Julia Baird
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to see the legendary Beatles live in concert as they once were. But on Oct. 20, fans in central Ohio will get the opportunity to get pretty darn close.
It can be difficult to bring a tribute band onto the road to perform throughout the world. But factor in a 10-year residency at the world-famous Cavern Club, the very club that allowed the Beatles to perfect their act before launching their revolutionary takeover of the world of music in the 1960s, and the seal of approval from Julia Baird, sister of the late John Lennon, and you’ll find a band up to that task.
The Mersey Beatles have been playing together since 1999, and have sold out shows in more than 20 countries, recreating the Beatles’ greatest hits and emulating the clothes, attitudes and talent of one of the greatest bands of all time. The members of the band, much like the original Beatles, all grew up in Liverpool and met in school.
From recreating the Beatles’ sound and image – all the way down to playing exact replicas of the band’s original instruments such as Paul McCartney’s iconic Hofner bass – the Mersey Beatles take great pride in the show they bring to the stage. As a cherry on top, the band dresses the part for each era of Beatles music they play.
They are good lads and excellent at what they do and, like the original Beatles, they are moving on to the next phase of their career in America.
On their third tour of the US, the band is accompanied by Julia Baird, John Lennon’s own sister. Baird will be signing copies of her book, Imagine This: Growing up with My Brother, John Lennon, before and after the show, as well as welcoming the Mersey Beatles to the stage. The quartet and Baird will be right here in Columbus, at the Lincoln Theatre, on Oct. 20.
“I’ve known the boys for a long, long time, ever since their residency at the Cavern Club,” Baird says. “They are good lads and excellent at what they do and, like the original Beatles, they are moving on to the next phase of their career in America.”
Julia Baird. Photo by Felice Calabro
Together, they are celebrating 50 years of one of the most iconic albums of all time, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely-Hearts Club Band, by playing the album from top to bottom. The album itself marked a distinct time in the history of the Beatles.
Beatlemania had been in full swing, and it’s known that the band was getting so big that their audiences found themselves in fits of mass hysteria, rather than actually listening to the band play.
“Being a Beatle at that time wasn’t always the most brilliant and happy time that people think about,” Baird says. “On stage at Candlestick Park back in 1966, the band agreed right then and there that it would be their last show live.”
They were all so relentlessly creative and always pushing those boundaries.
Off the road and able to focus solely on music, John, Paul George and Ringo stepped into the studio and began tracking arguably their most ambitious project to date.
“They were all so relentlessly creative and always pushing those boundaries,” Steven Howard, who plays the part of Paul McCartney, says. “The expansion of the lyrical content on the Sgt. Pepper album is really what sticks out.”
The Mersey Beatles team up with Julia Baird at the Lincoln Theatre on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7:30 p.m. To purchase tickets ($24, $33 and $46 VIP), click here. VIP includes premium seating, a Mersey Beatles free CD download, and a meet and greet with the band and Baird.
Click below for a live performance at the Cavern Club by the Mersey Beatles:
The Mersey Beatles - Live at the Cavern Club
Rocco Falleti is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
