‘Clash of the Cover Bands’ Recap: 90s Nostalgia Groups Rock The Judges
Evans Vestal Ward/E! Entertainment Reading Time: 3 minutes
Tonight Clash of the Cover Bands had us all in our feelings with the 90s rock theme. They’re paying tribute to 90s groups that changed the face of rock. Before either cover band took to the stage, the judges said they’re looking for groups that will not only look like the band, but have the same angst as some of the large names in alternative music.
The first band that was introduced was the Fooz Fighters Covering (you guessed it) The Foo Fighters. They’re located out of San Diego, CA, and began their tribute band around 2014. They choose to pay tribute to this band because they ‘totally rock.’
Each band member has a different career outside of music, but see the band as a huge stress relief. Fooz Fighters isn’t currently a full time band, but they hope this show will give them the opportunity to do what they love full time.
The band took to the stage and the judges immediately loved them. Adam Lambert was mouthing the words to the song and head bumping while Esther Dean was dancing in her seat. After their performance, Dean mentioned that the group rocked it like their rock star idols would. The judges decided to send the group to their movement expert to get the rest of the band involved in the performance.
Blank 281 is the Ultimate Dad Group
Blank 281 covering Blink-182 is a trio of dads who are based out of Atlanta, GA. They began with their tribute because Blink 182 has been really influential on their lives.
The group took to the stage and sounded very similar to the actual group. The judges were once again seen dancing around to this groups performance. They noted that this is one of the hardest bands to cover. Meghan Trainor said she needed to know the name of the bass player and he made an “All About That Bass” joke in return.
“You have made my entire month, not with that joke, but with your stage presence,” said Trainor. “Cause you’re like I know I’m a rockstar what’s up. I’m obsessed with you, you’re adorable.”
The judges decided that Blank 281 needed to rehearse with their vocal coach before the battle round of the competition.
Fooz Fighters met with stage presence expert Ray Leeper, while Blank 281 met with vocal coach Kuk Harrell. The coaches pushed these groups to sound and look more like their tribute groups. Fooz Fighters worked on amping up the energy in the rest of the band members. Blank 281 worked on their vocal abilities, mostly matching pronunciation to the lead singer.
Fooz Fighters is the Ultimate 90’s Night Tribute Band
There was tons of anticipation going into the battle rounds of the competition. Neither band stood out as better than the other in the initial rounds, so it was still anyone’s game. Although there was clear improvement from Blank 281, Fooz Fighters still had a better voice in my opinion. The crowd went wild as the groups battled back and forth. All three judges stood for these groups at the end of their performances.
“What a good time that was and like what I love is the nostalgia with 90’s rock bands. Fooz Fighters you guys are like ROCK ‘N ROLL! and you gave it so much passion and intensity, it was great,” said Lambert.
All three judges seemed content with what they saw but overall did not say as much as they have in previous episodes. Out of both nostalgic groups Fooz Fighters won the episode. This group is the fifth winner of Clash of the Cover bands. They are now going home with $10,000, a performance on The Jimmy Fallon Show, and the chance to compete to be crowned the ultimate cover band at the end of the season.
