"The Charbor Chronicles": Beatlemania Forever, West Milford Twp HS Auditorium, November 14, 2014

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Beatlemania Forever, West Milford Twp HS Auditorium, November 14, 2014

I have now seen quite a few of these Beatles cover bands, and am starting to be able to judge the quality of these concerts a little better now.

Some years ago, I saw one particularly strong Beatles cover act, who called themselves Strawberry Fields. They were very good, and I was particularly amused by the costume changes. They did not look much like the Beatles, and the voices sounded noticeably different. Still, they were good, and that is illustrated by the fact that they were selected as the band to perform as "The Beatles" during the 45th anniversary of the Shea Stadium show, just before they tore down Shea Stadium, if I recall correctly. their regular Saturday or Sunday morning shows at BB King's in New York City. I have wanted to catch at least one of these shows at some point, but have not gotten around to it yet. But the show that I saw, which was one of those free summer shows, was pretty good.

There have been some others, as well.

But it was cool to see another one come to my hometown of West Milford, where I attended high school, which was set to host the event. It allowed me an opportunity to actually go inside of the school for the first time in years, if not maybe a decade and a half, or so! I got to walk the hallways again, and see how much things have changed, and how much some things have not changed. A little trip down memory lane that I shared with my son just prior to the concert starting.

Then, of course, the concert.

The band is called Beatlemania now, and their credentials were actually quite impressive. They have performed all over the world, apparently, and that includes on Broadway! Earlier this year, they were the cover band chosen to represent the Beatles for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Beatles coming to America, and particularly to Washington, DC!

So, they had to be good, right?

Indeed, I thought they were very good! They had the costume changes, same as many of the other Beatles cover acts that I have seen. But the guy who played John Lennon actually looked like John Lennon, and tat was pretty much true for Paul McCartney, as well! He even played the bass left-handed, like Sir Paul! Also, when he came out for the final costume change, he came barefoot, which was a little special touch that I, for one, appreciated!

The music sounded good, too! They played the Beatles songs very nicely, adding their own unique feel to it. It certainly was not identical to the Beatles, and none of the acts that I have seen cover them have been, either. But this band was strong musically, and again, Lennon and McCartney sounded like Lennon and McCartney. All four guys are obviously talented musically, and my son especially liked the final touch on the last song of "Ringo" playing drums with lit up drums (not sure if they came out in the pictures or not, however).

The band members are (in no particular order): Scot Arch, Cooper Franson, Chris Colon and Eric Smith. I do not know yet which ones played each band member. If and when I find out, I will gladly update this blog entry with that information!

All in all, it was an enjoyable evening listening to good music, and appreciating the trip through memory lane, even if I was not actually around yet when the Beatles were actually a band. But still, I grew up with Beatles music, and got to enjoy and appreciate the different eras of the Beatles after the fact. Their history and legacy has always fascinated me, and so I can rightly be called a fan. And if you happen to be a fan and want a nice and affordable evening of Beatles music and nostalgia, this would be a good act to see, if given the opportunity!

Abbey Road Era Part of the Show: