“I’m a huge Led Zeppelin fan, but they broke up before I was born,” said Tyler Westbury, 33, of Dayton. “I’ve seen video footage of the band but never got to see them live so I was stoked when my girlfriend bought me tickets for my birthday to see Get the Led Out at the Fraze. I’m ready to rock ’n’ roll.”
Whether you were there when Zeppelin was touring the world in the 1970s or you were born too late like Westbury, tribute bands give fans the opportunity to experience some of their favorite songs in concert. While these aren’t the original artists performing, in the end the classic songs are often larger than the actual artist. Why else would Queen fans happily pay top dollar to see the surviving members of the band performing with “American Idol” alum Adam Lambert in place of the late, great Freddie Mercury? In the end, the song trumps all.
“It really is about this classic music,” said Nathan Peters of Dayton-based original rock band, Lioness. He was part of a rooftop tribute to the Beatles at Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton in 2018, which he and other local musicians will recreate on Aug. 17.
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“It’s was fantastic because there were 1,000 people there and I, maybe, recognized 100 people,” Peters said. “They just come out of the woodwork for something like that. It was just the perfect storm of doing something different and doing something Beatles-oriented and people showed up. It was insane.
“And we brought it with the music,” he continued. “We really put in a lot of effort to get the music right and everybody had a good time. We were on the roof so we could see everybody that was leaving had the time of their life. It was so cool.”
Whether you want to hear boy band songs, classic rock or R&B, there is sure to be a band dedicated to that style ready to take the stage and deliver the goods. Here’s a guide to some of the summer’s top tribute concerts.
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VENUE GUIDE
Fraze Pavilion, 695 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering. 937-296-3300 or www.fraze.com.
Hobart Arena, 255 Adams St., Troy. 937-339-2911 or www.hobartarena.com.
JD Legends, 65 Millard Drive, Franklin. 937-746-4950 or www.jdlegends.com.
Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights. Doors open one hour before show time. 937-228-2323 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Schuster Center, Second and Main streets, Dayton. 937-228-3630 or www.ticketcenterstage.com.
Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, 250 Cliff Park Road, Springfield. Cost: Free. www.springfieldartscouncil.org.
Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. Fourth St., Dayton. 937-424-3870 or www.yellowcabtavern.com.
THE CONCERT SCHEDULE
May 11: "I Am King: The Michael Jackson Experience": WPTW Classic Hits and Muzzy Concerts presents the musical tribute to the late singer at Hobart Arena, Troy. 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $19.50-$44.50.
May 11: Brit Floyd: The Pink Floyd tribute is out on its 2019 world tour presenting "The Wall." Rose Music Center, Huber Heights. 8 p.m. SOLD OUT.
May 25: Live on Mars: A Tribute to David Bowie at Rose Music Center, Huber Heights. 8 p.m. $23.50-$43.
May 31 & June 1: "Hello Louis!: A Tribute to Louis Armstrong": The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra performs. Schuster Center, Dayton. $14-$80. 8 p.m.
June 8: That Arena Rock Show: This show focuses hard rock from the '70s and '80s. JD Legends, Franklin. 6:30 p.m. $5-$60.
June 13: Hollywood Nights: A Bob Seger Tribute Experience at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering. 7:30 p.m. $15 general admission in advance. $20 day of show.
June 14: The Motown Sounds of Touch: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the local R&B group at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
June 27: Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering. 8:30 p.m. $29 lawn & terrace in advance, $49 orchestra and $59 plaza. All ticket prices increase $5 day of show.
June 28: Absolute Journey: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the tribute show at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
June 29: Abbamania Canada: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the group along with a special tribute to Cher. Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 3: Queen Nation: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the tribute to the British rockers at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 5: Parrots of the Caribbean: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the local tribute to Jimmy Buffett at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 5: Larger Than Life: A boy band tribute at JD Legends, Franklin. 8:30 p.m. $5-$100.
July 6: Stairway to Zeppelin: The Led Zeppelin experience live at JD Legends, Franklin. 6 p.m. $5-$75.
July 6: Overnight: The Boy Band Tribute: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the tribute to New Kids on the Block, One Direction, Backstreet Boys and other acts at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 10: Homeward Bound: The Music of Simon & Garfunkel: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the tribute show at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 11: Uptown Funk: The tribute to Bruno Mars performs at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering. 7:30 p.m. $15 general admission in advance, $20 day of show.
July 13: The Purple Madness: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the tribute show at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 18: Madrigal: The Ultimate Carlos Santana Experience: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the tribute show at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 19: Stayin' Alive: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the tribute to the Bee Gees at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 20: Satisfaction: Springfield Arts Council's Summer Arts Festival presents the international tribute to the Rolling Stones at Turner Pavilion, Veteran's Park, Springfield. 8 p.m.
July 25: Face-2-Face: The tribute to piano men Elton John and Billy Joel at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering. 7:30 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 day of show.
Aug. 9: "The Sweet Caroline Tour": Jay White presents the Neil Diamond Tribute at Hobart Arena, Troy. 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $25-$69.
Aug. 17: Come Together: The local tribute to the Beatles returns to Yellow Cab Tavern, Dayton for its second rooftop concert. 7 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. $7 in advance, $10 day of show.
Aug. 21: Get the Led Out: An American Led Zeppelin Experience: The tribute act performs at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering. 7:30 p.m. $20 lawn & terrace, $25 plaza & orchestra. All ticket prices increase $5 day of show.
Aug. 30: Disco Inferno: Slip into your dancing shoes for an evening of songs by the Bee Gees, Earth, Wind & Fire, KC & the Sunshine Band, ABBA and other acts. Fraze Pavilion, Kettering. 8 p.m. $5 general admission in advance, $10 the day of the show.
Sept. 5: Elevation: The international tribute to U2 plays the Irish rock bands most indelible songs in concert at Fraze Pavilion, Kettering. 7:30 p.m. $15 general admission in advance, $20 at the door.
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