COLD Chisel’s Khe Sanh rattles the windows of a Wollongong bar. Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon drifts through a sold–out theatre in Perth. The bands aren’t real, but for the fans belting out every word, it doesn’t matter.

Tribute shows, once written off as knock-offs for the desperate, now mean full rooms, loud singalongs and nights that feel raw and alive. Big-name tours still sell, but with festivals collapsing post–COVID and tickets often running into the hundreds, audiences are turning to smaller shows to keep live music in their lives.

For those who still want to see the originals, the price of admission can feel like a test of loyalty.

Take Barnesy. He is still on the road, but tickets for his next shows start at $4,990 a head. Sure, that buys six nights in Bali, a welcome drink and Working Class Man in resort wear, but it is also a fitting example of how far big-name gigs are drifting from the average fan’s night out.

Meanwhile, the wider music world is sliding into the surreal. Streaming services are flooded with AI tracks, some estimates putting them at a fifth of all new uploads. Dead artists are being digitally resurrected to sing songs they never touched, while bots and click farms pump up the numbers to cash in on royalties.

It is no wonder live tribute acts are booming. IQ Magazine’s Touring Entertainment Report 2025 lists them as one of the fastest–growing corners of live touring, with some drawing bigger crowds than mid–tier originals.

And in Byron Bay, two of the biggest drawcards, Barnes Storm and Fleetwood Nicks, are about to take their turn.

 

 

Barnesy, rebuilt

For Scott Bedford, frontman of Barnes Storm, Cold Chisel was the soundtrack to growing up.

“I was 16 when Cold Chisel split in ’83,” he says.

“Back then the radio was all you had, and they were on every five minutes. Jimmy’s voice just floored me. Those songs tell stories, they have grit, and they stick. I’ve followed him ever since.”

Bedford started out playing covers in Coffs Harbour, but in 2016 a bandmate told him he sounded so much like Jimmy Barnes that he had to give a Chisel-focused show a go. By 2018, Barnes Storm became his full-time project.

 

 

“It’s been a long road. We had Covid take us off the stage for a couple of years, but we kept the band together and came out the other side,” he says.

Jimmy Barnes himself knows what they do and has given his blessing.

“I’ve met him twice,” Bedford says.

“The first time was backstage on his Working Class Boy tour in Grafton. He was just a normal guy, no ego, and genuinely chuffed when I told him what we were doing. The second time was last year, just after his heart operation, when I caught up with him at Bluesfest and then at a funeral. He and his son Jackie know all about us, and they’ve been really supportive.”

Bedford takes the role seriously, down to the smallest detail.

“I’ve been studying Jimmy since I was 16,” he says.

 

“I use his same vocal warm-ups, stand like him, cut my hair like him, and match his pacing on stage. Screaming your guts out won’t last night after night. It’s about understanding how he does it so you can keep delivering.”

Barnes Storm’s set is built for impact, with raw energy and a catalogue stacked with crowd favourites.

“There’s a few tough ones vocally, like Star Hotel, Working Class Man, and Bow River, all of which push the high notes, but the pay-off is worth it,” Bedford says.

“Khe Sanh, Working Class Man, and Driving Wheels always go off. I remember one gig where we opened with Driving Wheels and people just froze, stared, and then erupted at the end of the song. That roar is the thrill of it.”

For Bedford, the shows are about more than nostalgia.

“I’ve always said music is therapy,” he says.

 

“Our show runs for about two hours. If we can give people that time to forget whatever’s happening in their lives, sing, dance, and just let go, we’ve done our job.”

Barnes Storm has also carved out a reputation beyond the pub circuit.

“One of my favourites was the Australian Made series,” Bedford says.

“It recreated that iconic 1980s tour with Jimmy, INXS and the Divinyls. We did 44 shows alongside Don’t Change and Simply the Divinyls. Playing Penrith Panthers and Toronto Hotel with 800 people screaming every word is the kind of night you don’t forget.”

Now, playing the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay feels like another milestone.

“There’s such a good vibe in the Northern Rivers. People here genuinely love live music,” Bedford says.

“We’ve wanted to play the Beach Hotel for years. To finally get the chance, we’ll make sure it’s a show worth remembering.”

Fleetwood Mac, reimagined

Melanie Green grew up watching Stevie Nicks on loop, and now she brings a piece of that to the stage.

“I was brainwashed by my parents with Fleetwood Mac’s 1997 The Dance concert,” she laughs.

“I’ve watched it a hundred times. I try to dress like Stevie, use her movements, and adjust my voice a little, but I don’t try to copy her exactly. If you force it, it looks try-hard. It’s my voice, just nudged to suit hers.”

Green fronts Fleetwood Nicks, a Sydney-based tribute that has been together for over a decade, which is rare in the tribute world where lineups often splinter.

“Most bands don’t last 10 years. We’ve only had one change, a guitarist, and it wasn’t even a fight. Everyone is still in it because we all love this music.”

 

The band includes Green, Bernadette Wallace as Christine McVie, Steve Green as Lindsey Buckingham, plus Chris Askew, Jason Long and Bernie Hallam. They focus on recreating the sound and atmosphere without pretending to be Fleetwood Mac.

“We’ll talk to the crowd and crack a joke about how Fleetwood Mac shows these days smell less like cocaine and more like blood pressure medication and cups of tea,” Green says.

“Christine’s songs like Everywhere and You Make Loving Fun have 20 vocal layers on the recordings, so we use keyboards and as much sound as we can to make it full.”

When the band launches into Dreams, the room always erupts.

“They lose their mind every time,” Green says.

“We’ve even had to play it twice some nights. Everyone rushes onto the dancefloor, and it is not even a dance song, really.”

 

Off stage, the band is as down to earth as it gets.

“I’m a nurse. Bernadette is a vet nurse. One’s in IT. Our retired consultant-turned-guitarist spends his weekdays fishing in Scotts Head, then drives down in his Volkswagen van with a bed in the back to gig all weekend. We joke it is our tour bus.”

Fleetwood Nicks’ audiences are just as varied.

“Fleetwood Mac has had this big re-emergence through TikTok, streaming, and even Kmart and Big W selling their merch,” Green says.

“We get everyone from 80-year-olds to teenagers, and they all know the songs. Some people in their 70s tell us it feels like they’re back at a real Fleetwood Mac concert. It brings back so many memories.”

Byron Bay fans can hear Fleetwood Nicks at the Beach Hotel on Sunday, August 17, from 4.30pm to 7pm. Entry is free.

Barnes Storm performs the music of Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel at the Beach Hotel on Sunday, August 3, from 4.30pm to 7pm. Entry is free.