Seeing 1964 the Tribute
Before the Show
Okay so this one is an interesting origin story, because I know barely anything about The Beatles.
So why go?
Because even if I don't listen to their music, I'd hear about them going around in the 60s with teenage girls screaming at them, and I gotta wonder: "What did those mop-haired guys in suits have that was so special for that time?"
That question would hang in the back of my mind hearing about their early days, but I'd never actively follow that line of inquiry… Until I saw a posting for 1964 The Tribute, a show that strove to recreate the performance style of that time IN COSTUME and IN CHARACTER? That's my jam!
I always enjoy stuff that's part entertainment, part history lesson. Performance especially, it's meant to feed off an audience, something that doesn't translate well looking at degraded, archival footage. Seeing it in front of you, it allows you to see it as if new again and not just "ew, old," and that appears to be what this group has been aiming to do since its formation in 1984.
They've rotated through performers quite a bit through the years, with John being the only person left from the original lineup. Hearing that, my concern going in was if this mishmash of ages would potentially take you out of it. However, I've come to learn to not go in with many expectations.
Upon me and my mother's arrival, the stage already had the instruments all laid out: Ringo's drum set surrounded by various guitars of all shapes and sizes. Occasionally, people from backstage came to check them out. It seemed innocuous at the time, but more was happening behind the scenes as we'd find out.
The Show
The time of the show came, and 5 minutes passed, and then nearly 10, and we wondered what was taking so long until three of the four Beatles would step out, earning a round of applause.
I couldn't tell you which Beatle was which for the whole show, and the matching outfits and hair certainly didn't help, so my identification of everyone has been done with the blessing of hindsight.
What ended up being Paul stepped up to the mic to make an announcement. "Thank you all for coming, it's always a pleasure to be back to the Colonies!"
"…You might notice that someone is missing tonight. We're terribly sorry everyone, but Ringo is too sick to perform today."
Okay, not going to lie, I was pretty let down when I heard that. Online, much of the Beatles-related discourse I came across involved making fun of Ringo in some way. Given that these jokes were my main source of knowledge, ironically that made Ringo the Beatle I knew the most about… And he was taken from me.
Paul continued, "Fortunately, we have Ringo's grandfather joining us instead. We wouldn't have this show without him, so a round of applause!" And out comes this older guy to sit at the stool of Ringo.
"Hey John," Paul turned playfully to John, "Can you keep a secret?"
George in the background made a shushing motion, before they got into their first song, Do You Want to Know a Secret.
Between their banter and the song starting, I hear this voice, "THIS IS MY FIRST SHOW, SIR! I AM SO EXCITED, I LOVE THE BEATLES!!!" and my head snaps to where I heard it come from, and it was this child to my bottom left.
There was no ease-in or anything, they just went for it. What struck me the most about this felt like one big, fun hangout. They'd play their sets with fun banter in between, usually between Paul and John.
After each round of songs, they'd all take time to bow to the audience, which is something you don't really see anymore with that level of frequency. It was actually pretty nice.
"Do you even know any of this music?" My mom asked sometime during the show.
I shook my head with a goofy smile as I looked over at them, "No."
I vaguely remember having heard Taxman, Help, and I Wanna Hold Your Hand maybe once or twice, but the only song I actually knew decently was Twist and Shout (I didn't even know it was a Beatles song though!)
It was a lighter atmosphere than the other shows I've been to. Everyone was vibing, having a good time… The kid from earlier was certainly having a good time. At every given opportunity he'd shout to them about how awesome they were while dancing his little heart out.
He kind of annoyed me at first just because it was hard to make out the between-song banter over the kid's excited cries, but his infectious enthusiasm had him grow on me.
The cast of characters in the audience would soon expand: the drunk ladies in cocktail dresses in the balcony seats jamming out, a daughter and her mother dancing and twirling at the front of the stage.
It was all just so… simple, I don't mean it in a bad way. Their songs were about simple things, their choreography was simple, and it hardly left me feeling disengaged.
The chemistry and all the little side-banter and British witticisms was done very well and made the show stand strongly on its own. That, to me, is a sign of a successful tribute. Nothing felt like a cheap grab at nostalgia over being able to deliver a good, solid show. That lends me to believe it does successfully capture the spirit of the original.
As a non-fan, I absolutely enjoyed myself.
You might recall that my biggest concern was with the mix of ages. Paul and John were certainly older, while George appeared to be far younger. It still worked, though I wouldn't be surprised if that gap leaked into how they operated: Paul and John leading the charge, with George almost reverent to them and not getting in their way.
If it wasn't obvious, George was my favorite. He never tried to be in the spotlight, and yet I was basically just looking at him the entire time. When they weren't in a song, he'd stand with a foot out, looking around with this cheeky little smile. When they were, he'd do these playful little wiggly dances that were, for a lack of a better term, adorable.
So imagine my delight when George pointed at me during If I fell!
"…If I fell in love with YOU!" *point*
That made me jump slightly, looking around to see who else he could possibly be pointing to. There were two mostly-empty rows behind me with a walking aisle directly in front of me. There was literally nobody else he could be pointing at.
George aside, Paul and John were absolute pros, and I can't imagine the challenge of playing the guitar backwards (Paul) and playing the harmonica ON TOP of the guitar (John).
Though Ringo was gone, I was genuinely impressed Ringo Sr. was able to do the whole set in Ringo's stead and kill it. It's funny having these three guys in period-accurate costume, and then this old bearded man in a t-shirt and cargo shorts rocking out in the background. Whenever they'd mention Ringo in a rehearsed bit, he'd do a "well this is awkward" kind of shrug which was great.
They weren't precious about historical accuracy, and I believe the ways they adapted it were still in the spirit of the original style without having to be militant about it. If they covered a song that didn't exist in 1964, they'd admit "Yeah, we didn't write this one yet."
They even brought up smartphones at one point: "Everyone, take your pocket phones out for this part, and send our song to a loved one. Or just give them a call… Can you do that for us?"
Someone behind me actually did call somebody!
While they played with anachronisms, they'd also go into detail what singles were on US releases of their albums at the time, noting the differences in record sizes.
I will admit, it was kind of hard to figure out when they were talking about the past and when they weren't. When they brought up a show they did several years ago, I was wondering "You mean 1961, or 2021?" but that's kind of inevitable when you're roleplaying like that. I couldn't tell you how they could make that distinction more clear.
At their last song, the Beatles bowed once more and walked offstage. Everyone was screaming for an encore. I thought "yeah, right" and my mom and I were about to leave when they came back out and did one last medley. When they left a second time, they each tossed something small into the crowd: their guitar picks, as I'd find out.
Bye, George…
…I think I finally understand why people simped so hard for them back in the day.
The Aftermath
It was just such a nice, fuzzy feeling seeing this show. I'm glad 1964 The Tribute has allowed us to keep being able to experience this era of the Beatles. The kid certainly was! And we never would have experienced it if it wasn't for them and their decades of dedication.
I hope I can see them again!