In My Life, The Beatles remain
In fact, a sold-out crowd was entertained by Rain, The Beatles Tribute Band, as the musical repertoire of the greatest rock 'n' roll band came back to life on the New Philadelphia stage. Yes, if you haven't figured it out yet, I am a Beatles fan - nearly a fanatic. I do love the Fab Four and their music. And I know that I am not alone as three generations of music lovers were rocking the house to popular tunes that span the age of time, like Strawberry Fields Forever, Yesterday, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Hey Jude, I Saw Her Standing There and many more.
There were a few moments during the concert that forced me to pause and really absorb everything that was taking place - right here in Tuscarawas County. In addition, I attended the show with my son, my Beatle Boy, and that made the evening nearly perfect. Not as memorable as when we traveled to Pittsburgh to see Sir Paul McCartney perform, but it was darn close.
To fully understand how awesome Rain's show was, I must explain that the band dresses like the Beatles and the stage set is replicated to a particular time period, such as the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, their record-breaking performance at Shea Stadium, the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band costumed show, the peaceful and groovy later years and more. From the setting to the lyrics, the audience was transformed back in time. And you know what - I loved it.
But going back to my memorable moments, it is actually difficult to pinpoint just one, but when Rain began to sing, In My Life, the concert went to a new, higher level for me. I've always enjoyed that song, but seeing four guys on stage that looked like The Beatles and hearing a flawless version of the tune, was the icing on the proverbial cake - the cream of the crop - the tip of the iceberg. Well you get the picture, right?
The bluesy stage lights shown down on Paul, George and John as they played their guitars and a blue hue beamed up on Ringo on the drums. And the magic began. The song penned by John and Paul is ranked 23rd on the Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, but has always ranked higher for me. The somewhat acoustic set took the audience back to 1965. With three generations of fans singing and humming along, I closed my eyes for a few moments and soaked up the musical greatness that The Beatles have given millions of fans - not to mention that talented members of Rain who were bringing The Beatles back to life in the PAC.
While the Beatles do sing about many things, love is often the topic and after all, we know you can't buy it; it is really all you need, and it's only love - so there is not much more to say, except the words that always remain with me from one of my favorite Beatles songs, In My Life.
"Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more…"
People come in our lives and leave our lives and if we are fortunate, a footprint of each person remains in our hearts. It was those people, family and friends who I thought about as the music filled the theater. As I looked to my left to glance at my son, my date for the night, I realized once again, it's all about the people who are part of our lives.
Published: January 22, 2012
