John Gore is shown at the piano as part of “Dogs of Society: The Ultimate Elton Rock Tribute”, which comes to Brown County Playhouse on March 1.
Look, there is little shame in an Elton John tribute act that just slightly misses sounding precisely like the long-running British crooner of megahits from “Your Song” to “Bennie and the Jets” to “Sad Songs (Say So Much).”
Besides, other than perhaps Cat Stevens, is there anyone from that 1970ish-onward pop/rock era with quite as distinctive a voice as the bejeweled and bespectacled wonder of Rocketman Elton John?
So one can listen to singer/keyboardist John Gore as sir Elton, complete with the de rigueur glasses and sparkly jackets, and figure that his performance is still solid for great, glorious rock reminiscing.
Gore and his nationally touring band will present “Dogs of Society: The Ultimate Elton Rock Tribute” at 7:30 p.m. March 1 at Brown County Playhouse, 70 S. Van Buren St. in Nashville. The act’s title comes from a phrase in John’s classic 1973 hit “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
Maybe you’ve seen the band’s promotional tagline online: “No tracks. No tricks. Just a killer rock band delivering a dynamic, all-live performance every night (with that extra sauce that comes from an authentic, live show).”
How could Elton himself not approve? For those needing technical detail, and for the sake of full disclosure, Gore’s version of “Tiny Dancer” is fairly dead-on, with his group’s backup vocals in fine form and in tune with the 1971 recording.
The set list looks to be heavy with Seventies sentiment, but also includes lesser-heard tunes such as “Funeral for a Friend,” “Madman Across the Water;” “Mona Lisa,” and others.
John’s songs apparently were the inspiration for Gore learning the piano in the first place.
“Dogs of Society” is the first of several tribute acts scheduled at the playhouse in March. Also on the upcoming calendar are acts performing the music of Billy Joel, Journey, John Denver, Styx, Foreigner and Garth Brooks.
Information: browncountyplayhouse.org.
