Tribute bands take center stage

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026

MARYSVILLE — After the last bell, Dee Lawless swaps her cardigan for a sequin-studded blazer and stows her saxophone in the backseat of her car.

By nightfall, she’s onstage at the Marysville Opera House with Chicago Tribute Authority Seattle, an 11‑piece group channeling the 1970s band and their horns.

Teacher by day, rock star by night.

“I teach all day, and then I get to play music, my passion,” said Lawless, a teacher at Covington Elementary School in Kent. She’s hardly alone — four of her bandmates are teachers.

Local musicians and teachers are finding fame and, sometimes, a little fortune performing in tribute bands.

Can’t afford tickets to Taylor Swift? Skipped the Ramones’ farewell concert in 1996? Too young for Kurt Cobain?

Nevermind, there’s a tribute act for every musical taste.

“In the last decade, it’s gone crazy,” said Lawless, who also sings backup vocals for Whiskey River, a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band

Tributes date back to the Elvis and Beatles impersonators of the 1960s. Now they’re everywhere, fueled by nostalgia and the promise of a rocking good time that won’t break the bank.

If it’s Tom Petty, Linda Ronstadt, Tower of Power or Johnny Cash you’re in the mood for, look for their musical doppelgangers: Petty Thief, Just One Look, Doctor Funk or Boy Named Sue. For tribute with a twist, check out Hell’s Belles, an all-female AC/DC tribute, or Minikiss, a KISS tribute whose members are all little people.

Shoreline resident and former KISW radio DJ Rob “Rockfish” Oxford has long been part of the local tribute scene. He’s performed as Whiskey River’s “Ronnie Van Zant” for years, helped launch Chicago Tribute Authority Seattle, then left last year to front The Power Players, an 11‑piece funk and soul group.

On show days, he’ll work one of his day jobs — on a recent Saturday he was picking up traffic signs for National Barricade — and then head to the venue a couple of hours before the sound check to review the song list.

“We can have some good paydays, but with an 11-way split we’re not making a killing,” Oxford said.

The real payoff, he said, is “making people smile, sing along and clap their hands.”

Lawless’ take-home is also heavy on the good vibes.

”When we get an audience like last night, it just fills your soul,” she said after the Marysville show.

TRIBUTE BAND BOOM

Each year, some two million people take in a tribute concert. Grateful Dead, Van Halen, Queen and The Beatles (still!), are among the most popular acts, according to David Victor, founder of ProTributeBands.com.

Victor manages an A-to-Z stable of tributes, from ABBA to Led Zeppelin. It’s a job he takes seriously. “I’m helping the audience remember some of the best times of their lives,” he said. “That’s a profound responsibility.”

Unlike a cover band that might play the music of several artists, tribute bands usually stick to one artist, Victor said.

For many, a tribute band date is a low-cost trip down memory lane. A tribute show ticket averages about $35, compared to $135 for major touring acts. (Although Taylor Swift fans paid an average of $500 for the ERAS tour.)

If the original group has broken up or stopped touring, a tribute act can ensure the beat goes on.

Performers should “stick as close as possible to the original music – down to the guitars, vocals and amps,” Victor advises.

If you close your eyes and hear the original band, “you’ve got a winner,” he said. “Occasionally, they may even sound better than the original.”

When Oxford contemplated putting a band together to do “horn songs,” Chicago immediately came to mind.

The resulting ensemble, which includes trombone, trumpet, flute and Lawless on sax, aims for a “spiffy” 1970s stage presence: white shirts and black pants — Lawless adds the bling.

But the music comes first.

“A cover band can cover a song like the record or do their own version,” Oxford said. “But a tribute band, in my opinion, should sound as much like the band as possible.”

Shane Warbus, director of food and beverage at Tulalip Resort Casino, seconds that. Concert-goers aren’t looking for groups that bring their own interpretations of songs, Warbus said. “They are looking for nostalgia.”

Venues across Snohomish County — from Tulalip Resort Casino to the Historic Everett Theatre — book hundreds of tribute shows each year. Some draw larger crowds than original bands, said music promoter Ryan Crowther of Everett Music Initiative.

“In some aspects, that’s disappointing,” Crowther said. “I’m in this for the original artists and emerging artists, but at the end of the day you have to give people what they want.”

WHO GETS PAID?

With thousands of tribute concerts staged and millions of dollars changing hands, it’s fair to ask: Are tribute bands even legal?

It’s murky territory, said Canadian entertainment lawyer and drummer Kurt Dahl.

While performers don’t need permission to play the music, many tributes technically infringe on the original act’s rights “to some degree,” Dahl said.

If you follow the rules, it’s usually not an issue. However, “if the original act can show that they lost audiences or live revenue as a result of the tribute act … then there would be a strong case for legal action,” Dahl said.

Does the original band get a cut of the box office?

If a venue pays licensing fees to ASCAP or BMI, the original artists receive royalties.

“In theory, every time a song is covered in a live performance, the original writers of that song get paid,” Dahl said. “With tribute acts, however, more is at stake. Not only are the tribute acts performing the songs of the original act, they are trading off the name.”

Some bands are cool with the concept. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and tribute acts keep their music in the spotlight.

Still, it’s a mixed bag. While Hell’s Belles, the all-woman AC/DC tribute band, has the blessing of AC/DC’s Angus Young, other artists have gotten testy when a tribute act riffs too closely on their name or logos.

In 2009, Bon Jovi’s lawyers claimed the all-woman tribute group Blonde Jovi was diluting the brand and “creating a likelihood of confusion between the two acts,” despite their being an all-woman band, Dahl noted.

The Swedish pop band ABBA cried Mama Mia after fans complained they were misled into thinking they were buying tickets to see the real band. In response, more than a dozen tribute acts were warned to stop using “ABBA” in their name or risk being sued, Dahl said.

Still, music history is full of performances that qualify as tributes, from classical to jazz. Did you put on tails and attend Handel’s Messiah? Unless it was 1742 and Georg Friedrich was there in-person, it was a tribute! 

STAY TRUE

Last year, Everett resident Robert Pratt attended a half-dozen tribute shows.

The best can “make an audience forget they’re watching a tribute group,” said Pratt, a musician and member of The Industrials. “Some real standouts are Queen Mother (Queen), The Little Lies (Fleetwood Mac) and Heart By Heart (Heart),” he said.

Heart By Heart’s lineup is unique. The group includes two members of the original Seattle band — bassist Steve Fossen and drummer Michael Derosier.

Since its first paying gig in 2011, Heart By Heart has crisscrossed the country, said Steve Fossen’s wife, Somar Macek, who brings on the powerhouse vocals.

“Steve and Mike have been playing together for 52 years,” said Macek, who grew up in Edmonds. “I think that sets us apart from other tributes.”

“Our motto is ‘stay true to Heart’s original recordings,’” she said. That means sticking with the original tempo and playing in the same key.

When some complain that the Wilson sisters — Ann and Nancy — aren’t in the lineup, Macek’s reply is always, “Come and see us, and then you can judge.”

Tribute acts with an original band member or two are unusual. Rarer still, are tribute musicians who graduate to the real band.

It happened to Victor, Pro Tribute Bands’ founder.

When the band Boston caught Victor’s performance with Smokin,’ a Boston tribute, he was asked to join up. From 2012 to 2014, Victor toured with the original group.

Clothes don’t make the band

At the Marysville Opera House, Traci Morgan couldn’t wait to see “Madman Across the Water,” Andrew Vait’s tribute to Elton John.

“If you call during ‘Benny & the Jets,’ I won’t answer,” Morgan jokingly told her adult daughter who was laid up in the hospital.

She wasn’t disappointed. “He’s got an amazing voice. He brings his own style without being a copy,” said Morgan, who paid $25 for her ticket.

Vait takes a minimal approach to Elton: white shirt and white pants.

His only nod to Elton’s flamboyant style is a pair of sparkly white sunglasses.

“I can’t knock a good costume show,” Vait said. “But that’s for other people. I focus on the music.”

As for dressing the part, that’s up to the band, Victor said.

“The look and the wardrobe adds to a show but, without the vocals, you don’t have a show,” added music promoter Crowther.

Vait, a product designer, was a full-time musician for years, recording and performing original music under the name Little Wins.

“It’s hard to make money as an original artist,” said the Everett resident.

In 2022, at Crowther’s urging, Vait formed his first tribute band, The Little Lies, an ode to Fleetwood Mac. Bookings came quickly. It paid the bills. “I have very much treated it as a business venture,” he said.

A local tribute group that performs regularly can earn the equivalent of a “good-paying, part-time job,” he said.

His tribute to the Rocket Man, however, is personal.

Vait grew up singing Elton John songs with his mother, who died in 2022.

“These are songs that remind me of my mom,” said Vait, who dedicates every show to her.

More than 200 fans packed the Opera House for the 90‑minute set, singing along to “Daniel,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man” and “Your Song.”

Vait’s and his band’s performance is a mix of piano-pounding energy, sentiment and vocal horsepower.

For the “Crocodile Rock” finale, Vait turned on the dance hall charm and led the audience in a sing-along.

“He’s awesome,” a couple gushed afterward.

Even the band’s zeal was obvious.

“They were smiling the whole time, like they’re all having a really good time,” said Gretchen Miller Carpenter of Marysville.

After the show, Vait stepped off the stage and migrated to the back of the theater to sell $5 band T-shirts and chat with fans.

“This gig really feels like a dream come true,” he said.

Contact writer Janice Podsada at jpod2024@gmail.com.

Andrew Vait’s “Madman Across the Water” is now a regular feature at Tulalip Resort Casino and Quil Ceda Creek Casino.

Madman Across the Water: Tribute to Elton John

Canoes Cabaret, Tulalip Resort Casino, April 3 at 7 p.m.

$15 cover, save $5 with the ONE club card

Madman Across the Water: Tribute to Elton John

The Stage, Quil Ceda Creek Casino

April 16 at 7 p.m.

This story originally appeared in Sound & Summit magazine, The Daily Herald’s quarterly publication. Explore Snohomish and Island counties with each issue. Subscribe and receive four issues for $18. Call 425-339-3200 or go to soundsummitmagazine.com