It's been 40 years now since The Beatles abruptly ended their epic endeavour of spreading universal love and peace using their unparalleled ability to write and produce some of the 20th century's most recognisable and in fact unforgettable music.
Indeed their legacy continues to inspire and mesmerise to date, long since half of the original fab four have sadly passed on.
Little wonder then that such a large turn out made it to Birmingham’s symphony hall to bear witness to a rekindling of the fire that was started by four lads from Liverpool so long ago.
Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Show saw a highly detailed recreation of an original Beatles gig starring some of Liverpool’s finest musicians. The show comprised a stunning mixture of visual CGI backdrops, eerily reminiscent costumes and most importantly, pitch-perfect renditions of many of The Beatle's best loved songs.
As the lights dimmed, and shades of pink green and blue flooded the venue, the opening notes of 'Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' ambled their way to expectant ears. Immediately it became clear that this performance had been painstakingly rehearsed and choreographed to the point that if it weren't for the absence of the deafening screams of countless bewildered girls, you might just believe you'd travelled back in time to an original show.
The first leg, which saw a run down of the entire Sgt Peppers album carried a pleasant pace and tone, but seemed to lack an energy that you might expect from such a performance. Never the less, the sheer quality of the original material and the finesse with which it was played ensured that nobody was disappointed. Before going into 'For the Benefit of Mr Kite', the band spoke for the first time, impressively staying in character as 'John' announced how the song was inspired by a poster he had on his bedroom wall.
A brief intermission saw a change of costume, hairdo and quite pleasingly a step-up in pace as the band entered the stage with the 'Abbey Road' album cover serving as a backdrop. Launching into 'Get Back', a new energy seemed to resonate around the intimate atmosphere of the hall and the crowd seemed much more engaged. This new lease of life was carried well into the performance as energetic songs like 'Back in the USSR' and 'Lady Madonna' brought with them the distorted overtones, bluesy bass and rocky drums needed for such a tame setting.
A real special moment came as 'Paul' was singularly lit up, donning an acoustic guitar and the imminent opening notes of 'Yesterday' chimed through the atmosphere and saw the entire crowd singing. The second leg of the show climaxed with 'Hey Jude' leaving the entire auditorium swaying in unisons.
The final act of the show saw yet another change in costume, and returned to the original suited and bowl-haired aesthetics of the earlier years of The Beatles. This final act serving as an encore, the 6-piece soared through 'She loves you', 'I'm feelin' fine' and finished nicely with 'Twist and shout'.
Overall a marvellous feat, and probably the next best thing for those of us too young to have experienced the real McCoy.
A genuinely memorable experience- Long live Beatle Mania!
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