For fans who can’t afford a U2 concert, AXS TV has the next best thing — again.
The cable channel has renewed “The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands” for a fifth season, TheWrap has learned exclusively. And this year, the weekly live concert series will not only pay homage to Bono and the Edge’s band, but also Frank Sinatra, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Foreigner, Johnny Cash, the Eagles and Huey Lewis & the News.
The show, hosted and produced by Katie Daryl (“TMZ,” “Deadline!”), has featured nearly 50 tribute bands to date, in some instances boosting the groups’ careers with the exposure.
Some of the bands have more than doubled their bookings after performing on the series, AXS told TheWrap. And per the Mark Cuban-owned cable channel, multiple concert bookers across the country have said overall opportunities for tribute bands have increased 50 percent over the last 18 months, the time “WGTB” has been on the air.
“I am so proud of all the amazingly talented tribute bands that have performed on our show,” Daryl (pictured above) told TheWrap. “Their success is a testament to the impact ‘The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands’ has on the music world. These bands are making noise, and the industry is listening.”
“The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands” will plug in on Tuesday, March 24 at 10 p.m. ET on AXS. The season premiere will be the series’ 50th episode, and will feature Gary Anthony, who performs a Sinatra tribute show in Las Vegas.
Other bands this season include: Mirage (Fleetwood Mac – March 31), Natural Wonder (Stevie Wonder – April 7), Double Vision (Foreigner – April 14), Hollywood U2 (U2 – April 21), Philip Bauer (Johnny Cash – April 28), On the Border (Eagles – May 5) and Super Huey (Huey Lewis & the News – May 12).
This season will mark Hollywood U2’s second appearance on the show.
In conjunction with the live concert series, “The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands” has also produced seven digital albums, garnering more than 10,000 downloads on iTunes.
“The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands” broadcasts live Tuesday nights from the Whisky A Go Go club in West Hollywood, Calif. Free tickets are available online here.
AXS TV is also co-owned by AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS.