RAIN - A Tribute to the Beatles

Last night G and I saw Rain perform. Rain is a Beatles tribute band, or should I say THE Beatles tribute band. They've been going since the early 80's or so.

A few months ago, my husband and I watched a Rain performance on our local PBS station. We were both impressed. When we heard Rain was coming to a nearby town, we knew we had to go. Now G is a tad older than me. He was born in '59 and was living in northern England in the 1960's. Unlike me, he is old enough to remember the Beatles firsthand.

I feel lucky to even know about the Beatles. Born in 1967, I more than missed the whole Beatlemania heyday. My parents weren't fans either. They were in their thirties when the Beatles hit it big. My dad was in the service, and he and my mother were living in Germany. And they were more of the Johnny Cash demographic anyway. I guess they were squares. They didn't get it. But I did.

As a child of the 70's I was still exposed to a lot of Beatles music. I can remember hearing a lot of Beatles tunes played on the radio - back before they were "classic". Then there is also the extensive catalogue of the Fab Four's individual work from that time period. I also had a kind of fascination with the 1960's when I was younger, fueled in part by reruns of the Monkees, so I watched any documentary or movie that I could find. At the local library I checked out books about the '60's, listened to records from the era, and scoured through copies of vintage magazines (yes, kids, this was before the Internet when one actually had to research at the library to learn anything). As a result, I was fairly well educated on all things 60's, including the Beatles, by the time I was 15 (1982).

Well, last night I was transported back in time, and I got to see the Beatles - at least that's what it felt like. The performers in Rain were incredible! Their live performance was identical to the Beatles' studio sound! More than pitch perfect, they had every mannerism, every nuance down. The show follows the Beatles' various eras and sounds chronologically and includes several costume changes and a multimedia show.

I was worried it might be kind of hokey, but it ROCKED!!!

Old accountants in stiff suits were twistin' in the aisles, and ladies from seven to seventy were screaming in their seats! Seriously!

My reccomendation? Money can't buy you love, but it can buy you a ticket to this show! If you get the chance, by all means go and experience Rain.