San Diego is home to many very good cover bands, but despite a recent upsurge in Johnny Cash tribute bands, few listeners focus on the music of a single artist. The primary reason for this is that relatively few performers have a deep-enough catalog of material to put together a reasonable set. However, a small number of local tribute acts is now regularly drawing bigger crowds on the same club circuit as the area’s original music acts. The hottest new group to emerge in the last year is 52nd Street, a Billy Joel tribute band. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, 52nd Street performs at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge. For frontman John Bowe, it’s the culmination of a lifelong admiration for Joel’s music. “I grew up in Boston, not far from New York, and Billy Joel was huge,” Bowe said. “I attended my first concert by Billy Joel on Sept. 30, 1978. Interestingly enough, our upcoming Humphrey’s show will be 30 years to the day from that first experience.” Bowe has remained a Joel fan ever since, but it was a performance in Los Angeles this last February that convinced him a tribute band might be a good idea. “He still packs them in, and not just baby-boomers,” Bowe said. “I saw scores of teenage boys in their sport coats with jeans and sneakers on — Billy’s original stage attire.” With the firm belief that there were enough Joel aficionados in the area to make a go of it, the band debuted March 11. Bowe has since performed in two formats — as a solo act with keyboards and electronic rhythm section and, for bigger events such as the Humphrey’s gig, as a full band featuring Bowe, guitarist John Brengle, saxophonist Don Bowman, bassist Terry Miller and drummer Tom Hankla. The band has a set list of 25 songs, with a mix of hits and catalog favorites. “That’s the great thing about this. His songbook is vast and he’s had a lot of big hits,” Bowe said. He noted that Joel’s rock tunes such as “Still Rock and Roll to Me” and “Movin’ Out” get a big response, but his sentimental numbers go over the best. “It seems that people really like the ballads a lot,” said Bowe. “‘New York State of Mind’ and ‘Just the Way You Are’ always get a big hand.” The group does not attempt to look like Joel and his band, preferring to concentrate on the songs. “We prefer to focus on replicating the music and vocals. That in itself is quite a challenge. (He) uses every inch of the piano and his vocal range is great,” Bowe said. While 52nd Street does not perform any original material, they do occasionally include songs not written by Joel. “(He) was greatly influenced by the Beatles, so we do some of their tunes that he has covered,” Bowe said. The band also sometimes includes material from Joel’s frequent tour mate, Elton John. While Bowe is quick to cite his talented band mates as a reason for 52nd Street’s success, he pointed to Joel’s gifts as a songwriter as the basis for it all. “(He’s) an amazing storyteller,” Bowe said. “Song’s like ‘Goodnight Saigon,’ which is about the experiences of the Marines who fought in Vietnam, and ‘Leningrad,’ about a trip he made to Russia and the friends he made, are incredible stories set to wonderful melodies.” He considers Joel’s “tough guy with a very romantic side and a rock and roll heart” persona to be key to his popularity as well. “That combination seems to appeal to a lot of people,” he said. Though he’s happy to see younger fans at the band’s shows, he noted the nostalgic aspect of the performances. “A lot of the people my age who come to see us are reminded of a different time when they hear some of this music,” Bowe said. “Maybe a happier time. And that’s not a bad thing.” 52nd Street performs at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, 2241 Shelter Island Dr., on Tuesday, Sept. 30. For more information visit www.humphreysbythebay.com/backstageMusicClub.cfm.
