The next best thing: Wichita’s music venue calendars are overflowing with tribute acts

Wichitans who weren’t among the 7,000 people at Tina Turner’s Kansas Coliseum concert in 1985 will never get the chance to see the late singer perform live in their hometown. And the city is also not likely to see aging favorites like Fleetwood Mac whose singer, Steve Nicks is touring solo, or The Eagles, whose “Long Goodbye” tour is hitting only major cities, grace a Wichita stage again anytime soon.

But that doesn’t mean Wichita can’t have the experience of seeing those acts, especially if they have $50 and a forgiving imagination.

Over the past couple of years — and especially this year — Wichita’s music calendar has been packed with shows by tribute acts who dedicate themselves to recreating the look, sound and vibe of acts that are either long gone, are no longer touring or are not likely to perform in a medium-sized city. They play at The Orpheum, The Cotillion, TempleLive, Hartman Arena and Wave, and they’re drawing crowds of fans who would love to experience a live show by their favorite performers but consider a tribute show — whose ticket costs only a fraction of what the actual act would charge — close enough.

“I would definitely say that there has been an uptick in tribute artists in town,” said Levi Miller, theatre director for The Orpheum at 200 N. Broadway. “I think a big part of that is that Wichita is very committed to those ’80s, ’90s and ’70s artists, and they’re not touring like they used to anymore.”

So far this year, the list of tribute artists who’ve performed in Wichita includes Smells Like Nirvana, who played at the Cotillion in January; MANIA: The Abba Tribute, which was at The Orpheum in February; and Led Zeppelin 2, which played Wave in early June.

The Cotillion also had Journey of a Lifetime, a Journey tribute band, earlier this month, and The Orpheum stage hosted a George Michael tribute artist in June; Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond tribute artists in March; and Beatles tribute act Liverpool Legends —whose members were hand picked by the late George Harrison’s sister, Louise — in late February.

Hartman Arena had Hairball — a band that recreates arena rock acts from the 1980s like AC/DC — in February, and TempleLive also has booked tribute bands in the past, including the Ultimate Doors in late 2022.

The rest of 2023 will be just as busy with tribute shows, including Turner act One Night of Tina at The Orpheum in November, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac at The Cotillion in October and The Black Jacket Symphony, which will perform the Eagles’ 1976 album “Hotel California” “note-for-note, sound-for-sound” on The Orpheum stage in October.

Ryan Stevenson, manager of The Cotillion at 11120 W. Kellogg, says that for the most part, audiences have been responsive to tribute bands on the bill. The Rumours of Fleetwood Mac show scheduled for Oct. 17 is endorsed by Fleetwood Mac founder Mick Fleetwood and is selling especially well, he said.

Tribute bands are a trend that may be here to stay, he said.

“In our business, everything is very fluid,” he said. “I think this will continue as long as the tribute acts are solid and people come out to the shows.

Cheaper — and more fun

Robert Bartko said that he grew up being told he looked and sounded just like George Michael, the legendary singer and founding member of Wham! who died in 2016.

Bartko, who lives in Utah, has always been a singer and eventually began working as a music producer and recording artist who had “a decent little run of music” in the 1990s. He also was a major fan of George Michael’s work.

“Oh goodness,” he said. “If you knew me, you would say, ‘Robert was such a big fan of George Michael, he probably needs therapy.’”

Eventually, Bartko was advised that he could probably perform music more consistently and make more money if he worked up some sort of George Michael tribute show. So in 2019, he said, he rolled the dice and did it. Ever since, he’s been performing as George Michael, and in June, his show “George Michael Reborn” drew a big crowd to Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre.

Bartko said that the proliferation of tribute bands comes down to economics. National touring artists spend big money taking their shows on the road and have a “big ship to steer.” Tribute shows, on the other hand, are nimble and cost effective, he said.

“And quite frankly, we might end up putting on a better show than the original artist, who’s now way up there in age and can barely get out of bed,” he said.

The Orpheum’s Miller said that he’s noticed that tribute artists are able to give audience members an experience they’d never have with big acts. He said he watched Bartko as he performed as George Michael and saw people in the audience respond to his attention.

“He spent a lot of time interacting with fans — not just being George Michael on stage but being George Michael with fans and interacting with them while he’s on stage,” Miller said. “That’s just an experience you don’t get with a lot of bigger artists anymore. They want to maintain that distance and safety.”

Tribute shows are generally more affordable, too, and most on the calendar in Wichita offer tickets for $50 and under. The more elaborate the show, the more expensive the ticket, Miller said. But tribute shows are usually more cost-effective for venues and for fans.

“Elton John the tribute artist isn’t going to cost the same as Elton John the person,” he said.

‘Pretty close to the original’

Some music fans are always going to hold out for the real deal and would consider attending a tribute show a questionable use of time.

But people should give them a chance, said Stevenson, who has been impressed by many of the tribute acts that have come through The Cotillion.

“A lot of these bands are built with a core of great musicians that have toured with other acts,” Stevenson said. “So they can sound pretty close to the original and are even endorsed by the original act.”

Bartko said that once he got his George Michael act on the road, he caught the attention of original Wham! bassist Deon Estus, who was so impressed, he joined Bartko on stage for a few of his performances. The two even talked about trying to get surviving Wham! member Andrew Ridgeley on board, but Estus died in 2021.

His show focuses on Michael’s “Faith” era, though he performs all the hits fans love, including “Careless Whisper” and “Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go.” The demand for his performance is strong enough that he’s on the road performing nearly every weekend.

No, he’s not the real George Michael. But he’s worked hard to make sure that he looks like him, moves like him and sounds like him. And audiences respond.

“I just consider it an incredible honor to carry on the George Michael legacy,” Bartko said. “If this was a restaurant, I would see George as my older brother who made some of the original recipes that I have the honor of still cooking up for people.”

Tribute concerts scheduled for Wichita

The Orpheum, 200 N. Broadway

The Black Jacket Symphony presents Eagles’ Hotel California, Oct. 20, tickets $30 to $35 at selectaseat.com

One Night of Tina, Nov. 30, tickets $27.50 to $84.50 at www.se.ectaseat.com

Brit Floyd, June 4, 2024, tickets $44-$160 at www.se.ectaseat.com

The Cotillion, 11120 W. Kellogg

Fool House — The Ultimate 90s Dance Party, Oct. 13, tickets $20 at thecotillion.com

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac, Oct. 17, tickets $20 at thecotillion.com

The Ozzy Osbourne Experience, Oct. 19, tickets $20 at thecotillion.com

Michael Jackson Tribute Concert, Oct. 28, tickets $20-$50 at thecotillion.com

The Phil Collins Experience, Dec. 2, tickets $29-$59 at thecotillion.com

Wave, 650 E. Second St.

The Dave Matthews Tribute Band, Aug. 21, tickets $15 at waveict.com

Rumours: A Fleetwood Mac Tribute, Sept. 15, tickets $13-$30 at waveict.com

Stiefel, 151 S. Santa Fe, Salina

One Night with Elvis, July 28, tickets $25 cash at Stiefel and at several Salina locations