What would the Beatles have sounded like if they had kept touring? That is a question that many Beatles cover bands have tried to answer, with varying degrees of success. There are a few notable bands out there, like the Fab Faux and they are quite good. But there is one act that stands out from the rest and it is called Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles. The members of Rain were all part of the Broadway or touring companies of Beatlemania back in the late 70s (I was fortunate enough to see Beatlemania in 1978).
The great thing about Rain is that they not only sound and look like the Beatles, but they have their mannerisms and idiosyncrasies down pat. For example, Ralph Castelli, the guy who portrays Ringo, bops his head the same way that Ringo did. Steve Landis, the Lennon guy sways in the same manner as Lennon, and so on. The show is a lot of fun and it was quite interesting to see everyone at the Prudential Theater at NJPAC up on their feet dancing (this is a traditional grand looking symphony space).
Getting back to the question at hand, does the group sound like the Beatles would have if they had kept touring? The Beatles had their last concert in August of 1966 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The vast majority of their work was then recorded in the studio. The question is a very complex one. First off, if the band hand continued to tour, they likely never would have created what they eventually did. But even if they did tour and they did do everything that they did, it is still impossible to surmise what it would have been like. So the answer that these cover bands have come up with is the note for note concept. They meticulously play each song EXACTLY as it sounds on the original album. This is no minor feat. The members of Rain have learned all of the music backwards and forwards and using guitar and keyboard synthesizers as well as the original instruments, they have succeeded is sounding like what you hear on the album.
I highly recommend this amazing show!
Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2vYOel-G0]