I know what you're thinking (I really do). You're thinking, four guys are going to dress up in matching outfits and pretend to be Beatles?
Yeah, yeah, Yeah right.
So you, being the true-blue Beatles fan that you are, decided to skip "1964...The Tribute" at the Des Moines Civic Center on Thursday night. Why pay $18.75 for a ticket to see the faux-Fab Four when you can buy the real thing, the "Beatles Anthology" CD, for $24.97?
Well, you blew it. As 924 people could tell you, this was no Elvis impersonation. This was a time warp - set it for 1964, Mr Wizard - and this was them.
No, really. That had to be Paul, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled and shook his head. That had to be John, the way he struck out his chin and chewed gum between sets. That had to be Ringo, the way he hunched over the Ludwig drum ser and cocked his head when he waved. That had to be George, the way he handled the guitar and kept his mouth shut.
They Did Their Homework
From the opening chord of "I Saw Her Standing There" to the final encore beat of "Long Tall Sally," these Mock Mop Tops had the real Beatles nailed, from the top of their hairy heads to the bottom of their pointy-toed boots.
Gary Grimes (Paul), Mark Benson (John), Jimmy Pou (George), and Greg George (Ringo) had done their homework. The right-handed Grimes even learned to play bass guitar left-handed so he could authentically fake McCartney.
But once you get past the uncanny mannerisms - I swear, Greg George was Ringo - it was the music that carried this show. If they missed a beat, I was too busy singing along to notice.
Sure, Grimes voice was a little low for McCartney - some of those ooohs didn't quite make it - but, hey, I'm no Dave Marsh either. Benson, on the other hand, handled Lennon's parts superbly. His wailing on "Twist and Shout" was the highlight of the night.
The Crowd Was Theirs
1964 started in Akron, Ohio - America's version of Liverpool? And it's so obvious how much these guys love the Beatles' music that it's hard not to join in the fun. There was no light show, or giant screens, just the music, and halfway through, the crowd was theirs.
The trouble is, the Civic Center is simply not the right venue for this sort of act. It's a beautiful facility, perfect facility, perfect for "Camelot" or an orchestra, but what this group needs was someplace where people can dance without feeling self-conscience. I'm not sure the real Beatles could get a crowd dancing at the Civic Center.
The "1964" band certainly tried. They must have sung over 30 songs, from "Hard Days Night" and "Eight Days a Week" to "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Can't Buy Me Love."
What you can buy is a good time. The boys from Akron did the lads from Liverpool proud. For 90 minutes and an encore, yesterday didn't seem so far away.
You didn't think it would be that good did you?
You should have known better.