Oh yes, there are no age restrictions for the rooftop concert series. They rocked out all night to the sounds of Axl Rose, or at least from the man who has Axl’s voice and style down perfectly. There was mom and dad and their three children. I figured I’d stay for a few songs, to get a feel for the event. Still, these guys in Appetite for Deception? They were incredible. I enjoy GnR music, but I’m not a die-hard fan or anything. They told me that I was about to be blown away. The people I met had seen Appetite for Deception dozens of times through the years. Their fans are making sure to see them at least one more time. The band announced that this would be its last summer together. The group, which has been performing for 18 years, started in Portland and is known throughout the region as a top draw. This past week at ilani, I met folks from the Puget Sound area who traveled to see Appetite for Deception. The popularity of tribute bands comes from the artists being incredible at what they do, and the fans love them for that. More importantly, he sounds like Slash from Guns N’ Roses. Is that Slash? No, but it is someone who looks a lot like him. The Purple Experience is based out of Minnesota, Prince’s home state, and the band travels the country playing Prince music.

Speaking of Prince and his music, ilani is hosting the Purple Experience on June 30. I’m crazy enough for tribute bands to plan a trip to San Diego this summer to see The Purple Ones, a famous Prince tribute band. Taylor Swift isn’t charging $25 for a concert.

But even when paying for a ticket to a tribute band concert, it is usually fractions of the cost of an event concert from a famous touring artist. In the case of the rooftop series at ilani, the concerts are free. In turn, we, as fans, attend because we know what we’re going to get from that stage. They just choose to perform music that fans already love, originated from someone else.

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