‘It’s only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But they like it)’
Rolling Stones tribute band brings “Satisfaction” to Middle Village
Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stones Tribute Show rocks the house down at Juniper Valley Park.
By Stephanie Meditz
news@queensledger.com
Satisfaction, the International Rolling Stones Tribute Show brought the sound of the iconic English rock band to Juniper Valley Park on Thursday night.
The show was the third in a series of free concerts held by Councilman Robert Holden in partnership with Queensborough Performing Arts Center and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.
The band, led by frontman Chris LeGrand, celebrated 60 years of the Rolling Stones with a set that took the audience back in time to 1965.
Originally from Texas, LeGrand started the show 22 years ago when he realized that The Rolling Stones did not have a tribute show like other iconic bands, such as The Beatles.
Billy Amaral came to the concert fully decked out in Rolling Stones gear.
He had been a musician throughout his life, primarily playing the bass guitar in his 20’s, but he had never been a frontman until he started Satisfaction.
“When I started this show, a lot of my friends said, ‘I don’t know if you’re gonna be able to pull this off,’” he said. “And I was like, ‘Well, I’m gonna give it a shot.’”
After he recruited other members, the show started doing small performances until it eventually grew in popularity and became an international sensation.
Satisfaction has performed about 4,000 shows both in the U.S. and overseas. While on tour, the group plays upwards of 150 shows per year.
Earlier this year, the group performed with Beatles tribute band Abbey Road in a show called “Beatles vs. Stones — A Musical Showdown.”
Their setlist at Juniper Valley Park featured The Rolling Stones’ most iconic hits, including “Sympathy For The Devil,” “Paint It, Black,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Honky Tonk Women,” and the band’s namesake, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
“It was one of the first songs I heard by The Rolling Stones when I was a little guy,” LeGrand said. “And it just was so powerful, and it still is.”
Songs by The Rolling Stones similarly resonated with many of the concert’s attendees, who came dressed in their favorite merchandise.
Ozone Park resident and longtime Stones fan Billy Amaral donned a t-shirt commemorating the band’s 60-year anniversary and a bandana covered in their famous tongue and lips logo.
Lynn O’Brien trekked to Juniper Valley Park from Manhattan to see the show.
Lynn O’Brien also showed off the logo on her shirt and necklace. A friend of the band’s, she rushed to Middle Village all the way from Manhattan on her motorcycle to see them perform.
The concert was a lively tribute that included several outfit changes by the frontman and a solo by Dom Lanzo, the current Keith Richards of the group.
When he addressed the crowd, Robert Holden recalled Satisfaction’s performance in Forest Park last year and said it was “like being at a Stones concert.”
The councilman also noted the striking resemblance between LeGrand and Mick Jagger.
LeGrand was fully aware of the resemblance and even took it into consideration when he first started the show.
“I’ve always had these looks follow me around all my life,” he said. “So I decided it was time to put the voice and the looks to use and see if I can make this happen.”
LeGrand, the show’s only remaining original member, feels lucky to have built a career out of performing the music he has always loved for fans who love it just as much.
