Should the band go on?

Okay, a couple of weeks ago we broke the story about Sublime getting back together. Since then, I’ve had plenty of time to think about all of this and I have to admit I’m not very thrilled with the idea of Sublime continuing on as Sublime without their old singer/guitarist Brad Nowell. The guy had the band name tattooed in gigantic letter across his back. I think he loved that band a lot. Perhaps I’m more focused on this situation because I’ve been a huge fan of Sublime for many years.

But should I be concerned?

This isn’t a new thing. Blind Melon went out and found a new front man. So did Alice in Chains, Queen (QUEEN? SERIOUSLY, QUEEN!!??), and probably the most disgusting move: INXS. That was because they made a damn reality show out of finding a new singer and I’m sure Michael Hutchence was blowing blood vessels somewhere in the after-life.

Look, Cliff Burton was a fantastic bass player, but when he died, it seemed appropriate for Metallica to look for a new bass player because he wasn’t the frontman. Being a frontman is a very important key to a band. In all of the cases above, Queen, INXS, Blind Melon, Sublime, and Alice in Chains each lost their frontman. That’s not putting down the other musicians, but we all get the importance of a frontman. Just ask Axl, he’ll tell you all about it.

However, on the flip side, Bon Scott died when AC/DC was just getting popular, and at his mother’s insistence, the band went and got a new singer in months. A new frontman. And AC/DC went on to become mega-rockstars and to become even more popular than they could have imagined.

So was that okay since they got permission, and things worked out in the long run? No one can really know how the deceased feel of the situation. And I’ve never been in the shoes of band members who lost their frontman.

But from an outsider looking in, it just seems dis-respectful. I feel like they’re just not letting go of the “glory days,” or money is a driving factor and they’re just milking the band name. I feel like if they were good enough musicians, they could get a new singer and just call themselves a new name.

But one last time, if your spouse dies, is it wrong to get re-married? How do YOU feel about this, or is this something I’m spending too much time thinking about…as usual?