Raised on the real thing, I was skeptical of tribute bands for years. I even wore a T-shirt that said, “I May Be Old, But I Got To See All The Great Bands.” One night several years ago, my wife convinced me to join other couples for a “Beatles versus Stones” evening at the legendary Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California. I arrived prepared for imitation. Instead, I found accomplished musicians tearing into songs I had loved for decades—and a packed room singing along, dancing and clearly having no interest in whether Mick Jagger was actually onstage. I found myself nodding my head in time to “Get Off of My Cloud.” By the end of the night, my resistance had pretty much disappeared.
When I moved to Bend, I found a community that deeply appreciates music. [Learn more about Bend’s Live Music Scene] Live music fills the air everywhere, from brewery patios to the Tower Theatre stage, multiple nights a week.
In addition to original music, Bend musicians play other people’s songs—and audiences love it. Look at the Tower Theatre’s recent lineup, and it’s clear tribute bands are filling seats. During the 2025-26 season, the Tower staged 25 tribute acts with an average capacity of 71%.
Musical groups that play songs made famous by other artists define themselves in different ways, but cover bands typically draw crowds for playing the hits of a decade or certain genre, while tribute bands dive deep into the repertoire of one artist or group: think the Neil Diamond tribute duo that inspired the film Song Sung Blue.
“The audience just has a blast because there’s always sing-alongs and people get in costume,” said Stacy Koff, programming director of the Tower Theatre, of tribute bands. “People know the songs. They’re not going into something unknown,” she added.
That familiarity may get audiences through the door, but for the musicians onstage, playing someone else’s songs presents its own challenge: How do you make familiar music feel alive again?
Bend’s Cover Bands Take Center Stage
Bend-based plastic surgeon Gary Gallagher sold his medical practice a few months before COVID forced the world to shut down. He revived his musical bug and started honing his keyboard chops. Long drawn to the complex, exacting compositions of the band Steely Dan, he and bassist Rob Fincham founded Major Dudes, celebrating the American Rock band formed in New York in 1971.
When asked to join Call Down Thunder, a Grateful Dead tribute band, Gallagher didn’t hesitate. The musical structure is diametrically opposed; free form and improvisation are the hallmarks of a Dead show.
“They scratch two different itches. For Steely Dan, it is that perfection in harmony, phrasing, cadence and timing,” said Gallagher, who is also the band’s vocalist with a dry, jazzy voice similar to Donald Fagen’s. “The other side is the spontaneous creation of improvisation and ensemble play—that’s totally Grateful Dead music. I love both.”
Gallagher believes the growing popularity of tribute bands comes from people wanting to let loose and remember the past. People are enthusiastic and nostalgic for tribute acts. “It’s a great way to see bands that you like in a live setting without having to travel or pay a ton of money,” he said. With eight members and a horn section, the Major Dudes are no small operation, and they regularly play packed shows at The Commonwealth Pub and the Tower. Other band members include Travis Palladino, the founder of Bend’s Music Flow education program, and retired teacher Gerald Carrell.
At 42, younger than most musicians in the tribute band world, Call Down Thunder founder Dave Pettibone explained that the band’s goal is to give audiences a chance to enjoy the music they love with a fresh perspective. While the original band packed stadiums in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the music is just as relevant today.
“I think Grateful Dead [music] is the most American music there can be,” said Pettibone. “It’s exploratory, it’s adventurous, it’s pioneering. It’s blues, funk, jazz, country. I love it through and through.” Audiences agree; the band regularly draws large crowds. Nearly 700 people attended a recent free show in Drake Park.
How Tribute Bands Fit Into Bend’s Music Scene
Bend’s appetite for familiar music is part of a broader trend. Austin-based booking agency TSE Entertainment predicts demand for tribute-band performances to grow at a compound annual rate of 17.5% from 2025 to 2033 — well above the 6% to 8% growth forecast for live music generally over the same period.
But in a town with a thriving community of songwriters, does looking backward leave enough room for new music? In addition to booking tribute bands honoring Neil Diamond, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, ABBA and Led Zeppelin, Koff acknowledges the need to book quality original acts. And many musicians who perform other artists’ songs are songwriters themselves.
Musician Mark Ransom has spent decades helping shape Bend’s music scene, performing original music and bringing musicians together to celebrate the artists who influenced them. The co-founder of Bend Roots Revival helped turn Church of Neil, an annual tribute to Neil Young in November, into a showcase for local bands and musicians. He’s also involved with the annual A Grateful Night, which celebrates the music of the Grateful Dead and is typically held in early February.
Ransom, also a psychologist, draws on history in his songwriting, exploring ancient mythology, religion and the human experiences that repeat across generations. He says every musician brings a distinct voice to the material when playing someone else’s songs. “[Music] manifests uniquely through each individual what it wants to say. I can never play like anybody else but me,” he said.
Ransom doesn’t consider himself a cover-band musician, but he does believe looking back is essential. “It’s all been done, and there’s value in it because political, social, ethnic differences all can melt away very quickly in a song like Neil Young’s ‘Ohio.’ You cannot beat that. That’s some of the best activist music ever created,” he said. Ransom believes tribute events are not simply exercises in nostalgia, but opportunities to reconnect with one another and with the music that helped shape a generation. “It’s a ritual designed to take us back, to bring us together, and people freaking love that,” he said. “It feels good.”
Cover Bands Find Their Harmony in Bend
For other Bend musicians, the distinction between cover band and tribute band matters less than the crowd’s reaction. Matt Summers played drums for Kenny Rogers when he was 19. “I would see everybody at the shows singing along, and I’d say to myself, that’s what I want to do.” He pursued a successful career running a family flooring business in Bend, but stepped away to focus on music a dozen years ago. “I learned in Nashville that the bands with killer harmonies did well,” said Summers. “That is always what I wanted to do.” His band includes singers from Precious Byrd, a popular Bend-based rock and dance band known for playing covers, and the High Street Party Band, for a unique five- or six-part harmony. The band’s set list can pull from other artists ranging from Georgia Satellites and Chris Stapleton to Kris Kristofferson, but Summers can’t resist playing Eagles tunes. “Of course, they have great vocals, but it’s everybody’s music. I notice that everywhere we go. I’ve played for 19-year-olds, and they’re singing every single word.”
That flash of recognition is practically the mission statement for Cover Story, whose tagline is, “We play songs you forgot you love.” The group doesn’t focus on one band but an era: Southern California country rock. The Eagles often appear on the set list, as do artists like Poco, Pure Prairie League and Linda Ronstadt. Band member Dave Jones and his daughter-in-law, Erin Lytle Jones, are passionate about playing covers. “When you see someone’s head whip around, and you read their lips, and they’re saying, ‘I love this song.’ That’s so much fun. It energizes us,” said Jones. Lytle Jones was hesitant to join the band at first, but taking voice lessons from Bend singer Deena Noroian, who once opened for Pat Benatar, helped her gain confidence. “She taught me how to get loud. Suddenly we were just like this great fit, all of us,” said Lytle Jones of her father-in-law and other bandmates.
The Bend music scene has become robust. “When I moved here 22 years ago, you knew the five spots to go listen to music,” said Jones. “Now on any given Friday or Saturday night in the summer, every food truck lot has a band.”
Bend Musicians Put Their Own Spin on Familiar Songs
Voted Central Oregon’s Best Cover Band in 2021, JuJu Eyeball plays Beatles songs, but doesn’t consider themselves a tribute band. Member Dan Larsson says the goal is not to look, sound or act like the Beatles, as some bands do. Larsson left his immigration law practice for music, forming JuJu Eyeball (a nod to Lennon’s lyric in “Come Together”) a decade ago. As the owner of The Commonwealth Pub, he gives other local bands—and not just cover bands—a stage. “We provide a state-of-the-art sound system, and we pay the bands a good, fair, reasonable guarantee,” Larsson said. “We have a phenomenal setup. It’s like a state-of-the-art recording studio.”
The Commonwealth also offers a full-band showcase open mic every week, with house band musicians signing up as soloists, duos or bands. Larsson is proud that these sessions have launched many local groups.
If JuJu Eyeball loosens the definition of a tribute band, Dad Bods stretches it farther. Vocalist Beau Killett said, “The Dad Bods consider themselves a tribute band that pays homage to more than one band.” Guitarist Brian Kelly remembers how they got together in a buddy’s garage and started jamming.
“We all found out that we played instruments and liked the same kind of music,” said Kelly. “We played a little bit once a week. Then we figured we’d try a show and play it in my backyard in 2021. We had 100-plus people show up.”
The band has carved out a niche playing covers of covers, such as doing the Aerosmith version of “Come Together” rather than the Beatles’ original. Kelly says Bend music tastes aren’t limited to folk and bluegrass, and notes the band’s fans range in age from 16 to 87.
There’s no denying that music, whether it’s a recently written acoustic piece or a track played on the radio time and again, is good for the soul. At a Call Down Thunder concert, people dance and cry just like at a Grateful Dead show.
“If we’re playing certain songs, and we really hit it just right, you can look out and see glistening cheeks with the lights glimmering off of them,” said Pettibone. “And, man, there’s not many experiences quite like that. It’s just really special.”
See Them Live: Tribute Shows in Central Oregon
From classic rock to grunge, Central Oregon’s tribute music scene offers plenty of opportunities to sing along. Here are a few upcoming performances worth catching.
Church of Neil | Nov. 14, 2026
An annual Bend tradition since 2004, Church of Neil brings regional musicians together to celebrate Neil Young’s expansive catalog, from acoustic favorites to electric rock anthems. With performances at Volcanic Theatre Pub, The Commonwealth Pub and Goodlife Brewing, the all-ages event features interpretations of roughly 50 songs and a suggested $20 donation. bendroots.net
Pick Up the Pieces: A Celebration of Motown & Classic Soul | Nov. 20, 2026
Get into the groove with a tribute to Motown and classic soul at Bend’s Tower Theatre. Tickets start at $12. towertheatre.org
Schism: A Tribute to Tool | Nov. 21, 2026
The New York-based tribute band brings the complex rhythms and powerful sound of progressive metal band Tool to Bend’s Tower Theatre. Tickets start at $17. towertheatre.org
Smells Like Nirvana | Dec. 5, 2026
Celebrate the music of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana when this grunge tribute band takes the stage at Volcanic Theatre Pub in Bend. Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 at the door. volcanictheatre.com
A Grateful Night | February 2027, date to be announced
This annual celebration of the Grateful Dead’s musical legacy brings regional musicians to High Desert Music Hall in Redmond. The all-ages benefit supports the Redmond Food Bank, with admission traditionally available through a monetary donation or nonperishable food contributions. bendroots.net
MANIA: The ABBA Tribute | Feb. 15, 2027
Break out the bell-bottoms for an evening of disco-era hits when MANIA brings the music of ABBA to Bend’s Tower Theatre. Expect elaborate costumes, choreography and favorites including “Dancing Queen” and “Mamma Mia.” towertheatre.org
