I’m writing from our tour bus, on the way to our last gig before we head to Chicago. Who is this ‘we’ I speak of? We’re Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles. If you have not seen us – what is it that we do? Is it a rock concert? Is it a production show? Is it theater? The answer is ‘kinda yes’ to all the above. We play the Beatles’ music live on stage, as authentically to the original records as possible, while, with the use of period costumes, sets, and multi-media & large screens, hit all the milestones of the band’s career – the Ed Sullivan show, the Shea Stadium concert, the Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road albums, and more. It’s kind of if the Beatles performed their whole career in the span of two hours right before your eyes, while images of the Sixties flashed past you. Trippy, huh?
In any case, we’re currently living the Rock & Roll lifestyle – a different city, hotel, theater – every night, then it’s back on the bus and off to the next town. So we’re looking forward to our time in Chicago. Not only will we be in the same place for a whole week (yay!), but that place is one of the coolest cities in the country! And the Auditorium Theatre – wow. From what I’ve heard, and what I’ve seen online, it looks beautiful.
Our audience is usually filled with fellow Beatles fans (I have to admit – I’m a total Beatle geek. I know, you’d think when my job is 24/7 Beatles, I’d be kinda tired of them offstage. Nope, still love ‘em!). We get people of all ages – 1st generation boomers who can remember seeing the Ed Sullivan show that night in February ’64 when the Beatles first came to the US; 2nd generation fans like me, who found them through their parents, aunts or uncles, or older brothers and sisters, and even 3rd gen fans – kids in their early teens who just found the Beatles on their own somehow – or maybe even from their grandparents! In any case, it’s always cool to see Beatles fans out there, getting to hear what we’re doing, replicating the music we’re all so familiar with, being played live onstage, just as they remember it from the records. So we’re really looking forward to seeing what kind of audience we find in Chicago. It seems to be a little different in every part of the country. But it seems there are Beatle lovers everywhere. I can’t wait to see them come out and give us a listen!
-STEVE LANDES
RAIN – A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES
