IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL AND THEY LOVE IT!

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 7, 2002 | by Bill Reed

For 20 years, Chris LeGrand lived the life of a struggling musician in Shreveport, La. He worked day jobs to make a living and spent his evenings toiling in dirty bars, recording his original songs and trying to get someone's attention.

Then he decided to go tribute.

So many people told LeGrand he looked like Mick Jagger that he founded the tribute band Satisfaction ... A Rolling Stones Experience and became Jagger's doppelganger.

"I've been asked if I had collagen injections in my lips, and I've been asked if I've had plastic surgery," says LeGrand. "But I was blessed, or cursed, with these looks."

The band of Stones look-alikes and sound-alikes got rolling in January 2001 and received immediate attention from talent agents. Soon, LeGrand and his buddies were taking vacations from work to play biker rallies, festivals and weekend dates around the country. In December, LeGrand finally fulfilled his dream of becoming a full- time musician, and he's making a good living playing Mick Jagger everywhere from New York to Seattle to his biggest crowd of 2,500 at Daytona Beach, Fla.

They may not be "the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band," but Satisfaction hope to have their own tour bus by this fall.

"It was a surprise," says LeGrand. "We didn't know how well we were going to be received. I've worked hard on other music projects that didn't reach this level of success."

On Thursday, Satisfaction will bring the Stones experience to the Gardens nightclub in Colorado Springs.

Tribute bands are probably the most maligned segment of the music community, since the goal is exactly the opposite of originality - they play another band's songs, don makeup and wigs to look like them and LeGrand, for example, has studied hours of Rolling Stones concert footage so he can mimic Jagger's accent, mannerisms and even stage patter.

But tribute bands also bring in the crowds. People crave the familiar and are more likely to pay for a facsimile of their favorite band than an original band they've never heard.

The tribute phenomenon was first inspired by Elvis and Beatles impersonators, but it got cranked up in the 1980s when KISS tributes began roaming the land.

In recent years, the number of tribute bands has climbed into the thousands, with homages to everyone from Meat Loaf to Destiny's Child to (the great irony of all) Spinal Tap.

The movie "Rock Star" told the story of a Judas Priest impersonator who eventually stepped in for Rob Halford as the lead singer. And in Colorado Springs, rock clubs Paradise City and the Gardens have tribute bands coming through regularly, while local Grateful Dead tribute band Shakedown Street keeps truckin' along with their loyal core of fans.

Satisfaction is only one of at least 25 Rolling Stones tribute bands in the country, and they're still in demand. LeGrand says three elements go into a successful tribute band: the look, the sound and the attitude.

"If we compromise on any of those three, we won't be successful."

"People want you to talk like Mick Jagger, stick your lips out and act goofy. We sometimes feel like we're in the circus, but I'm a clown anyway."

Now LeGrand and Satisfaction are gearing up for the big Rolling Stones tour that starts this fall. The tribute band will follow the originals around the country, playing concerts for those who couldn't get a Stones ticket.

"In a way, I like this better. Rather than writing songs, playing bars for $20 a night and praying for some airplay," says LeGrand.

"For us, there's no pressure. We're making a living doing this, and the whole thing is fun."

the details

Satisfaction ... A Rolling Stones Experience

WHERE: The Gardens, 2945 Galley Road

WHEN: 9:30 p.m. Thursday

TICKETS: $5; 597-2900

SATISFACTION vs. THE ROLLING STONES

LEAD SINGERS: Mick Jagger, 58. Chris Le-Grand, 40.

BACKSTAGE DEMANDS: The Rolling Stones demand a long list of specialty foods, drinks and even a snooker table for their entertainment.

Satisfaction demands a few beers.

TICKET PRICES: RS ticket prices top out at $300. Satisfaction cover charges range from $5 to $10.

FAVORITE INFLATABLE: RS have a private blimp with their logo emblazoned on the side. Satisfaction has no blimp.

"We have two blow-up dolls in our show, though," says LeGrand.

TRANSPORTATION: RS have private jets to whisk them from gig to gig. Satisfaction has two SUVs and a trailer.