L
ong-running Beatles
tribute band Rain
makes their way to the
Knox Concert Series March
3, bringing with them not
only favorites from the
Beatles’ iconic discography, including hits like “I
Want to Hold Your Hand”
and “Hard Day’s Night,” but
the band’s own experience
as a touring tribute band of
40 years.
The group consists of multiple members, beyond the
original mop-topped four
piece, with several McCartneys, Lennons,
Harrisons and even an extra Ringo on tap
for performances, with membership lengths
ranging into the 20-30 year range.
The visual element can keep a show interesting for fans and those who are excited to see,
in some fashion, one of the greatest bands of
all time, but what’s most interesting is that
the band manages to sound correct, too. It’s
not exactly the Beatles coming through the
microphones and amplifiers - nothing will
ever sound quite the same as the original but Rain makes for an amazing, inspiring reminder of what made the Beatles so beloved
. When the band goes into “Hard Day’s Night”
with convincing English accents that capture
the boyish energy of the young Beatles, or
delve into the complexity of songs like “Let
It Be” and “Come Together” in older, stronger
voices, it’s as close as one can get to hearing
the original band without a time machine.
That extended experience leads to impressive shows; Rain takes on their Beatles persona not only in terms of character - performing
as Paul McCartney or John Lennon, say - but
also inhabiting the original musicians at key
points in their musical history, like when the
band pulls on their Ed Sullivan-era suits and
wigs to fit into the Beatles’ early successes
appearing on American television sets and
winning over teenagers (and scaring their
parents).
The band changes costume frequently, moving along to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club
in suits with loud colors and cartoonish contours to their design, looking more like a
mid-70’s Saturday morning cartoon than a
tribute group.
INSIGHT
Rain will perform at the Anniston Performing Arts Center March 3 at 7:30 p.m. Call
256-741-8262 for more information about
the evening, or visit knoxconcertseries.com
for ticket information. See videos of the
band and learn more about them at raintribute.com. ✤
Februar 2015
y
19