Pity the poor tribute band. In the cutthroat world of live music, it’s a sure way to generate some steady gigs—but at what cost to your artistic integrity? On some cruel night you’re liable to realize that you aren’t really ZZ Top. Instead, you’re just a guy in a false beard and sunglasses playing in a trio called The Sharp Dressed Men at a strip mall bar where they won’t even give you free draft beer. But then there’s the Canadian band The Musical Box, who for 15 years have been re-enacting vintage Genesis performances circa 1973-1975—with an official license from Genesis and Peter Gabriel to do so. This kind of tribute is more akin to Borges’ fabulous character Pierre Menard, who undertook the absurd task of rewriting Don Quixote—word for word—purely on the strength of his own creativity. No mere nostalgia trip, the band will recreate in excruciating detail the theatrical concerts that supported the albums Foxtrot (October 12 & 13) and Selling England by the Pound (October 14 & 15) at the historic Riviera Theatre and Performing Arts Center in North Tonawanda. Complete with original slides, masks, set design, lighting, musical gear and choreography faithful to the original productions, The Musical Box will thrill graying fans of real progressive rock and enlighten those who were not yet born when this dramatic music first came out.

Thursday, October 12—Sunday, October 15 at 8pm. Riviera Theatre and Performing Arts Center, 65 Webster Street, North Tonawanda. $35.