A Taste of Tribute

The Zippers. Photo by Aaron Huniu.

On May 13^th, the Shops at Anaheim Gardenwalk hosted the 15^th Annual Taste of Anaheim! Over fifty of the city’s premier restaurants showcased their

culinary best with the goal of reminding residents that they need not looking further than their own backyard for fine food. A large event such as this would, of course, not go on without a solid lineup of entertainment! Whilst attendees ate and drank from restaurants such as Ruby’s Diner, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and House of Blues, three fantastic cover bands performed their hearts out for the good people of the city.

The Zippers went on first. Praised by Music Connection Magazine as “the ultimate cover band of all time,” the group performed a wide-range of dance favorites from almost every era and style. With a wildly energetic performance, they had the crowd on their feet, singing and dancing along. The Zippers were the perfect opening act to get the event-goers revved up for the rest of the night.

Platinum Rockers. Photo by Aaron Huniu.

Platinum Rockstars were next on the bill. A great mix of comedy, theatre, and rock ‘n’ roll, Platinum Rockstars could truly change one’s perspective on tribute bands. It sure did for this Taste attendee. The musicians took the audience through the decades as they paid tribute to The Who, Led Zeppelin, Boston, Foreigner, Journey, Van Halen, Def Leppard, and Bon Jovi. The group decided to use Taste of Anaheim to debut their new Who and Foreigner sets, which came off without a hitch! It was fun to watch the guys come back out in different costumes every few songs. Not only did they look the part, but the group was vocally and musically dead-on. A fan commented, “The Boston segment was the best!” Be sure to catch them at Brea’s SummerFest on June 4, 2010. They’ll be opening for Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.

Juan Del Castillo of Don't Stop Believin' Photo by Laura Miller.

As the third and final group of the night, Don’t Stop Believin’ burst onto the stage. A Journey tribute band, Don’t Stop Believin’ most definitely gave the crowd something to believe in. Everyone went wild as the group nailed each Journey song, both musically and vocally. Frontman, Juan Del Castillo, was certainly a force to be reckoned with; He has an amazingly strong and solid voice, and hit every single note, the highest of which made famous by Journey’s Steve Perry. DSB made the people feel like they were at an authentic Journey concert. There was no doubt that the guys would end their set with Journey’s best-known song, and the name of their tribute band, “Don’t Stop Believin.’” Everyone, young and old/drunk and sober, was dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs.

It was a great way to end a wonderful night of delicious food, tasty drink, and great music in Anaheim.