~by Brian Blair
Some ticket buyers attend concerts these days initially with ample skepticism. Then, at some point during the show, fans often close their eyes when nostalgia hits just the right note.
And suddenly, concertgoers are knee-deep into yesterday with the Beatles, finding satisfaction with the Rolling Stones, or reveling in their song with Elton John.
Or so it certainly seems that way in the moment. Such is the visceral emotion of tribute bands, wherein imitation is the sincerest form of flattery—and a growing trend nationwide and beyond in throwback entertainment.
“Yes, some of the popularity is nostalgia,” said Carolyn McCutcheon, executive director of Nashville’s Brown County Playhouse, which books about 20 percent of its calendar with tribute acts that nearly sell out the venue’s 375 seats. “Some of it is that the bands or the artists are no longer together or even [alive] here. Or maybe they are no longer touring, or maybe it’s because tickets to see their actual show are just too expensive for some.”
McCutcheon mentioned that the expense element makes the Playhouse a solid value for those seeking to reminisce, since tickets for most such concerts range from $20 to $25—a far cry from the triple-digit box office price of many a classic touring act such as the Eagles.
Online sites credit Carl “Cheesie” Nelson with being the first to capitalize on the concept with an Evis Presley impersonation in 1954. Many of today’s acts are just as current, mimicking major artists ranging from Taylor Swift to Bruno Mars—and sometimes facing a bit of criticism that they are stifling fresh originality in the industry. In Brown County, including at the Brown County Music Center, the more classic pop, rock, and country tribute performers are most in tune with concertgoers.
Killer Queen, highlighting the music of the late Freddie Mercury and his group from the 1970s and 1980s, has been one of the hottest such shows in the past three years, once attracting an estimated 1,300 people (the average for the top tier acts) in the music center’s 2,000-seat venue. Braden Buehler, operations and engagement manager, mentioned that many of the throwback acts are doing far more than copying a vocal or visage.
In fact, an Elton John tribute show, “Rocket Man,” that played there recently, especially impressed Buehler. “It featured one of the most intricate stage setups that I’ve seen in quite a while,” Buehler said. “The overall production level and quality was right up there with almost anything else I have seen here [at the center]. It looked more like a stage for musical theater.”
Overall, he sees tribute shows as “a great way to keep alive all the great music people continue to love.”
Truth be told, people love more than the music and memories. Nationally touring singer and keyboardist Joe Hite performed last year at the Brown County Music Center as Barry Manilow in a show billed as “Daybreak: The Music and Passion of Barry Manilow.” Women often cry and hug him after concerts. It hardly hurts that Hite looks amazingly like a 1970s/1980s Manilow even without his stage wig.
“I’m getting a ton of residual Barry love that he long ago earned for me,” Hite said.
As much as bands often work to imitate everything from artist coifs to costumes, fans seem to enjoy a detour along their road of recollections. Buehler recalled that when Get the Lead Out, a Led Zeppelin tribute group, played in July at the music center, the crowd especially came to life when the band surprisingly ripped into a raucous AC/DC tune.
“I think the creative versatility of many of the tribute acts is quite underrated,” Buehler said.
McCutcheon added that groups’ overall musicianship and substantial talent often is a pleasant surprise to concertgoers perhaps new to the tribute genre.
“Sometimes, people don’t always immediately realize and understand the level of excellence of many of these performers,” she said.
She highlighted the work at the Playhouse in March of Chris Collins as John Denver, complete with Denver’s well-known storytelling style in between songs at his concerts. Plus, Collins, decked in the appropriate eyewear, looks substantially like a 1970s Denver ready for a Rocky Mountain high time with fans.
“Overall, it makes for a very intimate experience for the audience,” McCutcheon said.
So, pop goes the sentimentality, as fans turn back the clock on musical memories.