Bill Connors as American Elton returns to the Park Theatre

Tribute bands are increasingly popular in New England and nationally JAFFREY — Bill Connors has been performing a one-man tribute show to Sir Elton John for 16 years and has clocked in more than 3,000 performances to date. In 2017, he was featured on the TV show "America's Got Talent," and they invited him to Liverpool, England to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles "Sergeant Pepper" album. He said it was a highlight of his career. Connors who lives with his wife and daughter, Kyla, in Venice, Florida, lived in New Boston, New Hampshire for 21 years and has many fond memories of the Granite state. Connors brings his show to the Park Theatre in Jaffrey on Friday, June 26, at 7:30 p.m. Victoria Chertok: Hi Bill! Let's start with your two plus decades of living in New Hampshire. What did you like best? Bill Connors: New Boston was the best home town we could have picked for our daughter who just graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with honors and a 3.86 GPA. It has the best school system in NH and the best people! NH is great for the seasons, of course, but also for real New Englanders; if you make a friend here, it's a friend for life. V.C.: Interesting! How did your Elton John tribute show "American Elton" come about? B.C.: It was haphazard, because I was in California at the time, playing at a piano bar, just me and the piano. It was election night and somebody came in with one of those campaign hats; a boater hat. Somebody stuck it on my head, and said, "Wait, put on these sunglasses and they said, "Look, you're Elton John!" It never occurred to me before, but everyone said, "You look just like him with the hat and sunglasses!" So I started doing it as a little bit, just as a gag at first. V.C.: Then what happened? B.C.: I just decided I'm going to go in that direction full time. So I did. V.C.: Were you well received from the beginning? B.C.: At the beginning, like anything, you want to get better and better. I would just play anywhere and record it, and film myself, and watch it back, and improve and improve, because you're your own worst critic. I created a one-of-a-kind concert which includes costumes, color, showmanship, time tested hit songs and I project images from Elton's career on a screen behind me. V.C.: Why do you think Elton John is so popular globally? B.C.: I love Elton…his voice, his piano playing, but my favorite is the lyrics. Bernie Taupin is the secret weapon, because nobody writes lyrics the way he does. That's how the songs begin. He writes the words first and then everything stems from that. I'm just nuts about the lyrics. V.C.: When you were growing up in Wakefield, Massachusetts where you into music and did you study it in school? B.C.: Well, there's a scene in the movie "Rocket Man," it's just like my life, because I was five years old, and I remember very clearly my family was in the other room, and they had the radio playing. I even remember the song was "Strangers in the Night." I just wandered over to the piano and I just started playing along with the song that was on the radio, and they walked in, they go, "What are you doing?" I thought nothing of it. I said, "I'm just playing the song," and they said, "That's not something everybody does." V.C.: So you play piano by ear? B.C.: I could play by ear right off the bat, and I taught myself all about music theory. V.C.: Did you play an instrument in school? B.C.: Yeah, I played bass fiddle. Because the day they were handing out the orchestra instruments, I was sick, so when I came in the next day, the only thing left was the bass fiddle. There were four awards in school for music, and out of those, I won three. V.C.: That's fantastic, Captain Fantastic! Any closing thoughts? B.C.: The one thing I would say is that to me, the audience is the most important thing. And in the middle of the show, I'm going to ask for requests. As you know, I can play by ear, so if I've heard it, I can play it. I'll just have them shout things out. I will also pose for photos in the lobby afterwards so they can have their photo taken with American Elton. Tribute Bands Are Everywhere Owner and GM at Stone Church in Brattleboro Robin Johnson, who is also president of the National Independent Venue Association New England Chapter said in an email, "Tribute bands have become an unstoppable force on the live music club scene. Personally, we do our best to balance our schedule and focus as much as we can on new original music, but the power of tributes is undeniable." Johnson continued, "It's certainly led by the strength of the followers of The Grateful Dead, but now you can find top notch tributes for almost any legacy act you can imagine." He added, "They're great because they tap into the nostalgia fans have for those iconic artists who they won't have the chance to see perform live. At the same time it's great for the venue because they provide a much more predictable outcome vs. new and up and coming originals. Finally it's great for working musicians, who often find the most reliable income from playing in tributes." Steve Jackson, CEO of the Park Theatre said this is the third performance of American Elton and "People adore him. He's such a wonderful performer – he does a spot on experience of Elton John." When asked why tribute bands are so popular in New England, Jackson said, "I think there have always been tribute bands. It started with Elvis. There were always Elvis impersonators and tributes, but I think they were, doing him while he was still alive, until his death." Jackson continued, "They became even more popular, and there was a little bit of a lull, and then they started getting wildly popular again. There's always a soft spot of nostalgia for people. It's an experience and you're sharing it with others." Jackson concluded, "For everyone it's very comforting, because a lot of the great rock and roll stars of the '60s and '70s are now getting way up there in age, and some of these guys are still touring. Tributes are a wonderful way to experience these artists." For more information and to buy tickets for American Elton – Bill Connors is Elton John on Friday, June 26, at 7:30 p.m. at The Park theatre in Jaffrey, visit theparktheatre.org/elton-tribute. For more information on Bill Connors, visit americanelton.com.