The children of the Woodstock era, now fully grown, watched and waited for the Beatles.
Beatles trivia played on two projectors, while songs from the ’60s, such as “Johnny B Goode,” echoed throughout the IU Auditorium. Right before the show began, video clips of screaming Beatles fans drowned out any other audible sounds.
The curtain rose, and there they were in original form – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr – dressed in black suits, chili-bowl style haircuts and their smooth signature British vocals.
But they weren’t actually the real Beatles.
“Bloomington, how are you this evening?” Rain, the tribute band, asked.
“Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles” began with the 1963 hit single “I Want To Hold Your Hand.” The audience, mostly over the age of 40, was hooked. The band continued from the early years of “Please Please Me” to the later “Abbey Road” with hits such as “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Yesterday” and “I Feel Fine.”
The members of Rain changed costumes throughout the show. After the black suits, they changed into camouflaged jackets and later flamboyant embroidered tunics and slacks.
After every few songs, the curtain went down so the band could change costumes, and videos reminiscent of the 1960s pop culture played on the projectors. Commercials advertising old products such as Prell shampoo and Duz panty hose made the audience laugh.
During “Twist and Shout,” Rain asked the audience to dance along in the aisles. The crowd, possibly once wild in the ’60s, timidly shook their hips back and forth, mouthing the lyrics to the song.
“We have three generations of Beatles fans in the audience,” Jon shouted.
They then played “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “A Little Help From My Friends.”
During the intermission, audience member 50-year-old Patti Cummings said Rain had surpassed her expectations.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Cummings said. “Obviously they have studied the moves.”
Once the second half of the show began, it turned acoustic. Rain sang “Blackbird,” from “The White Album,” released in 1968, like the original song, with only with guitars and vocals.
Audience member 62-year-old John Cronkhite said he was a huge fan and owns many of the Beatles albums that have never been released in the United States. Cronkhite said he never had the chance to see the Beatles live, but Rain was exceptional as a tribute band.
“They had a show on PBS – they do a pretty credible job,” he said.
He said he likes Beatles songs because they are simple but memorable.
“I think it’s because of their melodies,” Cronkhite said. “They are musical. So much of today’s music is set by rhythm and beat. They get in your mind and stay there.”
Rain tribute band replicates Beatle’s tunes, recalls nostalgia
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