Two popular tribute shows take the stage at the Mauch Chunk Opera House this weekend.

On Friday night, Ted Vigil's Tribute to John Denver takes the stage, followed on Saturday by the Simon & Garfunkel Retrospective, with singer-songwriters AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle.Never mind the amazing physical resemblance to John Denver that Ted Vigil was born with the real story is the way he performs Denver's iconic, timeless songs. Audiences warm immediately to Vigil and his gentle, sunny personality. Once Vigil sings, people are simply amazed.Vigil offers some of Denver's most familiar tunes, including "Thank God I'm A Country Boy," "Calypso," "Annie's Song," "Rocky Mountain High" and "Sunshine on My Shoulders." He performed until recently with John Denver's former lead guitarist, Steve Weisberg, who passed away recently after a brief struggle with cancer."I don't know if it's the artist, or the music, or a combination thereof, but there's something about John Denver's music that I'm convinced takes people more than just down memory lane," Weisberg had said. "There's just something about John's music that warms the human soul."The Simon & Garfunkel Retrospective on Saturday features two well-known area musicians, AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle, who now perform their tribute show nationally, even with symphony orchestras."The subject of Simon and Garfunkel came up and we realized we were both huge fans," Swearingen recalled of the chance encounter. "(Beedle) would come to the club and we would challenge each other on our knowledge of their songs. We learned their whole catalog by accident."Swearingen and Beedle conjure the duo's choirlike vocal harmonies and intensity on such songs as "The Sound of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," "The Boxer" and "Cecilia." However, Swearingen and Beedle avoid outright imitation you won't see either of the musicians sporting a big curly wig."We approach this standing to the side," Swearingen explains. "We're saying this is an amazing body of work that we have a huge respect for. We're not pretending to be them."Both shows begin at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are available on the opera house website at

www.mcohjt.com, by visiting Soundcheck Records in downtown Jim Thorpe from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., or by calling 570-325-4009. The opera house box office is open from noon to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday at 570-325-0249.