The wife's been itching for a vacation and I figured it would do me good as well to get out of the house for a few days. We decided to go to Branson, Missouri, which is basically a tourist trap for people in the heartland who won't commit to Vegas or the coasts. Not that I'm putting it down. There are a lot of cool places to see and things to do. The main draw of Branson is live shows. Mainly country and western tributes, "jubilees" and "jamborees". Mickey Gilley has a theater there. Jim Stafford as well. The Oak Ridge Boys is probably the most recognizable act to own their own theater in Branson. LOTS of tributes, impersonators, and artists who have passed their "heyday". Ticket vendors are everywhere.
I'd only been in Branson once before today. We stopped here for a while on the way home from a Sigur Ros concert in Kansas City. We didn't have time to do much of anything that day. There's a place called the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum that we checked out. A lot of fun. They've got a hologram of Walt Disney or somebody that I thought was fascinating. I'm obsessed with holograms.
The one attraction I saw at the time that really interested me was a big theater completely decked out in Beatles regalia and the words "Liverpool Legends" in big letters on a banner that hung over the entrance. It looked like a really big deal, obviously a Beatles tribute band. I didn't know if show was a long-running affair or for a limited time but I decided that if I ever came back to Branson I would go see Liverpool Legends.
So this opportunity came up to spend three nights in a really nice hotel in Branson that came with an entertainment package where we could pick two shows from a hefty list of the theaters and attractions on the strip. Even if I hadn't already decided on Liverpool Legends much earlier I would have picked it because it was the only show that looked even halfway worth seeing (speaking for myself...I don't know what the wife might have wanted to see...she already surmised we'd go to the Beatles thing). I'm not sure exactly how much we paid for the tickets since they were built in to the package but looking up their website I found that they typically went for around $30 apiece. Okay, that wasn't so bad if the production was at the level I hoped it would be.
I saw some video clips of the group and indeed they had a good sound. It was obvious that they'd spent a LOT of time getting the music down as perfectly as possible and to be sure they did bear striking resemblances to the original Fab Four...of course some of that visual magic was probably the work of stage make-up, lighting and precise placement of the group members.
They already had enough going for them, sight unseen, to pique my curiosity. I was already looking forward to the concert even when I read that Liverpool Legends is the only Beatles tribute band personally endorsed by George Harrison's sister. I guess that matters to some people. A seal of approval. It didn't mean all that much to me because I've seen two other Beatles tribute bands who were as good as any other could be...you can say that without having heard other bands for points of reference because the template is already established.
But enough build-up. Here we are in Branson and the concert was last night, I'm ready to reveal what I thought about the show...
We arrived at the Icon Theater, where the production was slated to happen. If it was the same building they played 4 years ago it no longer displayed the overwhelming Beatles imagery. There was a Volkswagen Beetle outside the front door painted in bright yellow with the band's name and the words "Yellow Submarine" and periscopes sticking out of the roof just like the cartoon submarine in the film of the same name.
The box office serves as a concession stand where people can wait for the show to begin. It is mandatory that the audience be in the building 30 minutes before the show. I couldn't figure out why that would be necessary, other than the possibility that it meant a lot of people getting tired of waiting and buying stuff the eat and drink. That's what I did. I ordered a coke. They only offer one size and it's $2.50. I couldn't tell you exactly how big it was but I'll guess 20 ounces. Did you get that? TWENTY OUNCES for TWO DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS!!! I don't think I've ever paid that much for a soda, ounce for ounce. They served bottled beer as well. I wouldn't venture a guess as to how much they were charging for those.
About 10 minutes before the show a line had formed in front of the stairway that led into the actual theater. Then about 5 minutes the door was opened and we all went in.
The first thing that struck me was the seating. Rows of restaurant chairs. Uncomfortable and tacky. The theater looks high class from the outside so I was taken aback that there weren't rows of cushioned seats. We were told it was "open seating". I suppose it would have to be seeing as how it's pretty hard to enforce seating arrangements of RESTAURANT CHAIRS. We sat toward the back, as I can't stand anything too loud and I thought it wouldn't be so bad if we were far enough away from the stage. Besides, the farther back you sit the more like the Beatles the band looks.
I should have known better by the size of the room. I've played in clubs that were bigger than this room. Some halfway decent lights were at the front of and behind the stage. The backdrop was a black curtain with little white "star" bulbs covering it. I decided that, despite my expectations realistic or otherwise, there would not be a multi-media presentation. Maybe I was spoiled by the production of "Rain" we say in Tulsa a couple of years ago, with it's excellent backdrops, stage settings and period costumes. Liverpool Legends was a far cry from that. They basically wore two outfits, one for each set. The first was, predictably, the collarless suit and tie. For the second they wore stuff from the "Help" period. Its what they wore during the performance of "The Night Before" in that movie. I thought for sure that would at least have Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band uniforms. Nope.
Even though we'd taken our seats in the back of the first set of seats, to hopefully get a break from the loudness, we were still blown away by ridiculous volume levels coming from the mains at the stage as well as speakers mounted above us (which we did not see, else we would have retreated even farther back into the second row of...uh...you got it...restaurant chairs. The combination of room size and volume was almost unbearable. We DID get up and go to the back during intermission. I spent a lot of time during that first set wondering if staying at the show was worth the hearing loss that would only exacerbate the tinnitus I already suffer from. I kept thinking about Mahler's 9th Symphony and how the ringing in the ear would make me depressed during the softer passages. That sounds crazy, I know. But it's true. There was absolutely NO reason why this show was this loud. None.
Okay...did the Liverpool Legends resemble the Beatles? Well, the distance from the stage would make all the difference in the world. Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, there wasn't enough space in the room for anyone to be far enough away from the stage to get the full effect. The "John Guy" probably looked the most like the person he was portraying. The "Paul Guy" bore a slight resemblance, though he had a lot of stage make-up on his face. He played his bass left-handed so that was a plus (even the "Paul Guy" from "Rain" was a right hand man). The "George Guy", to my eyes, looked more like Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits than George Harrison. Then there was the "Ringo Guy" who was kind of hard to see, being hidden behind the drums. He had the nose (prosthetic or real). He played with that unmistakable "Ringo Slouch" but lost points for being right-handed.
I know, it sounds like I'm really tearing them up here, but not really. All the issues I had with the program where with things that had nothing to do with the Liverpool Legends ability to mimic the Beatles, their singing and playing and performance style. A better production would have been much appreciated but all that, to me at least, takes a back seat to the group's talent.
And they were talented. I would have been able to appreciate that even more at a decent volume but I have to hand it to them, they succeed as a Beatles tribute band insomuch as they actually sound like the Beatles. The harmonies were really tight. The "Paul Guy" was the only one who struggled a little to sound like his character. I say that but actually he did sound a lot more like Paul McCartney than most people could. Musically they were very well rehearsed. It sounds trite but it's true, you could close your eyes, listen to the music and actually feel like you were hearing the real thing. The "George Guy" was especially impressive with his solos...he knocked the one from "Something" out of the park.
Song selection was okay. Could have been a lot better. No "I Want to Hold Your Hand" or "She Loves You", one of which I would think were mandatory for acts like this. Of all the great songs to choose from the White Album they chose the ridiculous "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da". Well I suppose "Birthday" is on that one, too, and they did it justice. "No Reply" was good. A very nice take on "In My Life". I wish I could remember the song, but at one point "Paul Guy" actually forgot the first line...that was kind of hard for me to believe, all things considered. He recovered well, some people probably didn't even notice.
When they began playing "The End" I told my wife it would be the last song and we should leave immediately following...not because of the music or the show...it was the floor. For some reason it shook pretty hard a few times during that last several minutes. The audience in front of us were up and dancing pretty hard, but not hard enough to make the ground feel like an earthquake was happening. That's exactly what it felt like. Sort of rattled me and I wasn't bothered at all that the band kicked into an encore as we walked downstairs.
A strange thing, immediately following the show they had a booth set up where you could meet and greet the four members of the band and buy souvenirs and autographed memorabilia from them. I think they would even let you take pictures with them. Above and beyond the call of duty, I say. I had no desire to partake in that portion of the proceedings. I had no idea coming in that such a thing was scheduled. Why would I want a picture of myself posing with a guy who "kinda looks like a Beatle"? Or "kinda looks like Peter Noone" as the case may be.
To sum it all up, yes, I would see Liverpool Legends again, on the condition that the volume was at a reasonable level. I would also insist on a reduced ticket price based solely on the seating. And a seat in the back.
