Classical Mystery Tour is the name of a Beatles cover band which tours the country, playing with symphony orchestras in various cities. They stopped into Philadelphia last Saturday, visiting Verizon hall at the Kimmel center, and I was there.
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was released on June 1, 1967. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic album, which many critics hail as one of the best pop/rock albums ever made.The concert highlighted the Sgt. Pepper album, but also drew on later Beatles music from the late 60s.
The show was a mix of Philly Pops playing Beatles music and the band. It was the first time I was at a Philly Pops show. They didn't have the full band there, yet the orchestra sounded great. It was nice to hear such classics such as "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yesterday" with the strings and other instruments on the original records.
The conductor pointed out that, since the Beatles focused more of creating music in the studio at Abbey Road, and have stopped touring, they experimented quite a bit with different instruments and sounds, much of which couldn't be reproduced on stage at the time-until now.The Beatles were no longer on the road,so many songs heard during the concert were never played live by the Beatles.
The Classical band sounded like the real thing, and looked pretty much like the Beatles of that era ( although the guy playing Ringo looked kind of haggard).They played wonderfully, and you can tell they had been at this quite a while.
The band's regular Paul McCartney was out last Saturday, so the "Paul" from another Beatles cover group, Rain, filled in and did a seaming less good job.
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "When I'm 64" and "She's Leaving Home" were some highlights, as the band played in the brightly colored outfits on the Sgt. Pepper album cover.
There was a short intermission after about 45 minutes of music, then the Pops came back out, did more Beatles tunes, and the band once again joined them, this time in darker, more conservative suits.
One of the highlights was "Paul" going out of the box and playing "Live and Let Die", which was a solo effort after the Beatles broke up. But probably the most eerie part of the show was "John" ( Played spot-on by Jim Owen) sitting at the piano in a pure white suit, singing "Imagine" also a song post-beatles.
At first I thought, hold on, this wasn't with the theme, but soon loved the fact that the band took chances and expanded their set list.
The show lasted roughly 2 hours and the encore consisted of "hey Jude", which had the Kimmel Center crowd singing along, and "Twist and Shout", which had the concert halls' audience dancing along.
"Twist and Shout" was again out of the box, as the song was dated pre-Sgt. Pepper era when the Beatles first came to America. But who cares about the time reference? It's a feel-good, rousing number, which capped off the afternoon.
I have seen 2 other Beatles cover bands- Rain, which covers early and later Beatles, with several costume changes, video boards and lights; to 1964-Tribute, an early Beatles group which details their early music. Close your eyes and it feels as though you are at a Beatles concert circa 1963.
So, Classical Mystery Tour , playing mostly later Beatles work, had a lot to live up to, and for the most part it did.
This was also my first time at the beautiful Kimmel Center in Center City Philadelphia. It's a gorgeous facility, opening in 2001, with bright, spacious lobbies. The concert hall itself takes your breath away in vastness and size, and the acoustics are perfect.
The show was nearly sold-out. I wondered how the normally-classical crowd would take to an afternoon of pop/rock music, but the "members" of the Kimmel center seemed to have a good time. The crowd consisted of mostly older and middle aged people, not many kids.
Finally, being in a wheelchair, I bought handicapped accessible seats. I was pleasantly surprised to find our seats were close to the front of the stage, which not only made the concert more enjoyable ( when Lennon sang "Imagine" at the piano, he was literally only 20 feet away from me), but the entire experience was awesome. The ushers were friendly, and access to our seats, parking, and getting into the theater were top-notch.
The Kimmel center is a relatively new place, so you would expect good access and seating options, but surprisingly, it doesn't always work out that way, as so-called "accessible" seats can often be in the back or way on the side of the venue.
Along with the great music, the beautiful venue, and the terrific seating location,the entire experience was enjoyable. I would highly recommend Classical Mystery Tour and a visit to the Kimmel Center!
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