Walk down memory lane
by mdogm on 2/25/14Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre - BostonRating: 3 out of 5Warning: any negativity or ambivalence in this review are more likely to be projections of my own issues than with the performers.
RAIN is a first-rate Beatles cover show. Their musicianship, on-stage presence and song selection reflect a great respect for the Beatles music and attention to the details that make this music so special for so many of us. The "Paul" and "John" characters were very strong from the early Ed Sullivan set to the end of Abbey Road. The show highlighted our favorite Ringo performances and gave George his due, including a rousing cover of Eric Clapton's solo from "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that was a true show stopper. We got early hits, Sgt Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour and pieces of Abbey Road. There was an energetic reprise of the Let It Be rooftop session (with "George" taking all the solos), and we ended with an encore of "Paul" at the piano for "Let it Be" and "Hey Jude." It was the Beatles show you'd want to see if the Fab were still here to do it.
The downside was that the show in which all of this music was packaged verged on corny with a number of details, starting with the curtain artwork, that fell a bit short of the mark. On several occasions it gave me premonitions of those years in the not-too-distant future when I'll be sitting in the recreation lounge at a nursing home with some perky 20-something Activities Director encouraging us, "C'mon man, you remember the Summer of Love, and those groovy bell bottoms!"
That said, the vibe in the Wang Center throughout the show was 1000% positive across three-plus generations of attendees. People all around us (who had clearly worked through their aging anxieties better than I) were spontaneously dancing in the aisles and we all sang and clapped along, because it was those songs and we couldn't help it.