As the title indicates, I’m asking your help in putting together a list of bands to compete in a no-holds-barred elimination street fighting tournament. These would not necessarily be fights to the death, but death would certainly be a possible outcome in any given fight. Some bands play for keeps.
Things to consider:
Location: These fights would all take place in a theoretical enclosed back alley type of area. So we’re talking brick walls and concrete, limited places to hide or run. Maybe there’s a big garbage dumpster and a fire escape, but no one would be able to escape via the fire escape, it would lead to a (perhaps literal) dead end.
Weapons: Bands would only be allowed to bring in equipment they’d normally have on stage, so no one is packing any heat, unless a girl group enters with Phil Spector in their line-up. What does this mean? Well, if a band decided to bring in any instruments, one might contend that a band with a keytar player would have an advantage over a band with a piano player or traditional stand-up keyboard player, as the keytar would be much easier to use as a weapon. This is, therefore, the only conceivable scenario in which a keytar player might ever be an asset to a band.
Line-ups: All bands would have to compete under an actual, documented incarnation. No cherry-picking an ultimate fighting unit from a band that went through multiple personnel changes. That said, you do get to specify which version of the band you’re sending into the fight. Also, while noting that bands with more members would have a decided numbers advantage, you should also consider whether a seven-member band like Chicago would really be able to overwhelm a tougher power trio, or whether that would just mean four more guys to get savagely beaten up. Solo artists would be relegated to their own side competition unless they had a well-known backing band.
Finally, this is meant to be limited primarily to bands of the rock/pop mode, though exceptions could be made for bands from other genres on a case-by-case basis. Feel free to make your case in as much depth as necessary.
