Village theatre hosts the Piano Men
Jeff Scott is Elton John. Jeff Brewer is Billy Joel. The two bring their tribute, The Piano Men, to the Hudson Village Theatre, beginning May 24.
The tribute band industry is a booming one. People flock to the experience for any number of reasons. Perhaps your favourite artist has died — think David Bowie or Michael Jackson. Maybe the tickets to hear the real artist are too expensive. Or perhaps your absolute favourite never tours your neck of the woods.
For the tribute artist, touring the work of others offers positive performing possibilities.
“I had my own recording studio and I played the bar circuit and that was OK,” said Toronto-based Brewer.
“Like so many others, I had preconceived notions about tribute artists. But then, the first time I stepped onstage to do my Billy Joel tribute it was in front of 3,000 people. You get to play some pretty big stages.”
Elton John and Billy Joel collaborated for decades, selling out wherever they went.
Their music continues to tap into the hearts and minds of baby boomers. Brewer knows what the audience wants to hear, so the two play all the hits all the time.
Brewer auditioned for the tribute gig after seeing an ad in Toronto’s NOW magazine. He was told to prepare three songs — Only the Good Die Young, Piano Man and Big Shot.
“I sang the first two lines of Only the Good Die Young, and the guy stopped me,” Brewer said. “He said, ‘You’ve got the gig.’ Life is like that sometimes.”
That was 15 years ago. Brewer and Scott adapt the size of the show to the venue. They both tour solo, with or without backup bands, and their Piano Men tribute can be performed with our without back up. They bring a trio of backup musicians to Hudson.
Brewer, a 49-year-old father of two, tours for almost half the year. He’s covered the United States and Canada and performed on cruise ships, in sprawling retirement enclaves in Florida, as well as in Bermuda and Belize.
He’s also played Oyster Bay, Long Island.
Billy Joel is a Long Island native and has been in the neighbourhood when Brewer is performing. Brewer has only seen Billy Joel perform once, in New York City, and has never met him.
“It’s nerve-racking to think he could walk in while I’m performing,” Brewer said. “I don’t think he minds (the tribute scene). After all, people are listening to his music.”
Brewer said strong male tenors like Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Sting were allowed the time by their record labels to develop, back in the day. Not every song had to hit a home run. Fans remained loyal and matured with them.
“I’m a songwriter at heart, and Billy Joel is a very skilled songwriter,” Brewer said. “That’s the stay power. It comes down to the quality of the writing.”
Brewer doesn’t think he’ll hang up the tribute mantle any time soon and said his busy schedule is a result of more than his ability to sound and play like Billy Joel.
“There is a difference between being a musician and being an entertainer,” he said. “I’m an entertainer. I love performing for people.”
Hudson Village Theatre, 28 Wharf Rd., presents The Piano Men from May 24 to June 4. For reservations, call 450-458-5361 or visit www.villagetheatre.ca.