The Classical Mystery Tour is Dying to Take You Away...
Whew, that was exhilarating! Tonight I went to attend the "Beatlemania" WPOPS Series concert performed at the Eastman Theater. I'm still trying to come up with something coherent and worthwhile to say on the experience but the only thing going through my brain is; Awesome!
While it seems incredibly geeky to get excited over what is essentially a group of impersonators, this is something that needs to be experienced to be believed. To borrow the tag line of a certain musical: "Not the Beatles, But an Incredible Simulation". Actually, that's not giving the performers enough credit. Given that the Beatles stopped performing live early in their career, most of these songs were only played by the Fab Four in their recording studio. In the end, they were a studio band. So Beatles fans never did get to hear a live orchestra crescendo come to life in the song A Day in the Life, or listen to Paul McCartney accompanied by a double string quartet in Eleanor Rigby. Besides the obvious impossibility of hearing a real Beatles concert, that was the real beauty of this performance.
The concert opened with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performing a medley of well-known Beatles tunes, from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds to Let it Be and the Benefit of Mr.Kite. Then "the Beatles" arrived, or their doppelgangers, anyway. They were; Jim Owen (John Lennon), Tony Kishman (Paul McCartney) Tom Teeley (George Harrison), and Chris Camilleri (Ringo Starr). Clad in black suits and mop-top hair, they looked as if they had just walked off "The Ed Sullivan Show". After a few early 60's songs (think: A Hard Day's Night) it was time for a transition. A quick change into Sgt. Pepper's outfits led to the obligatory psychedelic tunes such as I am the Walrus. The accompanying orchestra was fully utilized in these numbers but never overpowering.
The show was still going strong after the intermission, focusing more on the band's final albums. This portion also featured music from the band member's post-breakup years. Although the show ended with "the medley" portion of Abbey Road, the audience was begging for more. By the time the cast had taken their final bow, the encore had added five more songs to the concert. During these final numbers, the entire audience sat up and danced in place. I can't imagine this was a common occurrence at an upscale theater such as the Eastman but this wasn't your average concert, either.
I had a moment of zen when I walked into the main foyer and found myself immersed in a cheering crowd. Obviously, I wasn't the target of their fanfare, so I quickly turned around and realized that the "fab four" had been right behind me the whole time! I quickly recoiled to the side in embarrassment when Jim Owen in a convincing Liverpool accent replied "Nice Shirt, Love." (I had worn my "Magical Mystery Tour" T-Shirt. Yeah, I'm predictable like that).
...And just a side note pertaining to my last entry. My grandmother is doing a lot better and is now residing in a nursing home. So thank you everyone for your well-wishes and concerns, it means a lot to me.
While it seems incredibly geeky to get excited over what is essentially a group of impersonators, this is something that needs to be experienced to be believed. To borrow the tag line of a certain musical: "Not the Beatles, But an Incredible Simulation". Actually, that's not giving the performers enough credit. Given that the Beatles stopped performing live early in their career, most of these songs were only played by the Fab Four in their recording studio. In the end, they were a studio band. So Beatles fans never did get to hear a live orchestra crescendo come to life in the song A Day in the Life, or listen to Paul McCartney accompanied by a double string quartet in Eleanor Rigby. Besides the obvious impossibility of hearing a real Beatles concert, that was the real beauty of this performance.
The concert opened with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performing a medley of well-known Beatles tunes, from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds to Let it Be and the Benefit of Mr.Kite. Then "the Beatles" arrived, or their doppelgangers, anyway. They were; Jim Owen (John Lennon), Tony Kishman (Paul McCartney) Tom Teeley (George Harrison), and Chris Camilleri (Ringo Starr). Clad in black suits and mop-top hair, they looked as if they had just walked off "The Ed Sullivan Show". After a few early 60's songs (think: A Hard Day's Night) it was time for a transition. A quick change into Sgt. Pepper's outfits led to the obligatory psychedelic tunes such as I am the Walrus. The accompanying orchestra was fully utilized in these numbers but never overpowering.
The show was still going strong after the intermission, focusing more on the band's final albums. This portion also featured music from the band member's post-breakup years. Although the show ended with "the medley" portion of Abbey Road, the audience was begging for more. By the time the cast had taken their final bow, the encore had added five more songs to the concert. During these final numbers, the entire audience sat up and danced in place. I can't imagine this was a common occurrence at an upscale theater such as the Eastman but this wasn't your average concert, either.
I had a moment of zen when I walked into the main foyer and found myself immersed in a cheering crowd. Obviously, I wasn't the target of their fanfare, so I quickly turned around and realized that the "fab four" had been right behind me the whole time! I quickly recoiled to the side in embarrassment when Jim Owen in a convincing Liverpool accent replied "Nice Shirt, Love." (I had worn my "Magical Mystery Tour" T-Shirt. Yeah, I'm predictable like that).
...And just a side note pertaining to my last entry. My grandmother is doing a lot better and is now residing in a nursing home. So thank you everyone for your well-wishes and concerns, it means a lot to me.