Local Musician Works to Create Venue for Tribute Bands

Todd Stoney, the leader of Detroit-based Bob Seger tribute band Lookin’ Back, is seeking to partner with a venue in metro Detroit to create Tributesville, a space dedicated specifically to hosting tribute bands.
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Todd Stoney, the leader of Detroit-based Bob Seger tribute band Lookin’ Back, is seeking to partner with a venue in metro Detroit to create Tributesville, a space dedicated specifically to hosting tribute bands.

“We’re looking for the right place to call home,” Stoney says, the group’s drummer.

He says he wants a venue where bands will know the stage setup will be consistent, so that they can plan elaborate light and laser productions.

“For some venues, music is just a line-item expense,” Stoney says.

The metro Detroit area is home to several tribute bands, some dedicated to Detroit rockers like Alice Cooper and Seger, while Echoes of Pink Floyd honors the British rock band.

Stoney, a former employee of both General Motors and Chevrolet’s public relations departments, says there’s a difference between a bar band playing covers and a tribute band. He says a tribute band can deliver a musical and visual experience most bar bands can’t. For some shows, Stoney says he has spent hundreds of hours programming an eight-laser light show.

He says Alto Reed and Charlie Martin of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band have joined Stoney and Lookin’ Back on stage four times.

Stoney says there’s a demand for Tributesville, with Lookin’ Back playing hundreds of festivals around Michigan and selling out the annual Bob Seger Birthday Bash each year. He says the only thing missing is a dedicated music house for Tributesville. He says if the concept is successful in metro Detroit, it could be duplicated in other major cities.

“The potential is completely there,” Stoney says. “I just need a business partner who will treat tribute bands special.”​