RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre — Indianapolis on April 10, 2015
They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. It’s a way to display your affection for something you admire and respect, be it a film or television character, a sports figure, a writer, or a group who changed the face of music forever.
The best imitations are done out of love, and there’s no shortage of that this evening.
For the second night in a row, RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles took to the stage at the Murat Theatre at Old National Centre. It’s an act deemed as “the next best thing,” and that’s exactly what I’m here to see.
Before I enter, I’m faced with the harsh reality: I will never get to see The Beatles (or any of the surviving members) perform live, and we may not ever see a phenomenon such as Beatlemania ever again. However, this won’t stop me from still enjoying their music and wanting to connect with others who feel the same way. For added effect, I’ve brought my mother along with me, who not only grew up during that era, but she actually saw them live (#jealous).
So we have one person who got to live through it, and another who was born decades later and stole all of her 45s to make up for it. Time to step back in time for a few hours. Allons-y.
The doors to the Murat Theatre act as a proverbial time portal, transporting us to a time when there were only a handful of television channels, man had not landed on the moon, and a four people from Liverpool wearing matching suits, mop tops, and boots were the biggest thing to hit the States.
The theatre – maybe 3/4 full on the second night – sits in eager anticipation, much like some of them may have done in their living rooms February 9, 1964. Actually, it’s a pretty diverse crowd, from those who got to grow up and witness the phenomenon to people like me, who can only dream of what Beatlemania was really like.
Not too long after finding my seats, the lights go out, and a video montage plays on a screen, showing a quick retrospective of the Beatles’ career. Soon, the curtain raises, and Ed Sullivan’s unmistakable intro is played over the speakers, and we see four men in that iconic Beatles get-up as they play on a stage that almost resembles the studio set they played on many years ago. For added effect, their LED screens were showing shots of the audience in black and white enjoying themselves. Maybe not in the same way teenagers did their first go-around, but still a nice effect.
As for the band itself, there’s giving your own interpretation and there’s staying faithful to the source material. Thankfully, RAIN sticks to the latter. Aside from the glaring difference that Not Paul is right-handed, these guys had almost everything down to a tee. Their matching suits and haircuts, their instruments (Paul’s iconic Hofner bass, John’s Rickenbacker guitar, George’s Gretsch), and all the way down to their posture, their speech patterns (accents and all), and their playing style. You can tell these people are fans, and the love they have for the Fab Four, and that’s definitely on display here.
From a production standpoint, credit has to be given for recreating some of the most important moments of their career. There’s the aforementioned Ed Sullivan studio, a backdrop inspired by A Hard Day’s Night, Shea Stadium, and the world they created during Sgt. Pepper’s (we’ll get to that one soon).
They don’t stay in this clean-cut era forever. There’s a lot of ground to cover, especially when you’re going through 5 years worth of history in two hours (even my Beatles class in college took up an entire semester). One quick costume change and a another video intro, we’re at a sold out Shea Stadium, where we get our first big crowd participation spot with “Twist and Shout.” This was a nice change of pace, as before, it kind of felt like we were just along for the ride. Now we got to see people (attempt to) do the twist on the LED screens.
Now onto the next era, a noticeably darker one in Beatles lore. The band dealt with the fallout from Lennon’s “more popular than Jesus” comment and the protests and record burnings that went along with it. The final tour announcement is also brought up, leaving many to wonder what will happen next with John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
Our answer comes in the form of another costume change, and a drastic one at that. While the “Beatles” changed, we’re treated to old black and white commercials from the 1960s, including an ad for Corn Flakes and the controversial Flintstones Winston spot. Isn’t it remarkable how far we’ve come since then?
In a matter of an hour, we’ve gone from wholesome, clean-cut boys from Liverpool to vibrant, colorful, and -dare I say? – psychedelic musicians doing things in the studio we never thought possible.
The lights come back up, and the band is in full Sgt. Pepper’s mode. This is also probably the part of the show that used the most backing tracks, as anyone trying to replicate the now-studio band would do. It’s right into “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and we get to hear from Not Ringo for the first time, telling us how he gets by “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
It’s also here where they try to involve the crowd a little more, dedicated “When I’m 64” to everyone and encourage clap and sing-alongs. Act 1 doesn’t last too much longer after this. It ends with the reprise to “Sgt. Pepper’s” which leads right into “A Day In The Life” before they take a bow and begin intermission.
Well, that was definitely interesting. I’m not one for cover bands, but they’re kind of fun. It’s clear this is a show for Beatles fans by Beatles fans. Though they neglected my favorite record completely (Rubber Soul), and while I would’ve loved to have seen even the slightest mention of their Cavern Club days, I’m willing to forgive them. Besides, there’s more fun to be had in act 2, where we’re in the era where they wrote arguably their best material, even as relations in the band were getting more and more frayed.
ACT 2
The lights come back up, and after another costume change, it’s time for “All You Need Is Love.” As expected, the visuals going on behind them match that of the era we’re in: fun to look at and maybe a tad bit trippy. It’s even during this portion of the set that we get a brief acoustic set (“Blackbird,” “Two of Us,” “In My Life,” and “Here Comes The Sun”). As crowd-pleasing as this is (two people even got up and dance towards the front row during “Here Comes The Sun”), nothing got a bigger reaction that Not George during “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Unfortunately, we’re reaching the end of the not just the show, but of an era of rock n’ roll in general. One more costume change later, we’re on top of the 3 Savile Road for a little rooftop concert. Not too long after, we’ve reached “The End,” and the band bids a fond farewell to the audience.
Naturally, the audience wants more, and the cheers never cease. After what feels like a few minutes, they return, with Not John leading everyone through a cover of “Give Peace A Chance,” with plenty of peace signs being waved in the air, no less. From there, Not Paul takes over the piano for a rousing sing-along of “Let It Be,” and of course, no Beatles tribute is complete without a performance of “Hey Jude.” Much like it had been the rest of the evening, there isn’t a person in this theatre who doesn’t know the words, and doesn’t sing along like they were part of that performance broadcast on The David Frost Show. It might not have been the actual Beatles, but you can’t beat a theatre full of people singing along to the fadeout.
The show finally ends with a curtain call, and our Fab Four take a bow after each of their names are announced. The lights come back up, and it’s back through the portal and back to 2015, where cable has thousands of channels, people get their music off of the internet, and I have a review to write as soon as I get home.
Final verdict?
I’ll never get to see The Beatles or experience Beatlemania, I’ll probably never get to see Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr (or Pete Best for that matter) perform live, but what I can do enjoy their music and appreciate the legacy they left behind, and what better way to do that than to surround myself with like-minded fans young and old and seeing a group of musicians who may be some of the biggest fans on the planet? The best acts are the ones that clearly enjoy what they do, and there’s more than enough love to go around here.
And like they say: “Love is all you need.”
The Good:
Granted, Beatles songs on their own aren’t entirely complicated to replicate, but it’s not just about the music when it comes to RAIN. It’s about the experience. On production value alone, you’re already getting your money’s worth, and of course, it doesn’t hurt that there’s nothing cynical about this cover band. As for my mother, it may not have compared to seeing the actual thing when she was a teenager, but she admit that it was a fun show, and if this gets her stamp of approval, they must be doing something right.
The Bad:
It may have been nice to incorporate more of their history than just what happened in the States. Maybe add in a part about their days at the Cavern Club, give a little love to records like Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Yellow Submarine, details like that. I know there’s only two hours, but it still would’ve been nice.