Crystal Grand Music Theatre has hosted a plethora of artists throughout the 30 years. Major legends have walked through the venue doors: Willy Nelson, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Blake Shelton, and more. These years have been full of amazing artists, but alas, we haven’t always been around. We would like to think that we would have hosted Mozart in the 1700s, John Phillip Sousa in the 1800s, and the Beatles in the 1900s. We are so fortunate to have the next best thing. The Fab Four: Beatles Tribute Band has performed at Crystal Grand Music Theatre and will be performing again in October of 2023.
History of Tribute Bands:
Tribute bands have been around for a long time. Some of the first tribute acts were actually Elvis Impersonators. Many imitators did tribute acts for a solo artist, but after British Nation (The Beatles) invaded America, that all changed. The Beatles possibly had the most significant impact on the origin and history of tribute bands.
While tribute bands have grown by strides throughout the last 50 years, they have not always been viewed as amazing acts – some were even thought to be cringeworthy! Perception, however, has changed and people want to hear the music of the past, hence the growing popularity of tribute bands such as the Fab Four.
Tribute Bands Vs. Cover Bands
Cover bands can play songs from various artists. Typically, they will just pick one or two artists and do a variety of covers. Cover bands are also more likely to put their own musical creativity on cover songs, and sing them in a way that differs from the original recordings.
Most tribute bands specialize in one artist or band’s music. Some tribute bands do play more than one musician’s songs.
The music a tribute band plays is also very much a part of the overall branding of their band. Sometimes they dress up as the original band/artist and try to perform the music as closely as possible to the original.
In simple terms, while cover bands play other artists’ music, they don’t usually aim to replicate the original band and song. Tribute bands, on the other hand, usually try to recreate the original experience.
The Fab Four and the History of Beatles Tribute Bands:
Many believe the Broadway rockumentary Beatlemania from 1977 to 1979 is the reason for the popularity of the tribute band idea.
Everyone wanted to book The Beatles, but after they broke up, tribute bands arose. However, one tribute band couldn’t go to every single venue in America.
Instead of taking the same group everywhere, the producers hired local Beatles performers at each venue. As a result, by the time Beatlemania ended, multiple small Beatles tribute bands were playing across the country.
The Fab Four is a California-based tribute band dedicated to The Beatles. The group was founded in 1997 by Ron McNeil, a John Lennon impersonator. The group began performing Beatles music throughout southern California.They have played in many places worldwide, including Japan, Malaysia, France, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Mexico and Brazil, covering nearly the entire Beatles songbook and material from Beatles members’ solo projects.
Conclusion:
The Beatles have made such an impact on so many individuals as well as the history of music. The Crystal Grand Music Theatre is excited to continue the history of this amazing band with the Fab Four Beatles Tribute Band. And Guess what…you can still get tickets 😉 And trust us, you don’t want to miss this amazing Beatles Tribute Band!
