Walking up to Rainbow Harbor on Pine and Shoreline Drive in Downtown Long Beach on Saturday, screams, guitar shreds and booming drums gradually grew to the noise level of a full-blown heavy metal concert while the Iron Maidens, an all-female Iron Maiden tribute band, started into their second song of their first set at the fourth annual Battle of the Tribute Bands.
The competition is the first part of the Summer and Music series, which holds free outdoor concerts in different areas in and around Downtown Long Beach. The lineup of tribute bands consisted of Debaser (The Pixies), The Petty Breakers (Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers), The Iron Maidens (Iron Maiden), The Joshua Tree (U2) and Hard Day’s Night (The Beatles).
There were two rounds in the competition. During the first round, each band played a 20 minute set with a 10 minute intermission between acts. The final round had the top two bands, which were The Iron Maidens and Hard Day’s Night, duke it out with a 20 minute set each.
Judges chose the finalists based on authenticity, performance and crowd response. The winning band was chosen by the crowd, who screamed for the act they enjoyed the most.
The Iron Maidens won the top prize of $2,000. Hard Day’s night came in a close second, winning $1,000, and The Joshua Tree won the third prize of $500.
The face-melting guitar solos and gut wrenching drum beats that the Maidens provided won the crowd over. What really set them apart was an overall hotness that comes from chicks playing heavy metal.
“They were a hard act to follow,” coordinator of Battle of the Tribute Bands, Ashley Hectus, said. “What girl wouldn’t want to get up there and shred?”
Formed in 2001, the maidens have been shredding out Iron Maiden classics for more than 11 years. The band consists of drummer Linda “Nikki McBURRain” McDonald, guitarist Courtney “Adriana Smith” Cox, vocalist Kristen “Bruce Chickinson” Rosenberg, bassist Wanda “Steph Harris” Ortiz and guitarist Nili “Deena Murray” Brosh.
“The number one reason why we started was the love of the music, because you have to spend a lot of time with the music,” said McDonald.
Even though competition was on the minds of all the bands, a professional respect between the tributes was shared throughout the day.
“The competition is tough,” Rosenberg said. “All the other band members are really great.”
Other bands included The Pixies tribute, Debaser, who played songs like, “Where is My Mind” and “Here Comes Your Man.” Audience members, young and old, were on the dance floor rocking out to the cool music. Debaser is a solid tribute band, and kept the music authentic, but the weak back-up vocals may have cost them the prize.
The Petty Breakers drew the crowd in with their renditions of “American Girl” and “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” The Joshua Tree’s performance was an uncanny resemblance of the live act that Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. put on. During performances of “Where the Streets have no Name” and “In the Name of Love,” Jason “Bono” B. Jones and Chase “Chedge” jumped into the crowd, making foot traffic stop and take second glances of their U2 rendition.
Hard Day’s Night blew away the audience with two sets. During the first set, they geared up in early 1960s gray suits with mod-inspired leather boots with original Rickenbacker guitars as well as the iconic Hofner bass guitar. The second set saw them in the vibrant Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band outfits with psychedelic instrumentation and on-point renditions of songs like “Penny Lane” and “A Day in the Life.”
“We look for bands that people love,” said Hectus. “It’s a fun event.”
Battle of the Tribute Bands marked the first event in 2012’s Summer and Music series. Upcoming shows include Dancin’ in the Streets in July and Funkfest and Buskerfest in August. To find out more details about locations and times, visit www.summerandmusic.com.