IN THE ACT: The Classic Beatles belts out a popular number. Each one of the Dublin quartet have internalised the four Beatles, down to their playing style. Photo by Anand Holla
The Classic Beatles, hailed as the best tribute band, is all set
to regale the Doha audiences once again. By Anand Holla
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see – just another time-honoured lyric of The Beatles that is as relevant today as it was nearly half a century ago. Luckily for the fans, their tribute bands still fly the flag of their timeless music, and Doha is all set to again experience The Classic Beatles, often hailed as the best Beatles tribute band, next month.
The Beatle Mania tribute concert, slated at 7pm on October 30 at the Giwana Ballroom in Radisson Blue Hotel, promises to be a delightful throwback. We know this because we caught The Classic Beatles in action in June, when they performed a cracker of a concert at InterContinental Doha–The City.
Belting around three dozen hits in a two-hour gig, the band had the audience dancing, singing along, or just beaming at a tastefully recreated nostalgia. Sporting velvet collared suits and mop top hairstyles, the Dublin quartet had swung into foot-tapping, rock-and-roll classics while a swarm of couples raided the dance floor.
The Classic Beatles is the only Beatles tribute band in the world to have worked with the legendary Beatles producer Sir George Martin, who is also referred to as the ‘Fifth Beatle’. A decade ago, when they performed for Queen Elizabeth II, she is said to have danced through most of their set. Perhaps, the real reason why they are the closest to the real deal is because each of them have internalised the four Beatles, down to their playing style.
The way they approach their respective instruments and funnel out a cohesive rock-and-roll sound is distinctly Beatles, as we experienced at their June show. By being together for 23 years now, the disciples have by far outlived the 10-year-long stretch of their masters.
When the band started off in 1990, they became somewhat of a blueprint for several tribute acts that emerged from Ireland in the mid ’90s. More than five decades after the world’s greatest and the best-selling rock band worked their way through gigs at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, The Classic Beatles have fashioned themselves as the messengers of their idols’ timelessness.
Get ready to groove to some of these tracks, which they performed at the June concert: I want to hold your hand, Here comes the sun, Get back, Daytripper, Penny Lane, She loves you, We can work it out, Yesterday, A hard day’s night, Hello goodbye, Taxman, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, and of course, Hey Jude with the audience-participatory chorus.
However, unlike their abridged shows as we saw in June, the band’s usual shows last for three hours and are more of a dramatic chronicle of the band’s seven golden years of 1963 to 1970. Featuring witty on-stage banter in Scouse accents, raw live concert footage, ground-breaking recording sessions and TV appearances, the band ensures that it incorporates as many authentic elements as possible to connect the crucial moments in the musical journey of The Beatles.
In Ireland, they usually play to crowds with an age range of seven to 70, and the overwhelming response, they say, surprises them. “They all know every word of every song. It’s amazing,” the guy who is the band’s John Lennon, had told Gulf Times. “I mean 50 years after The Beatles, kids this size,” he said, holding his palm to his hip, “know the lyrics.”
Tickets for the show are available at Radisson Blu Doha at QR375, inclusive of buffet dinner with selected beverages. For more information, call 44281555.
