tubes (gimme gloveshoes). The Austin Lounge Lizards. ELO and ELP.

Et cetera.

Wait -- Sparks are still touring.

I'm reading it going "Yep, Yep, Yep, Yep..."
To be honest, although I respect them, I'd leave Pink Floyd off, but all the rest are absolutely yesses.

It's the sole reunion of the original Montrose. Something on a bigger scale had been discussed prior to Ronnie's suicide.

I had Hagar's first two LPs after he left Montrose. "Nine on a Ten Scale" had a couple of good tracks (both covers), the red albun was just awful, and what I heard after that was worse; hard bubblegum. Then he ripped Ronnie Montrose shortly after his death. I can't stand the guy.

They had a "morning team," Blazy & Bob, who were pretty popular. They had "morning concerts"...several of them were at a club that was a couple of miles away from where I lived. One of them was Ronnie.

And, a few days after Ronnie's show, they trashed him on the air. Said he was one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and as a person, "Atilla the Hun."

I don't know Ronnie's whole story. What I do know is that I was diagnosed with cancer last year, had surgery, have had 2 3-month follow-up visits since then and am "clean," and that the whole experience was a wrecking ball, and that it permanently changed my life, and not in good ways.

I never "judged" Ronnie. I was in awe of the first two Montrose albums. Didn't like Bob James at all, so "Warner Brothers Presents Montrose" and "Jump On It" are albums I never listened to, because I thought Bob was annoying. Loved the Gamma albums, and I also own all of the solo albums.

The public "assumed" Ronnie took his life because of the cancer. His wife corrected that narrative, said it was a matter of his demons consuming him, and while the cancer didn't "help," it wasn't the cause.

Since my own experience, I can no longer go on "autopilot." I have to consciously and deliberately construct my attitude on a daily basis.

Sidelining the whole "personal life" aspect of Ronnie, my sole take is that he was one of the most gifted guitarists to walk the planet. When I bought the first Montrose album, my take was "American Led Zeppelin." He just wasn't cut out to be a bandleader.

Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood had similar observations about Jeff Beck, although they never trashed him. They said he just lacked the awareness to be a team player when it came to bands. There would be a limo waiting for him after a gig. He never offered a ride to Stewart and Wood because it just didn't dawn on him to do that. They didn't hold it against him. They just knew that it was the way he was, and not a personal affront to them.

I read Sammy's autobiography. I know he's a Republican, which doesn't make me want to run up to him and give him a hug. My take on him is that he just embraced the whole "rock star" persona, which often leads people to act like an asshole, and he's no exception. I do enjoy his music, and while I have "blacklisted" toxic right wingers like Ted Nugent from my radio show, I do play Sammy...with Montrose, solo, Chickenfoot, and not a lot of Van Hagar, because I really loathe Eddie's "big keyboard ballads" that made up a lot of those albums.

I usually find them to be better than the original bands.