Dogs of Society makes mark as Elton John Tribute Band at Wildey, many other venues

EDWARDSVILLE - John Gore of Dogs and Society has always had a love of Elton John music.

The man, who is the lead singer of Dogs of Society, an Elton John tribute band from the St. Louis area, wowed the crowd recently at Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville.

“I grew up on Elton John,” he said. “He is my biggest influence in terms of playing and singing. He is the reason I got back in music. It was to play his music. Before that I ran out of energy and stopped for 10-years plus.

“I didn’t miss playing the bars, but I missed playing good music and I thought if I put together music I liked with great musicians it would be good. The last three years of playing the Elton John music have been a ball.”

Gore said he loves playing at Wildey and the crowds are always tremendous there.

Wildey’s Al Canal said as always Dogs of Society were a big hit.

Gore said he enjoys Elton John’s 1970s music the best.

“One of my favorites is ‘Sorry seems to be the hardest word,’” he said. “’Goodbye Yellowbrick Road’ and ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight,’ is another. I dress out to a point, but there is a distinction between this being an Elton John impersonator and a tribute to Elton. I wear glasses and a loud jacket and dress like he did before the duck suits.”

The key Gore says is the band tries to be accurate with his music and it comes naturally with the way he sings and plays.

“It is not a lot different than I normally sing,” he said. “What we do is a rocking tribute to Elton.”

Gore said he loves the musical community near his home in Kirkwood. “With Webster University there, there is definitely no shortage of excellent musicians,” he said. “It has always been that way.”

Playing at Wildey is a treat for Gore and his band.

“I grew up playing in bars, and playing in a place like Wildey with the beautiful seating, sound and lighting is awesome.”

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