Tribute bands normally get a lot of crap from music snobs. Of course, it’s better to go see the real thing live, but sometimes, that’s impossible. Maybe the band split up, or the artist is dead. Maybe it’s too expensive. Or, maybe the tribute band tries too hard to sound like the original thing. But what if there wasn’t a group as such? What if they perfect the original sound of the original band, and even have their accents down?
Enter RAIN.
RAIN: A Tribute To The Beatles has been going since 1975, stopping on Broadway, and going through five or six different lineups in 40 years. Normally, there are two actors to play each Beatle, and offstage, there’s a keyboardist/sound mixer to help make the performance match up to the Beatles’ studio work, only if needed. Most every song performed between Please Please Me and Revolver were only played with the four main instruments: Rhythm guitar, bass, lead guitar, and drums.
The guys stopped at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater recently, and it was apparently a really big deal. Last year’s annual gala was literally centered around their announcement of their stop here. And maybe a little bit of Ringo Starr’s intimate, invitation-only date that had been coming up. RAIN asked for all cameras, cell phones, and electronics to be shut off. Sure, every venue asks that, but this particular night, the venue treated it as if Prince or Bob Dylan was in the building, for there were signs all around the outside of the venue saying how photography was not allowed in any way, shape, or form.
Of course, I had to sneak a couple of shots on my phone during the encore, and once per costume change. But that’s beside the point.
RAIN had a killer stage setup. Near the beginning of the show, they reenacted The Beatles’ historic debut Ed Sullivan performance. After a Cavern Club/early days reenactment, the stage lights went down for about thirty seconds, and surely, the arrows pointing down onstage were suddenly there. It was like magic. Their screens were also pretty dazzling. They recreated the background to The Beatles’ 1969 rooftop concert, along with an audience from their Shea Stadium show from 1965.
This tour, however, is very different from your normal RAIN show. Because of last year’s 50th anniversary of the legendary Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the band has decided to play the album front to back. It made the setlist total up to about 40 songs, about as long as the real Paul McCartney’s. Speaking of which, obviously, they can’t play every Beatle song ever written, so of course a few will be left out. But it was pretty shocking that The Night Before was played, but not Let It Be, perhaps one of the most recognizable Beatle tunes ever. But of course, if a snob has a problem with that, the door’s right there.
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Josh Bradley Live 