Tribute bands offer the next best thing for fans, among them local Robbie Berg
The flash sellout of tickets for Paul McCartney’s April 28 concert at Spokane Arena illustrates that you can’t always get what you want when it comes to watching rock legends perform live, but for some fans, a tribute band is the next best thing.
The Beatles are often credited with the birth of tribute bands, which focus on the setlist of an artist, replicating songs with precision and transporting audiences back to younger, carefree days of favorite records, 8-tracks, cassettes and CDs.
While tickets to tribute shows can often be snagged for far less than those of rock band counterparts, the real value of these groups lies in the niche they fill for music enthusiasts.
“I think one of the reasons people go to a tribute artist is that they may not have a chance, ever, to see that music performed live because often the bands have either broken up or members have passed on,” said Brian Ritter, general manager of Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox.
“Like in the Beatles case, so you can’t really experience what it would have been like to see a Beatles concert unless you go to see a tribute artist,” Ritter said.
Over the years, the Spokane Symphony and the Fox have hosted tribute artists paying homage to the music of ABBA, Led Zeppelin and Queen, plus a stunning 2017 performance by the Fab Four, an Emmy-winning group that has played the Spokane area multiple times.
Recent Fab Four dates include at the Bing Crosby Theater and a 2010 show at Knitting Factory attended by a 12-year-old Beatles fan named Robbie Berg, who would later become a member of the band he had watched.
While many dream of gracing the stage as rock icons, few manage to achieve that level of fame, but Berg, a talented vocalist and musician, has turned his love of the Beatles into a profession doubling as George Harrison, an adventure that began while he was attending East Valley High School.
“I got a call to go do George Harrison in a Beatles tribute show at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas when I was still a senior in high school, so I moved before I even graduated and ended up finishing high school online,” said Berg, who was later recruited as a Fab Four cast member.
Introduced to the Beatles at age 5 by his uncle, Berg plays multiple instruments, including the guitar, bass, drums, piano and trumpet. The mirror image of a young Harrison in costume, his first Spokane area performance with the Fab Four was at Coeur d’Alene Casino in 2018.
“It was a dream come true,” Berg said. “I felt very grateful to be there because growing up, I had seen a lot of shows in the area here, one of them being the Fab Four, and to be part of it here in my hometown was an incredible experience,” added Berg, who recently returned from shows in New Jersey and New York.
All rock tribute bands are not created equal, but Berg said spot-on vocals and note-for-note accuracy with music set the best apart, while retro-instrumentation, multimedia elements, costuming and detailed attention to artist mannerisms also enhance performances.
As aging rockers continue to depart from the music scene, tribute bands will likely play a key role in keeping classic rock alive for younger generations. “Parents bringing their kids to see the show is what keeps the music relevant,” said Berg, who sees fans of all ages in his audiences.
Nailing down the music, voice and look of a rock star is no easy task, but for a tribute artist, separating yourself from that second persona can prove equally challenging. When he is not performing as Harrison, Berg spends time playing golf and writing and performing songs with his own band, Color Radio.
Berg was able to snag coveted tickets to watch McCartney on April 28 at the Spokane Arena. “I was lucky enough to get four seats. This is my third time seeing him, and it’ll be the closest I’ve been to him, so I’m really looking forward to it,” said Berg, who will be attending the concert with a friend who once built guitars for Harrison.