{"id":38727,"date":"2026-08-13T15:56:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T19:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=38727"},"modified":"2026-08-13T15:56:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T19:56:49","slug":"the-beatle-band-fills-town-park-with-fab-fours-joyous-and-timeless-tunes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/the-beatle-band-fills-town-park-with-fab-fours-joyous-and-timeless-tunes\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Beatle Band\u201d fills Town Park with Fab Four\u2019s joyous and timeless tunes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Beatle Band\u2014four Tribute artists who look and sound like Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr – rolled through a much-loved catalogue of 1960s hits on Wednesday night at Aurora\u2019s Town Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beatle Band\u2019s connection to the audience was evident from the opening chords of \u201cTwist and Shout.\u201d  Members of the quartet were welcomed individually by an eerie Ed Sullivan voiceover from 1964 when the legendary variety show host introduced the Lads from Liverpool to a North American television audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building off their uncanny physical similarities to the Fab Four and paraded out in authentic form-fitting black suits and pencil ties reflective of mid-60s fashion, the talented tribute band delivered the Beatles\u2019 first big radio hit and filled the floor with a multi-generational group of dancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPaul McCartney\u201d\u2014portrayed brilliantly by Mark Harrison\u2014acknowledged the timeless quality of the songs they play and the manner by which the band connects with its audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the great thing about Beatles\u2019 songs\u2014the audience members just know them. They were the stars of the show tonight. We connect more deeply with the audience. Our links to the audience are where we win. All the generations know the choruses and to hear them singing all the songs makes Town Park a special place to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harrison\u2019s performance as McCartney showed his immersion in role-playing and demonstrated his authentic musicianship. As we chatted during a post-concert interview, Harrison explained the differences between the perfect simplicity of the early Beatles songs in Set One and the complexities inherent in Set Two which require far more sophistication and production quality by a four-man band:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing a Tribute band, we\u2019re judged by our instruments and voices.  We don\u2019t have a fifth guy so we choose our songs carefully from the later hits. We use authentic instruments and our costumes are custom-made to help recreate the sound and the look of the Beatles when they produced their most brilliant music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quartet\u2019s commitment to showmanship manifested itself through three costume changes which captured the remarkable physical and musical transformation of the Fab Four from 1964-1970.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harrison\u2019s favorite moment from Wednesday night\u2019s show was performing \u201cPenny Lane\u201d in Set Two– clad in psychedelic colors and backed by the requisite chiming bells and sophisticated layers of instrumentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI liked \u201cPenny Lane\u201d tonight. The song reminds me of England.  Everybody relates to it.  It\u2019s a perfect chorus and appeals to the real die-hard Beatles fans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was hard to argue with Harrison\u2019s choice of highlight, but there were equally great moments throughout this Concerts in the Park installment. A sea of music fans stretched from the Bandshell to the Slabtown Armoury and reveled in the band\u2019s pitch perfect delivery of the \u201cHard Day\u2019s Night\u201d harmonies. \u201cGeorge Harrison\u2019s\u201d guitar chops were delivered expertly by Mike Danchort who remained in character all night as the underappreciated and slightly-insecure youngest Beatle. Danchort provided comic relief and was reassured on stage by \u201cJohn Lennon\u201d portrayed endearingly by Aurora\u2019s own John A. MacDonald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At one point, MacDonald patted Danchort on the back after delivering \u201cIf I Needed Someone\u201d and impelled him onward.  Long-time Beatles fans appreciated the subtle interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhythmic clapping by the audience was the highlight of \u201cEight Days a Week\u201d and \u201cTicket to Ride\u201d as folks bought into the perfect simplicity of the Beatles\u2019 early hits.  There was a vibe of pure joy in the Park. Observing two 20-somethings in front of me fully absorbed in the music was an especially poignant moment.  No phones. These young Aurorans were all in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MacDonald showed his Aurora roots by calling out local historian David Heard and dedicating  \u201c\u2018Nowhere Man\u2019\u2014the #1 hit sixty years ago\u2014to Dave.\u201d  Heard acknowledged the shout out from his seat in the bleachers and MacDonald\u2019s early Lennon voice and timely message were both spot on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After delivering \u201cPaperback Writer\u201d and \u201cDay Tripper,\u201d the left-hand bass-playing Harrison took a breather, acknowledged the steamy evening conditions, and quipped, \u201cWe wore suits because we knew it would be cold tonight.\u201d Charmingly, he thanked the audience after Set One with \u201cYou\u2019re the best in the world!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A significant costume change after intermission\u2014with John resplendent in lime green and orange satin; Paul rocking baby blue and white; George in pink and white; and Ringo in red– impelled the Beatles\u2019 catalogue forward into 1967 with selections from the seminal Sgt. Pepper\u2019s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, including the title track as well as Ringo Starr\u2019s \u201cI Get By with a Little Help from my Friends\u201d \u2014delivered gamely by John Turfryer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Harrison\u2019s \u201cPenny Lane\u201d was met with resounding applause, Turfryer tackled \u201cYellow Submarine\u201d and noted \u201cThis one is for the children!\u201d Rhythmic and anticipatory clapping ensued and the song\u2019s orchestral crescendo moment was piped in to complement the park-wide chorus \u201cWe all live in a yellow submarine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the lively \u201cSubmarine\u201d singalong, MacDonald slowed it down, emerged from backstage in the classic Lennon white suit, and delivered a poignant solo version of \u201cAcross the Universe\u201d to a swaying audience as dusk settled in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harrison\u2014now clad in the McCartney black vest\u2014pulled up comfortably to the keyboard and sped things up. His delivery of \u201cLady Madonna\u201d and the layered sound of the later Beatles tunes by his bandmates was rendered masterfully.  \u201cDon\u2019t Let Me Down\u201d and \u201cGet Back\u201d set up the most richly comic moment of the night when Danchort introduced \u201cHere Comes the Sun\u201d with \u201cIt\u2019s not easy being George\u2014sitting in the garden with Eric Clapton.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The allusion to Clapton\u2019s much-publicized affair with his wife, Pattie Boyd–whose \u201cpresence\u201d inspired classic songs like \u201cSomething\u201d by Harrison and \u201cLayla\u201d and \u201cWonderful Tonight\u201d by Clapton\u2014was appreciated by those in the upper demographic.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Danchort rolled out his nice guitar work and vocals, Mark Harrison hammed it up with the vocal audience and averred \u201cYou\u2019ve been the best audience we\u2019ve had all day\u201d as the dance floor denizens swayed to \u201cRevolution\u201d and \u201cHey Jude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blended vocals of the crowd and band during the hypnotic chorus of \u201cHey Jude\u201d unleashed a surge of positive energy through Town Park and an encore carried the wave right into a replay of \u201cTwist and Shout\u201d.  There was much twisting and shouting by the assembly, which was reluctant to go home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly, The Beatle Band delivered \u201cI Feel Fine\u201d as a second encore.  It was a fitting endpoint because we did feel fine and the rendition fueled by a final dose of dopamine while we sang, \u201cI\u2019m so glad that she\u2019s my little girl \/ She\u2019s so glad she\u2019s telling all the world…She\u2019s in love with me and I feel fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complementing Wednesday night\u2019s fine performance by the four likeable lads was the $8 Lemon Tea Cider I enjoyed from the Slabtown Armoury Tent\u2014it was as cool, crisp, and refreshing as the music emanating from the classic bandshell by MacDonald, Harrison, Danchort, and Turfryer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Jim Stewart<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Beatle Band\u2014four Tribute artists who look and sound like Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr – rolled through a much-loved catalogue of 1960s hits on Wednesday night at Aurora\u2019s Town Park. The Beatle Band\u2019s connection to the audience was evident from the opening chords of \u201cTwist and Shout.\u201d  Members of the quartet were welcomed individually […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":38728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-a4D","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-21 07:45:56","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2026-08-13-07.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38727"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38727\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38729,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38727\/revisions\/38729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}