Beatles tribute bands either try to recreate the Beatles experience or just play the music for the fun of it. Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles goes for the "we look like and we sound like" the Beatles.
And that's what the audience Tuesday night at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts, made up of all ages from kids to seniors, wanted and got. They also got an evening of nostalgia, ranging from audio musical clips of other '60s groups, including the Monkees and Jimi Hendrix, to vintage black-and-white TV commercials that gave a few moments of laughter.
The nostalgia extended to a visual show of Beatles history, beginning with an introduction by an Ed Sullivan look-alike and a set made to resemble the Sullivan show's stage, including the arrows pointing downwards. As the songs progressed, so did the costumes and the sets, including Shea Stadium (with the band wearing Shea jackets), a yellow submarine (though not the real one) and a London rooftop. All the while, three screens, one on each side and one behind the band, kept graphics moving with illustrations and pictures that coordinated with the music.
There was, however one thing they didn't do, though. They never mentioned the Beatles by name or showed their pictures. Clips from the ABC Shea Stadium show used during that segment featured clips of fans, but not the Beatles. Anything resembling the Beatles was deliberately fuzzy or, instead, a picture of Rain. There was, however, a running Beatles trivia quiz that had some questions that might fool casual fans, but not diehards.
The "band" featured well-known Lennon performer Tim Piper playing the John Lennon role, Mac Ruffing playing Paul, Tom Teeley playing George, Joe Bologna playing Ringo and, on some of the later songs, Chris Smallwood on keyboards. The costumes, the instruments and the harmonies were as close as you can get. Of the group, the best performers were Piper's Lennon and Bologna's Ringo. The best songs were "A Day in the Life," with the crescendo finale ending in a fiery explosion on the screens, and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," which started out acoustically, then segued into a copy of George's electric solo.
If you look at Rain as the Beatles, you'll probably be a little disappointed. But for the nostalgia show it really is, it's a fun night for casual fans and their families.
It was interesting, by the way, that on the same night Rain was opening in San Jose, another Rain show was also opening on Broadway in New York. Our guess is the San Jose show was every bit as good as that and, judging from the Broadway pictures, maybe a little better.
The show continues at the Center of the Performing Arts in San Jose until Oct. 31. The New York show runs through Jan. 9 at the Neil Simon Theatre.
For tickets for the San Jose show, go to www.broadwaysanjose.com. For more information on either show, go to www.raintribute.com.
The set list:
- I Want to Hold Your Hand
- All My Loving
- This Boy
- I Saw Her Standing There
- A Hard Day's Night
- I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
- Yesterday
- I Feel Fine
- Day Tripper
- Twist and Shout
- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- With a Little Help From My Friends
- Eleanor Rigby
- Strawberry Fields Forever
- When I'm 64
- A Day in the Life
- Hello, Goodbye
- I Am the Walrus
- Till There Was You
- Two of Us
- While My Guitar Gently Weeps
- Come Together
- Get Back
- Revolution
- (Ringo drum solo) The End
- (Encore) Give Peace a Chance
- Let It Be
- Hey Jude
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Comments
If they mention the Beatles by name they might get sued.
Personally I would rather stay home and watch the Anthology.
For a great sound-alike band, check out The Sun Kings, in the SF Bay area. They perform a lot of the lesser known material, like All Together Now and Hey Bulldog, in addition to the hits. Take a look at their YouTube of Tomorrow Never Knows-- awesome. (No, I'm not on their payroll 8^]
Contra Costa County Conservative Examiner
I've seen the Sun Kings. They are very good. And Drew Harrison does an excellent Lennon tribute, both with the band and separately.
they can't use their likeness or name without their permission, otherwise they will get sued.
Rain uses the Beatles name in their title. It's hard to believe some people would mix any of the tribute groups up with the Beatles, though.
I've seen Rain here in Seattle. They put on one hell of a show and I would definitely see them again. In fact, the show actually reminds me a lot of the original Beatlemania Broadway show I saw in New York way back when. These guys are very respectful of the material and the set changes are very well coordinated as well. I highly recommend seeing them.
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