Red Seven (Credit: patrickdoody.net)

By Angela Hazen

It’s a great evening out, you are with your friends and you are all enjoying a live band playing some of your favorite songs. The only difference between being in an arena and where you are is that the songs are from the 1970s and the group you’re listening to is a cover band. What’s with the popularity of cover bands? Part of it is that they play a wide variety of songs from lots of different groups. Another reason that guests come to see cover bands is that they are huge fans of the music being covered. If you are holding an event, try out a cover band to get your party going and your guests on their feet. If no event is in the future, find out where each of these bands are playing and catch a show. They may be covers, but they’re just about as good as the originals.

(Credit: arraweb.com)

ARRA
www.arraweb.com

Hair bands from the 80s have never lost their fan base. If you love stadium rock and you love live perfomances, try the Chicago-area band Arra for an evening of your favorites. As a classic rock cover band, Arra plays Tesla, Whitesnake, Journey, Foreigner and Boston. Visit the group’s website to see where to to catch the next performance.

Brass from the Past
www.brassfromthepast.com

Let your guests enjoy their evening listening to Frank Sinatra, James Brown and others while they dance the night away to the music of cover band Brass from the Past. This band does a variety of musical styles well and can make any evening a success. Look at the schedule on the website for performance and scheduling information.

(Credit: U.F.C. Band’s facebook)

U.F.C. Band
www.ufcband.com

If you are living in the western suburbs and are on your way out for the night on a weekend, try to find where the U.F.C. Band is playing. U.F.C. Band plays top 40 hits that are still radio friendly and are sure to keep you and your friends dancing all night. Check out where the band is performing next in your area.

Planet Groove
www.planetgroovefunky7.com

Funkalicious! This group obviously enjoys their music as much as the guests do. Listen to the sounds of James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Earth Wind and Fire and many more of your favorite artists with the atmosphere of a live band. Dance the night away to the sounds of Planet Groove and relive the funky sounds of the 1970s. Get ready to wig out on the jams of this band.

Red Seven
www.patrickdoody.net

Do you have a variety of music you love and can’t decide what your guests would like best? If thumping techno dance music is the thing for your crowd, opt for an evening with Red Seven whose song list includes performances of Taio Cruz, Chicago, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson and Pink. Visit the band’s website and see where to find the next scheduled performances. But get ready to dance and sing along.

Related: Best Bars and Nightclubs with Retro Nights in Chicago

Angela Hazen lives in Oak Park, IL. She has worked as a model in Chicago and studied broadcast journalism at Columbia College Chicago. She has traveled to Europe on several occasions, and keeps her readers up to date with local and international style, shopping, fashion and beauty trends. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.