Okay so here's the deal...
In a nutshell, unreal attention to detail and it was obvious that these guys haven't grown tired of the act. They take this gig VERY seriously and oh by the way, they're extremely good at what they do..!
(
The show started even before the show started)
Naturally they had to clear the back line from the opening act and set these guys up but this is where I got my first clue of just how polished this act was going to be. Most people probably never noticed but it was the
first thing that caught my eye. Their
road crew was dressed out in nice looking matching outfits. Nothing special but matching black slacks, white shirts and black suspenders. The freakin' road crew mind you! This is highly unusual, I've NEVER seen that before. Quite classy!
Then they brought the band on with an original Ed Sullivan introduction. It wasn't a big gala intro but it didn't need to be. These guys can easily stand on their own as musicians and vocalists but from the first note you could tell just how serious these guys were about recreating The Beatles experience.
Attention to Detail
These guys have watched a lot of Beatles film and spent hours learning their parts both musically and individually as the Beatles personalities. From the dress right down to the on stage mannerisms. They used the same make guitars in the same colors, strapped them on at the same height, played through Vox amps (haven't seen those in years) and even masterfully duplicated the original guitar tones! It was absolutely amazing how far these guys went towards duplicating the original Beatles.
Both guitars (John Lennon's Rickenbacker rhythm and George Harrison Gretsch lead) sound was incredibly spot on. You would have thought you were listening to the original record. They stood, bobbed, moved and played VERY much like all the original Beatles film I've ever seen too.
Their vocals were strong, voiced correctly and they played almost everything note for note including all the solos which we as listeners have come to know note for note. As mentioned they were all very good players and good vocalists as well. The drummer even sang a couple of Ringo tunes and he sounded so much like Ringo (which wasn't particularly good back in the day) that it began to get eerie.
Act 1 consisted of all older Beatles tunes while act 2 picked up with the Yellow Submarine era complete with Sargent Peppers outfits, wigs and even a moustache for Ringo. They also brought out their musical director (and keyboard player) for act 2 and made excellent use of sequenced horn, keyboard, crowd and other sounds during the newer era tunes. There were several wardrobe changes during act 2 also depicting the visual changes we all saw The Beatles go through during this era.
One thought came to my mind while watching this show. I wondered just how many bass players they auditioned before they found a left handed player (that could play well) looked something like Paul McCartney and could sing well enough to cover Paul's vocals. (Paul was the one singing most of the high stuff) I'm guessing hundreds. (maybe thousands
)
From an artistry standpoint (and a critical one I might add) I'd rate these guys a 9+ on the ten scale. They're as close to the original Beatles as you're ever going to get. If you ever have a chance to see "The Cast of Beatlemania" live,
do not pass it up! It's a show well worth seeing and a spectacular trip down memory lane. The only thing missing from this show was the pageantry of presentation. There was no supernatural light show, giant video screens, whirling swirling rear projectors or other show business magic. It was simply 4 guys recreating something that has eluded description for decades. You can't put it into words, you simply have to experience it and I highly recommend that you do!
"
The Cast of Beatlemania"