Beatles tribute plays at OU

From oudaily.com
Chris Steffen, Daily Staff writer :: 6/2/04

Next week marks the 40th anniversary of the utterance of five of the most significant words to ever shape pop music and culture: “Ladies and gentlemen—the Beatles!”

In celebration, OU is hosting a weekend of Beatles-related events, featuring three performances from 1964…The Tribute, a Beatles tribute band. 1964 pays tribute to the Beatles not only in song choice, but in sound, style and presentation.

“[1964] lets people see what a Beatles concert, somewhat, was like,” said associate professor of music Carl Rath, who co-produces the yearly tribute shows with music professor Eldon Matlick. This will be 1964’s 12th year to perform at OU.

“You will think you are seeing the Beatles in concert,” Rath said. “They really get you to believe it. They are remarkably consistent and dead-on accurate.”

1964...The Tribute will be performing at the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall today through Sunday.

Other events will include presentations by Beatles collector Russ Lease and Andy Babiuk, the author of “Beatles Gear,” prior to 1964’s Friday and Saturday performances.

Lease, a resident of Maryland, will be flying in to partake of the weekend’s activities.

He will be displaying some of his Beatles collection, featuring items such as the jacket Paul McCartney wore at the band’s historic Shea Stadium performance, Ringo Starr’s jacket from the “Abbey Road” cover and the bass-drum head that Ringo Starr used in the band’s first appearance on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”

Lease said he’s glad to bring the drum to show to fans but at the same time he is apprehensive about its transport.

“This is the first time I’ve ever flown with the drum head, and it’s presented a lot of problems,” Lease said. “There’s no way it’s going in the belly of the plane. It’s worth the price of my house.”

Lease said he worked out a deal with the airline to allow him to carry on the drum head as well as the historic garments.

Mark Benson, who plays the role of John Lennon in 1964, said the significance of the Beatles, even 40 years later, cannot be understated.

“They’re on the cover of all the major magazines right now,” Benson said. “Clearly, the interest level has no signs of waning. There’s no demographic that isn’t included in their fan base—all ages, races and economic levels are represented.”

The Beatles were heavily influenced by American pop stylings and managed to make the sounds of American rock sound all their own, Rath said.

“They took our own music and made it better,” Rath said. “They taught us what rhythm and blues and rock n’ roll were all about. They didn’t just push the envelope. They invented the envelope for others to push.”

As far as Benson and his band are concerned, the shows in Norman are not just another set of gigs.

“This is like coming home for us,” Benson said. “We have so many friends in Norman. It’ll be nice to kick back for a few days and play some fun shows.”