Since the 2009 release of The Beatles’ digitally re-mastered catalog and
The Beatles: Rock Band video game, a new generation has connected with the band that defined modern music. It was apparent at the Sunrise Theatre last Sunday, where people both young and old came in Beatles regalia to watch tribute band
The Fab Four.
The Fab Four's selling point is its pitch-perfect recreation of Beatles tracks. The show started with a voiceover by Penn Jilette of Penn & Teller fame, who assured the audience that all voicals and music were performed on stage. Afterward an Ed Sulliven impersonator came on stage and reenacted the show that led to The Beatles’ first performance on American TV. Finally the Sulliven impersonator announced the band: John Lennon (Ron McNeil), Paul McCarthy (Ardy Sarraf), George Harrison (Gavin Pring), and Ringo Starr (Rolo Sandoval). From then on The Fab Four went on a journey from the Beatlemania days through the psychedelic era and ending at the twilight of the band's history.
As in the original band Lennon/McNeil and McCarthy/Sarraf sung most of the songs, but Harrison/Pring and Starr/Sandoval also chimed in with signature songs “Here Comes the Sun” and “With A Little Help From My Friends.” All the members stayed in line with the original recordings and avoided placing emphasis on different notes from the first Fab Four.
The band sung like The Beatles, but they also needed to show they could play like The Beatles as well. An arsenal of guitars and violins sat on stage, and The Fab Four switched instruments on the fly with no tune-up time needed.
Things got trickier during the concert’s second half, as later Beatles songs weren’t performed on tour and thus were not restricted to guitars and drums. The Fab Four’s solution was to place two keyboards placed at either side of the stage. Aside from piano notes, the group used them to synthesize instruments like the horns in “Yellow Submarine” and the chaotic crescendos of “A Day in the Life.” As with the vocals, the band stuck with script and didn’t try to add extra arrangements that would take away the sense of The Beatles performing live.
Instead, the band used a giant screen to enhance the experience. "Help!" burst on screen during the chorus of the song of the same name, and groovy images flowed during "Strawberry Fields Forever". Archived footage like a fan who painted a picture of Paul McCarthy aired in between breaks.
The Fab Four also went though several costume changes. The Fab Four started out in the matching suits and bowlcuts of the early years. On the second half, the four came on stage wearing the uniforms from the cover
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Finally, the band played in the casual clothes that marked a lack of uniformity as the original group went their separate ways. Each faux Beatle stayed in character between songs, ribbing on each other and the crowd.
"If you notice any mistakes tonight, it's probably Ringo's fault," McNeil said.
When the concert entered the final phase of Beatles history, McNeil walked in by himself in Lennon’s white suit off the cover of
Abbey Road. Before playing “Imagine”, McNeil discussed Lennon’s death and how he had to fight the U.S. government to stay in the country. While a pitch-perfect reprisal the original Fab Four’s catalog is great, recreating the history and spirit of The Beatles generation is just as important for this Fab Four.
Chris Hoadley
Blog Editor
Photos by Michael Poole
