The Riders isn't Cronin's only project. In the early '80s, he helped found Physical Grafitti, the Led Zeppelin tribute band. Tribute bands, he says, have to keep things in perspective. If you treat it too lightly, you're feeding your ego. If you treat it too seriously, you're nuts.
Some tribute bands wind up with their own ardent fans.
Glenn Matto, who plays bass in the Jam tribute All Mod Cons, sounds a bit amazed when he talks about his band's success in Britain. All Mod Cons has toured Britain six or seven times since 1992, often playing to sold-out theaters. Buddies at Framingham North High School, Matto and Barry Pugatch started out playing in original bands. In the mid-'80s, they picked up on the Jam through other Boston bands. Over the years they've continued to play in original bands, but All Mod Cons became their first concern.