("Hotel California" The Eagles) It's the music of a generation, artists that have stood the test of time.

- Motto one, have fun.

If it's not fun, I don't want to do it.

♪ He works at Mr. Cacciatore's ♪ Down on Sullivan Street - [Jason] The songs they play and bands they try to replicate are all very much familiar.

♪ Yeah, and he's tradin' in his Chevy ♪ ♪ For a Cadillac ac-ac-ac-ac-ac ♪ ♪ You oughta know by now But it's the people playing those songs that aren't as familiar.

- We're all super fans of the music.

You wouldn't be able to do this, and I don't think anyone could do this if you didn't like, if you didn't love the music.

- Myself and the bass player have been together for 30 years, since 1994.

- [Jason] Tracy Maples and Mike Santoro head up two of the area's most popular tribute bands, emulating two of the greatest musical acts of all time, Mike playing Billy Joel songs in The Stranger.

♪ I haven't showed you everything a man can do ♪ - I try to emulate how Billy is on the record, not live.

- [Jason] Tracy leading the way, an Eagles tribute band, On the Border.

♪ Well, I'm a-runnin' down the road tryna loosen my load ♪ ♪ Got a world of trouble on my mind ♪ - What bands have longevity?

How many hits do they have?

And the Eagles was a no brainer.

- [Jason] The guys, growing up as kids in the seventies, fell in love with music, thanks in large part to their sisters.

- My oldest sister, Donna, had a stack of vinyl, and when she wasn't home, I went and I was shuffling through them, and I saw Billy Joel.

- My sister had Boston "Foreplay/Long Time" album, Queen, the Kiss albums, so that's where it all started with me, Fleetwood Mac.

- [Jason] Just like Billy Joel, Mike is a Long Island native.

He was just 10 when Billy's Grammy, award-winning album of the year, "52nd Street," was released in 1978.

- That was the album that got me hooked.

♪ Now he gives them a stand-up routine in LA, ooh ♪ - [Jason] At his shows, like this one at the Swanee Theater in Kannapolis, Mike plays the piano just like Billy, except the piano he uses isn't really a piano, it's a keyboard built into a piano shell.

♪ You can speak your mind ♪ But not on my time - If we've played in front of 10,000 people, we've played in front of 10, but we seemed to not let the crowd size have any effect on us.

We're enjoying ourselves here, and then hopefully, it translates.

- [Jason] His backing band are all skilled musicians themselves from the drums, guitars, keyboards, and saxophone.

(saxophone solo) ♪ I'm moving out, whoa - Playing it in and out, day after day, week after week, year after year, it still hasn't gotten boring.

And it's not only just 'cause we're fans, but the people that we play to are equally invested in the show.

- [Jason] The Piano Man, himself, is aware of Mike and The Stranger Show, and he's given his stamp of approval.

- I quote him a lot.

He said, "Thank you for keeping my music alive."

Yeah, it was pretty cool.

(laughs) ♪ Someone's on the ground - [Jason] Prior to starting his Billy Joel tribute band, Mike was the drummer for Eagles tribute band, On the Border.

- I love Mike.

He's such a talented guy.

- [Jason] So he played with you guys for how long?

- He was with us for probably four years.

Too many conflicts of dates.

That's very popular, we're popular, and he just couldn't do better.

♪ But you can't hide your lying eyes ♪ ♪ And your smile... - [Jason] At the boatyard in Lake Norman, fans sing along word for word to every Eagle song on the set list.

♪ I thought by now you'd realize ♪ ♪ There ain't no way to hide your lying eyes ♪ - How many people love the Eagles?

It really goes through so many generations of people.

We have kids, we play in large shows, and we've seen children, I'm gonna say children, because they're 8, 9, 10-years-old, right at the front of the stage as excited as they can be, and singing all the words to the songs that I probably still can't remember.

(laughs) (upbeat electric guitar music) (crowd cheering) - [Jason] For these musicians, On the Border is a full-time job.

The band plays upwards of 120 shows a year around the nation - And we have a lot of people that actually get together and go on trips wherever we're playing.

And I don't know how they find out, but they find out the hotels we're staying in.

(laughs) And so it's a good time on the road.

We have a lot of really good fans that have become really good friends, and they've all met and made friends along the way, so it's like a big family, and we enjoy what we do.

♪ I heard about you and that man ♪ - [Jason] Tim Giovanniello sings most of the Don Henley parts with Tracy singing the Glenn Frey parts.

The one song Tracy looks forward to playing most at each show?

- I have always been partial to "One of These Nights."

♪ One of these nights ♪ One of these crazy old nights ♪ I remember as a kid hearing it on the AM radio, on the phonograph, and there's just something about that song that's nostalgic for me growing up.

♪ They said that Queens could stay ♪ ♪ They blew the Bronx away ♪ And sank Manhattan out at sea ♪ - [Jason] It's a job but not really a job.

These guys do it for the love of the music, playing in front of live audiences, and yeah, the money's not too bad either.

- I don't even consider it a job.

Sure, it makes money, but we just go have fun.

- The job is the traveling, when you're breaking down, setting up, soundcheck, hotel check in, check out, and when you're on the road, or if you're flying or whatever, that's the job.

♪ On a dark desert highway ♪ Cool wind in my hair - [Jason] But most of all, with each performance, the guys are touching audiences with a sense of nostalgia.

- It's amazing the music, how it affects people, even though it's not our music, how it affects people's lives.

Someone that's recovering from cancer or someone's husband passed away or when we play a song, and it brings back memories, and it's touching.