Beatlemania: The Ultimate Beatles Experience made a stop in London last night. 1039FM presented the show at Centennial Hall and when we got there I was asked if I’d do an intro on stage.
We hung out backstage with the guys for a while. They’re four very nice, very funny Australians who totally love what they’re doing.
They do an admirable job of turning their Australian accents into Liverpool ones. Musically they are excellent. They take us through the Fab Four’s career with the help of voice-overs, video and costume and wig changes. If I had to be a little critical it would be that “Paul” looks more like Joanie from Happy Days and is the weakest singing link when we all know what a great singer the real Paul is. The show relied much more on the “John” who was a very strong singer and commanding presence.
Backstage, they joked around and we chatted about everything from music to TV and the differences in our cultural experiences. They were very loose and friendly, not always the case with performers who are about to go on. “John” made some ridiculous little comment that involved the word “scrotum”. He then looked at me with mock concern and said, “Please don’t say scrotum when you go out there!” Naturally, they all kept working the word into sentences and the last thing I heard before I walked onto the stage was an Australian voice saying, “Don’t say scrotum!” I’m happy to report that I didn’t say the word even though it was floating in my head the whole time!
They’re good guys, very talented and they’re continuing their Ontario tour before heading out to Saskatchewan. It’s all an adventure for them and a great ride for us, fans of the greatest band of all time.