I own every Beatles album in every conceivable format. I've seen virtually every special ever written about them. I have delved into the depths of Beatles trivia to the point that I'm probably more than a little annoying when the subject comes up in conversation.
I've never seen the Beatles perform live, but I have seen Paul about a dozen times now, and Ringo a few times too, and I've also seen at least ten or fifteen different Beatles tribute bands. Most of them are pretty good, but there have been more than a few clunkers along the way.
On Saturday night I took my entire family to see the show "Let it Be" at the Rosemont Theater. Nobody was excited about going. When I announced it was time to leave, I heard a collective groan.
But the performers in "Let it Be" won them over pretty quickly. They were extremly loyal to Beatles authenticity, from their costumes and hair styles to their insistence on each Beatle playing the proper part. When it was a Paul song...Paul sang. When George and Paul did the backup vocals on the record, they did it on the stage. Paul played lefthanded. John's voice was spot on. George was outstanding on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Their ad-libs were even exact replicas of real Beatles ad-libs (which I have to say--did annoy me a bit).
I was really enjoying the show, but then again, I'm easy. That's not the test. When I looked over at my family I noticed that my boys were singing along with every single song. That's the test, and Let it Be passed it with flying colors.
I don't know why I never thought of doing this before. It's the perfect night out for the family. The tickets were reasonably priced, the music was excellent, and we all bonded together as a family. I don't have to tell you how rare of an experience that is with two teenagers living in the house.
If the show comes back again, I recommend checking it out.
