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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2011 > September > 21 > Entry
Review: “Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles”
In the Live Music Capital of the World, it’s only fitting that the Austin City Limits Music Festival be followed by a tribute to the Fab Four.
This week at the Long Center for Performing Arts, Broadway Across America is bringing us “Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles,” which opened Tuesday and runs through Sunday.
Unlike the “Jersey Boys” musical, “Rain” doesn’t tell the story of the band. Instead, the show is a multimedia-enhanced concert. Emphasizing that none of the music is prerecorded, the musicians get a little help from their friends on the production team. Two large video screens and a lot of special lighting accompany the performance, adding the atmosphere of strawberry fields, Norwegian wood and sitting in an English garden. News and film footage combine with era-appropriate music to bridge the gaps between sets and costume changes.
Joey Curatolo and Steve Landes have certainly mastered the aesthetics and stage personas of the lead vocalists. The singers occasionally get the crowd twisting and shouting, though most of the evening is spent in the seats. For the most part, audience participation is fairly subdued — one reason why this half-concert half-spectacle is a fun, albeit strange, substitute for the original.
“Rain” isn’t quite as glittery as a Broadway Across America show might lead us to expect — the animations aren’t terribly sophisticated and the video editing leaves something to be desired (especially an abrupt opening that shifts from the JFK assassination to screaming Beatles fans). But there is some fun video-graphic magic when the giant screens alternate between screaming-fan footage from historic Beatles performances to that evening’s crowd at the Long Center.
The show also indulges in one of the more annoying aspects of concerts — making you guess whether it’s time to say goodbye. But all in all, “Rain” is a great way to come together and hold your loved one’s hand, getting back to where you once belonged (or where you wish you could have been).
‘Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles’ continues through Sept. 25 at the Long Center. Tickets are $25-$74 www.thelongcenter.org
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By JES
September 23, 2011 1:25 PM | Link to this
I saw the Beatles in Red Rock, Evergreen Colorado. In the one hour and fifty minutes we watched these five gifted musicians immerse themselves in the Beatles. They portrayed and played music that has been part of our fiber of three generations beautifully. We were able to hear music in a live venue that the Beatles would only produce in the studio performed by these gentlemen. Annoying in no respect. There were no deficiencies in their performance other than the brevity of their show. They could have played all night. Without question, a memory was created that my wife of forty two years and I will share while holding hands. Hopefully Rain will revisit Austin. We will bring the Granbabbies next time to scream and shout!
PS the audience Thursday night was extremelly animated.