Set lists are often a worry for concert-going fans. How many hits will the band drop to make room for the new material?
For fans of the Beatles, no such concerns. There is, however, one small problem. Although they look and play like them, the four mop tops touring the U.S. and Europe are not the real thing.
What we’re talking about here is Rain, a Beatles tribute band. Last night Roberta and I went to see them at Wolf Trap Pavilion in Northern Virginia (Hey, it didn’t rain!). We’ve seen a handful of shows there and it’s always been a sold-out show. But I was wondering if a tribute band would fill the seats. They did, with a great audience of 7,000 or so.
The concert was full of hits, spanning the Beatles’ brilliant career. A good level of realism was achieved with the five sets (1964 Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium, Sgt. Pepper Era, Flower Power and Abbey Road) and archived footage. They even showed commercials from the 60s, a real hoot for those of us old enough to remember them.
The only bummer about this wonderful summer night was the ushers aggressively enforced the no photography rule. Their official website has some, however, and be sure and check out the forums section for the Rain Drops, their fan club.
Paying tribute to the greatest rock and roll band of all time is a difficult task, but Rain reaches the mark and then some. In fact, by playing the music of Sgt Pepper live, they achieved something the Beatles never did.
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