(CN) — Dressed in a feathered hat, suede bell bottoms and fantastically oversized glasses, Craig A. Meyer hops on his piano bench, plants a foot on his Steinway lid and belts out the final line to Elton John’s survival anthem “I’m Still Standing.”
When he returns to his seat amid hearty applause, he takes a breath and, in his best British accent, talks about "his" hits.
“Some of you don’t know all the lyrics to my songs,” he says.
Still in cheeky character, he performs a line from John’s hit “Bennie and the Jets,” but replaces “electric boots” with “electric boobs,” drawing laughter from the crowd.
“Speaking of boots,” he adds before he rises from his bench and hoists a foot onto his piano keys, displaying his glittery platform footwear and prompting more laughter.
Seeing Meyer portray John doesn’t compete with the sublime moment when a few hundred fans first witnessed a mostly unknown 23-year-old musical prodigy at the Troubadour in 1970, nor the one a few years later when 55,000 screamed as the rock and roll superstar appeared on the stage at Dodger Stadium. But for the 620 patrons who packed the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande, California, Meyer’s performance offered music lovers a nostalgic journey — and a joyous “Crocodile Rock” singalong.
“From the moment I step out on the stage, I am Elton John,” Meyer said a few days before the show. “The accent, the wardrobe, the glasses, the hair, the teeth — the whole nine yards.”
While there has long been work for good Elvis impersonators both thick and thin, tribute acts had mostly been a novelty until the past decade, when venues began booking scores of tributes for classic bands from the 70s, 80s and beyond.
The increasing popularity of tribute acts might be attributed to several factors, including the exorbitant cost to see the still-active original acts (The Eagles), rock star retirements (Elton John) and mortality (George Michael).
But perhaps more than anything, it’s the music.
“It’s a great alternative, and a lot of times people just want to hear the music that they love,” said Shannon Rae, who belts out Linda Ronstadt tunes with Ronstadt Revival.
At the Clark Center, where Rae will perform in September, tribute acts are now in regular rotation. Past shows offered homages to Whitney Houston, Queen, Tina Turner and Electric Light Orchestra. If those weren’t appealing, nearby venues offered tributes to Journey, the Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac and — keeping it current — Taylor Swift.
If you missed Meyer’s Arroyo Grande show in June or Kenny Metcalf’s Elton John tribute at the Chumash Casino in January, there’s still time to catch Tom Cridland’s Elton John tribute at the nearby Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo this July.
In short, there are a lot of tributes. So many that they've actually formed a community and often share a stage, socialize and attend each other’s shows. “We all see each other and talk to each other and try to help,” Rae said.
Tribute acts typically can avoid legal trouble by not using the original acts' trademarked logos or images and making it clear they are a tribute. Venues can pay licensing fees that allow tributes to play cover material. Many tribute bands feature seasoned pros with music degrees and resumes that include session work, soundtracks and musical theater. These aren’t just cover bands, and ticket prices, which can range from $40 to $75, reflect that.
Rae herself gained national exposure with a country rock band named Shannon Rae and 100 Proof. As her fanbase grew, she said, her manager offered her a chance to tour the country as an opening act for well-known recording artists, forcing her to choose between her career and her 10-year-old daughter.
