These are the 5 tribute bands you need to see in Northeast Ohio this summer

Shane T. Golden embodies the spirit of late music icon Prince when singing his classic, "Baby I'm a Star."

Wearing a vintage "Purple Rain" era overcoat and donning mirrored, circular sunglasses, the Cleveland-area resident steps into his second skin when fronting The Prince Project, a tribute band.

Golden becomes a portal to the 1980s and a time when Prince and the "Purple Rain" album dominated MTV and pop culture.

"When I was 7 years old, I can remember my father practicing his bass guitar to (Prince's) 1979 hit, 'I Wanna Be Your Lover,' and I remember trying to dance and sing along to the song while the track played in our home growing up," he said. "As I got older, I began studying (Prince's) moves, charisma and stage presence as I grew in my desire to want to perform myself.

"The moment I discovered his song 'Purple Rain,' it became my favorite song to perform," Golden said. "I never could imagine I would be actually doing it for a career one day."

Shane T. Golden performs with The Prince Project at Jackson Township Amphitheater in Stark County 2022. The tribute band performs both inside and outside Ohio.

Golden and The Prince Project are among the many tribute bands in Ohio and across the country. All genres and nearly every famous musical artist are replicated. And tributes have become regular bookings at amphitheaters, clubs, bars and other venues.

But all tribute bands are not created equal. Some gig occasionally and may focus on music more than aesthetics. Others are full-time endeavors with national tours. But they all satisfy a yearning for yesteryear. And even if the original band still tours, the spin-off version is vastly more affordable.

I set out to find some of the best tribute bands who either have performed in Ohio or will in the future.

The list isn't definitive, of course. And it's subjective. But here are the five tribute acts deemed worthy of inclusion:

Shane T. Golden performs as the singer of The Prince Project, a Prince and the Revolution tribute band that performs across the country.

1. The Prince Project (Prince and the Revolution tribute band)

Golden's talents transcend fronting The Prince Project.

The Warren native was a contestant on season 10 of "American Idol." Golden performed on Carnival cruises. He also was a wide receiver at Malone University, where he also performed in theater and the gospel choir. Bandmates in The Prince Project are from the Pittsburgh area.

Ohio concerts have included the Canton area. But they also travel the country. Every member of The Prince Project mirrors those who were in The Revolution, Prince's band that achieved prominence in the '80s. Vocals, choreography, mannerisms and fashion all pay homage to the original group.

"We feel that those are the years that made Prince who he was," said Golden, who also works as an actor. "It helped shape him as an artist, musician and overall performer. The music during this era was raw, uncut and showed the genius of the artist Prince would ultimately become."

Not every Prince fan appreciates a tribute version, Golden admitted.

"I personally tell our audiences that I am not trying to be Prince," he said. "No one can compare to him, but I strive to portray the one and only on stage to the best of my ability, to honor Prince and his legacy through the music we all love from the late '70s and early '80s.

"I believe tribute bands keep the artist's music alive and spreading joy and good vibes to all the fans who loved and adored them."

Upcoming concerts for The Prince Project include Reston, Virginia, on July 25; Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 6; and Allison Park, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 22. For more information and tickets, go to https://www.princeproject.com/tour.

Tim Eastgate of King's Highway, a Tom Petty tribute band, performs in 2023 at Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton.

2. King's Highway Tom Petty tribute

Tim Eastgate has his Tom Petty routine down pat.

Vocals? Check. Style? Check. Quirks? Check.

None of it comes off as schtick. Rather, it's the best thing next to seeing Petty himself in concert, which isn't possible since the legend died in 2017.

Tim Eastgate performs with the King's Highway Tom Petty tribute band in 2023 at Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton.

After the death of the band's original guitarist, gigs have slowed for King's Highway, Eastgate said. But with a new guitar player in the fold, King's Highway is looking for representation and more shows, he noted.

Eastgate, 70, a veteran of the music business, exudes passion for Petty.

"We continue to perform Tom Petty songs because they are so recognizable and will always be simply relatable forevermore," the Coventry Township resident said. "That is truly the incredible, by design talent of Tom Petty and the musicians he surrounded himself with."

"What drives me to perform are the many people that love Tom's songs," he added. "Without the people, the music is meaningless."

Ohio concerts will include Jerzee's All American Bar & Grille in Jackson Township on Nov. 8 in the Belden Village area. For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/kingshighwaytribute.

R.E.M. tribute band Dead Letter Office tours the country performing both deep cuts and hit songs by the legendary alternative rock band.

3. Dead Letter Office R.E.M. tribute

Common tribute acts include Queen, Journey, Eagles and Elton John.

What about R.E.M., a darling of '80s and '90s alternative music? Not so much. But Dead Letter Office capably fills that void, especially considering that R.E.M. stopped touring in 2011.

And how good is Dead Letter Office? Superb enough that original members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band have performed with the tribute act.

Longtime R.E.M. fan Jennifer Seward is a believer. She described the scene during Dead Letter Office's Winchester Tavern show in late June.

"As soon as the opening chords of 'Begin the Begin' rang out, a handful of long-deprived R.E.M. fans in the room made their way to the dance floor," she said. "By the end of the night, the floor was packed as track after track filled much of the crowd ... with some reignited joy."

R.E.M. tribute band Dead Letter Office tours the country performing both deep cuts and hit songs by the legendary alternative rock band.

Selected songs were an "R.E.M. lover's wish list," said Seward, 50, of Olmsted Township.

Hearing early-catalog tracks like "Wolves, Lower" and "Sitting Still" was delightful, she said. They played more than 30 songs, including the hits, "Losing My Religion" and "Man on the Moon."

"The band's sound is uncanny, staying true to the nuances and details of recordings and REM's live performances," Seward raved.

Vocalist Chris Sanchirico even hoisted a megaphone for a crowd-pleasing rendition of "Orange Crush."

"Michael Stipe's vocals are characteristically unique, but Dead Letter Office is about as close as you can get," Seward added.

Summing up the entire performance, Seward said: "It was glorious."

Based in Western New York, Dead Letter Office is a longtime R.E.M. tribute band, which tours the country, including shows in Ohio.

Based in Western New York, Dead Letter Office has performed more than 120 R.E.M. songs over the years, as well as entire albums.

"We make each setlist different from night to night, just in case folks want to catch multiple shows," said drummer, Scott Ryan.

Ryan said it was "unbelievable" to perform with original R.E.M. members.

"Mike (Mills) jumped on stage and sang, 'Man on the Moon' with us, then hung out with the fans (and Dead Letter Office) all night," he recalled. "Peter (Buck) joining us on stage was a surprise to us, so that was extra special. There were about 8,000 people in attendance, which made it even more surreal."

Upcoming concerts include Woodlands Tavern in Columbus on July 24; City Winery on July 27 in St. Louis, Missouri; Mauch Chunk Opera House on Aug. 1 in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania; and City Winery on Aug. 2 in Pittsburgh.

Smells Like Nirvana, a nationally-touring tribute band, will perform Sept. 18 at The Delaware in Tuscarawas County. Pre-sale tickets cost $20.

4. Smells Like Nirvana

Nirvana's broad appeal was an unlikely collision of indie rock rawness and mainstream music melodies.

The grunge rock band's time was short but seismic. Releasing four albums within five years, lead singer Kurt Cobain's death in 1994 ended Nirvana, but the popularity of the Pacific Northwest group has endured with newer generations.

Guitars once played by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana are on exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Forgoing backing tracks and other audio gimmickry, the band is led by Paul Wandtke, who personifies Cobain from flannel shirt to ragged blond locks to guitar thrashing to signature facial contortions.

Why is the Chicago-based tribute band so loyal to Nirvana?

"We do this for Kurt because his music changed our lives growing up," the band's website says.

Ohio concerts include Aug. 8 at Frankies Toledo in Toledo; Aug. 9 at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garrettsville; Sept. 18 at The Delaware in New Philadelphia; and Sept. 19 at The Winchester Music Tavern in Lakewood.

Pre-sale tickets for the Tuscarawas County show cost $20.

Travis Arrendale, live sound engineer and talent buyer at The Delaware, is excited about hosting the Nirvana tribute.

"We booked Smells Like Nirvana because music fans like hearing something they're familiar with, and Nirvana is a band that not many people got to experience live, especially in Tuscarawas County," he said.

Melody Ebner performs as Taylor Swift in the Swift Nation tribute band, which is tours the country.

5. Swift Nation (Taylor Swift tribute)

Tribute acts often imitate a band or artist years after they were popular and commercially prolific.

Swift Nation Tribute Band, however, is the exception. The band tours the country and gives fans their fix of Taylor Swift while she's still a stadium act and chart-topping entertainer.

Northeast Ohio Swifties had their chance to indulge in Swift Nation when the group performed earlier this year at Canton Palace Theatre.

Singer Melody Ebner conjures the happy vibes of a Taylor Swift concert, including outfit changes, audience singalongs and dancers.

"If you take your kids to Disneyland and they see a Disney princess, they think it's really Cinderella or Jasmine," the San Diego native told The Canton Repository in February. "A lot of them really think it's Taylor Swift, and for (those young fans), it's extra magical. It's just been really cool to step into that role and be that person."

While some tribute acts stick to clubs and intimate venues, Swift Nation has played before thousands of fans, including at Great Irvine Park in California.

But tribute bands also draw detractors, Ebner acknowledged.

"There's definitely some tribute band haters out there," she said. "I think it's good for every musician to do the creative thing ... and you should be trying to make your own music, even if you don't put it out to the world ... but we have to feed ourselves and pay rent, and sometimes the real music just doesn't do that."

Ohio Swifties may have to wait a while for a Swift Nation return, but the group's summer schedule includes shows in California, Washington, South Carolina and New Jersey. For more information, go to https:www.swift-nation.com.

Reach Ed at [email protected]. Follow on Instagram at ed_balint and TikTok @edwardbalint.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: These are the 5 tribute bands you need to see in Northeast Ohio this summer