The Beatles vs Stones touring group hosted a musical showdown on Thursday that filled the audience at the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center with nostalgic memories of decades past.
Abbey Road and Satisfaction, two of the top Beatles and Rolling Stones tribute bands, wasted no time playing the type of reminiscent, classic hits the crowd has grown to love over the years.
The first act that kicked off the concert was Abbey Road.
The band, consisting of Nate Bott as John Lennon, Chris Paul Overall as Paul McCartney, Zak Schaffer as George Harrison and Axel Clarke as Ringo Starr, began their set by playing “She Loves You,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “A Hard Day’s Night.”
From the authentic black suits to the signature Beatle mop top haircuts and remarkable vocal ranges, Abbey Road stunned the crowd with their accurate representation of the legendary band.
Although playing the hit songs was the focus, Abbey Road also included some in-between commentary. This consisted of jokes and historical quotes from the original Beatles members to keep the audience engaged throughout their set.
The most recognizable quote of the night came from Bott when he said, “Would the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry.” This quote is most familiar among Beatles fans due to its origins of being a jab at the British royal family from John Lennon.
Abbey Road finished out its first set with the biggest fan favorite of them all — “Twist and Shout.” Audience members immediately became full of energy as the song began, which caused many to stand up and show off their best dance moves.
After a short intermission, members of Satisfaction assumed their positions on the stage for their first set.
The members of the band consisted of Chris Legrand as Mick Jagger; Dominick Lanzo as Keith Richards; Cody Pappas as Brian Jones, Ron Wood, and Mick Taylor; John Wade as Bill Wyman; and finally Wade Fowler as Charlie Watts.
With over 20 years of experience, Satisfaction did not disappoint the crowd for a second. Members of the audience were all smiles once the band kicked off their set with classics like “19th Nervous Breakdown,” “Under My Thumb” and “The Last Time.”
Contrary to Abbey Road, Satisfaction did not break up their set with conversations with the audience. The band used a different tactic to keep the attention on them, and that was their wardrobe. Just like the original Rolling Stones, Satisfaction graced the stage wearing colorful scarves, eyeliner, pirate boots and puffy shirts.
After a constant cycle of hits, Satisfaction closed their first set with “Get Off My Cloud.”
The next two sets from Abbey Road went on to focus on the Beatle’s musical evolution from 1967 to 1970, specifically focusing on songs from the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely-Hearts Club Band” and “Let It Be” albums.
Satisfaction complemented the reminiscent tone of the evening by performing timeless Stones classics that ranged from the 1970s to the 1980s.
The evening ended with an encore performance from both Abbey Road and Satisfaction as they joined each other on stage and played a mix-up of the two songs “Day Tripper” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
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