LIVE: 1964 The Tribute at House of Blues, Cleveland, OH (9/15/14)
When opening act Michael Stanley took the stage at the Cleveland House of Blues, he spoke about the first time he saw 1964 The Tribute. Stanley admitted he hadn’t been too excited, since he “really didn’t want to see a fake Beatles band.” But by the end of the first song, he was completely enthralled, just as the House of Blues crowd would prove to be that Monday night when 1964 kicked off their set in the city that named rock ‘n’ roll.
As many music fans already know, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ debut on The Ed Sullivan Show — and in America — yet fewer people seem to be aware of another significant date in Beatles history. On September 15, 1964, the Beatles played the Public Auditorium (also called the Public Hall) in Cleveland, Ohio, and were stopped mid-performance by panicked policemen, concerned about the crowd’s rising hysteria. This was the first time a Beatles concert would ever be halted by authorities, and it happened fifty years to the day that 1964 played the House of Blues in that very same town.
Considering three of the current members of 1964 The Tribute are natives of the Cleveland/Akron area, it’s no surprise that they agreed to commemorate the infamous Public Hall concert. But besides the local connection, 1964 was the perfect choice for plenty of other reasons, particularly the fact that these guys are possibly the most uncanny Beatles soundalikes you will ever hear. Had you closed your eyes in that theater, you could have easily imagined the real John, Paul, George, and Ringo were standing right in front of you.
1964 started off their set with a rousing performance of “Love Me Do,” the same opener that was shown in the rare color footage of the original Public Hall concert, screened at the start of the evening. Most of the tunes were widely known, upbeat favorites, such as “Eight Days a Week,” “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” sung by Mark Benson and Mac Ruffing, who made a remarkable “John” and “Paul.” They even perfectly imitated the songwriting duo’s high-pitched screams on songs like “Hard Day’s Night” and the closer, “Twist and Shout.” They did just as well, however, on the slower tunes, like “If I Fell,” which was one of my favorite performances of the night.
“George” was no slouch either, as Tom Work put up a lovely rendition of “Do You Want to Know a Secret” and provided plenty of wonderful little fills and solos on his Gretsch guitar. Even “Ringo,” played by Bobby Potter, got to show off his chops, singing lead on “I Wanna Be Your Man” and “Boys.” I don’t believe I had ever heard someone impersonate Ringo’s singing voice before, but if anyone’s got it down, I can tell you it’s Potter.
Although I tend to agree with Michael Stanley about the corniness of band impersonators, I was honestly very impressed with 1964’s rendering of an early Beatles show. From their flawless performance of every song, to each band member’s masterful impression of his respective Beatle’s voice and mannerisms, 1964 is probably the closest you will ever get to seeing the Fab Four live in 2014.
As I mentioned before, it’s clear that the members of 1964 have carefully studied the Beatles’ original recordings, to the point where you might have a difficult time telling their rendition apart from the one on the Beatles’ records. And although their attention to detail is impressive, the close similarity sometimes made me feel a bit like I was watching some guys in Beatle boots and mop-top wigs lip-syncing to records. That, however, is a testament to just how good these guys are at what they do, and whenever they would deviate with a little embellishment, like a shout or a solo, I would always be instantly reminded that this was all live and that I was witnessing some truly fantastic performers.
All four members of the band have highly energetic and engaging onstage personalities, which help them bring new life to these decades-old classics. Plus, they freshen things up with some knowing jokes, like the little jibe that “George” made about giving a capo to Clapton to make him sound better than he really is, and “John’s” response to Michael Stanley: “I don’t want to see a crappy Beatles band either. That’s why I’m up here.”
1964 added to their authenticity by playing the exact same set list that the Beatles did at the Public Hall 50 years ago, right down to a reenactment of the police debacle that resulted in Cleveland’s “Beatle Ban,” when two men from the Cleveland police and fire departments ran onstage in the middle of “All My Loving,” blowing whistles and shouting at “the Beatles” to stop the show. The cops made some humorous complaints about the crowd’s indecent behavior, as well as a corny joke about the Beatles having “a new .45.” The audience was definitely into the act, booing and hissing at the authorities. Fortunately, things were allowed to continue shortly after we all promised to be good for the rest of the show, and I can assure you that nothing quite as crazy as the antics of the fans on September 15, 1964, happened after that.
I should note that the police interruption was not the only significant event of the one and only night the Beatles played the Public Hall (though they played Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium in 1966 — after the “Beatle Ban” was lifted). This concert was also the first assignment of rock journalism pioneer Jane Scott’s illustrious career. After covering the Beatles that fateful night, Scott became the first full-time music critic at any major newspaper in the United States, and she would go on to interview and befriend many famous artists, such as Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen, Lyle Lovett, and, of course, the Beatles. So, it’s only fitting that the 1964 show was, in fact, a fundraiser for a film about Jane Scott’s life and work.
Scott was honored in the opening acts by a slow ballad cover of “Help!”, which Michael Stanley remembered she would always request at his shows, as well as by local ’80s rockers, Beau Coup, whom Scott supported throughout the band’s career. Beau Coup ended their medley with a heartwarming song about her, naturally titled “Jane.”
Were she still around today, Jane Scott would probably have been just as floored by 1964’s performance as the rest of the audience was. The band had everyone clapping, singing, and eventually dancing along, which is saying something, considering a good number of those in attendance were probably first-generation fans. But then again, what person of any age can resist tapping their toes to these solid gold hits?
My favorite part of the night was undoubtedly the encore, which consisted of covers of some of the Beatles’ favorite early rock ‘n’ rollers. By this point in the show, everyone was on their feet, twisting along to “Rock and Roll Music” and “Roll Over Beethoven.” It was apparent that 1964 had just as much fun playing these songs as the audience had listening to them.
All in all, 1964’s fabulous performance at the House of Blues not only proved their worth as musicians, but the fact that the Beatles’ tunes are just as exciting to fans today as they were to the screaming legions at Public Hall. Jane Scott certainly saw what made this music special when she heard it 50 years ago. We have her to thank for helping rock bands like the Beatles become accepted as true artists, and we have 1964 The Tribute to thank for helping to keep that art alive.
If you want to help get Jane Scott’s movie made and are able to donate to the JANE SCOTT ROCKS campaign, I would highly encourage you to do so by going to the Kickstarter page.
(Cover photo by Lynn Ischay/Cleveland Plain Dealer.)
