Tribute acts and cover bands fill schedules at small clubs, theaters around town

For just about as long as there have been rock bands with huge fanbases, there have been tributes and cover groups to cater to a small fraction of those fans.

As classic rock groups age and superstar singers pass on, more and more tributes take to the road, performing their best versions for audiences who long to see the original but can’t because they either no longer tour, their tickets are too expensive or, sadly, they’re no longer alive.

For instance, when American rock group the Eagles performed a few months ago at Little Caesars Arena, tickets just to be in the room were well over $200. In February, Canadian Eagles tribute band Hotel California rolls through town, performing the band’s massive catalog of hits at the Emerald Theatre in Mount Clemens. Tickets start at $25.