The Australian Bee Gees (Vegas) on Tour
With the untimely passings of Maurice Gibb in 2003 and his brother Robin in 2012, the original Bee Gees are sadly no more. But you can still experience all of the group's biggest hits — from their breakthrough ‘60s pop ballads to their ‘70s disco classics to their ‘90s comeback anthems — in concert, thanks to this expert tribute act hailing from the Gibbs' home continent. Not only do the Australian Bee Gees sound just like their idols, they look a lot like them too: guitarist Michael Clift sports positively Barry-esque mane, facial hair and (thanks to dental prosthetics) teeth; keyboardist Wayne Hosking does Maurice proud with a fedora and tidy beard; and vocalist David Scott is a dead ringer for Robin in his shaded specs. The house band at Las Vegas' Excalibur Hotel and Casino, The Australian Bee Gees ensure that any day of the week is ripe for Saturday-night fever.
The Australian Bee Gees (Vegas) Background
While they've ably filled the void left by the brothers Gibb, the roots of the Australian Bee Gees date back to when the actual Bee Gees were still active. After playing their own original music — and noticing the crowds being pulled by the tribute acts they sometimes played with — the trio of Michael Clift, Wayne Hosking and David Scott decided to switch lanes in 1996 and become "Barry," "Maurice" and "Robin" in a tribute act they dubbed The Australian Bee Gees. While the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever hits anchored the set list, the ABGs approached their show with a true connoisseur's eye to the band's deep back catalog, giving equal weight to the group's many pre-disco singles. Once the ABGs landed in Vegas in 2011 for an indefinite run, the performance evolved into a multimedia experience complete with videos, costume changes, choreography and period-specific sets. The show has also spawned an international touring production that's visited over 50 countries.