Away Team

RAIN: A Tribute To The Beatles
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA

Review by Marcy J Royce

As luck would have it, RAIN was making a stop in nearby Hershey,PA at the Hershey Theatre on Thursday, January 26. Being a Beatles fan I was eager to have the opportunity to see these guys perform as the fab four.  In years past having attended shows by 1964 The Tribute, another Beatles tribute band, I wanted to see what RAIN had to offer.

There is no question as to why RAIN has been a extremely success national tour for decades.

The cast of RAIN includes 13 people in all, according to the current website. Most of these members rotate in their portrayal of our beloved Liverpool mop tops. Close my eyes and I thought I was hearing the real, live, one and only Beatles. These guys are right on the mark with their look, vocals, and mannerisms. “George” even did his shuffle, much to my delight. “Paul” did his head bob and wrist swish. “George” did his usual smiles. And always my favorite Beatle, “John” did his bobbing up and down in front of the microphone. The entire live show is meant to recreate and transport the audience back in time through the career of these iconic men. Even the stage props, mood lighting, wardrobe, and videos assist in the real feel. A bonus for me was the trivia before the show and during the intermission and also the era commercials. A true delight to the audience this night. And ya know, I even got most of the trivia RIGHT! My husband was surprised I knew the working title to Yesterday was Scrambled Eggs. Ah ha! I one upped him. (giggle)

RAIN actually got its start in the 1970’s as REIGN in night clubs in California. This tribute band then became a descendant from the Broadway show, Beatlemania. In 1982 as the show waned to its end at that time and cast members started to filter into RAIN’s lineup. Many changes have happened to members since that time but founder Mark Lewis is still involved to this day. Most recently, from October 2010 to July 2011 “RAIN” was on Broadway and entailed 300 performances in New York City’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre. But enough about the history, let’s get to this performance at the Hershey Theatre.

I was afforded the opportunity to photograph from the area of the soundboard. A good place for this short gal. And I wasn’t interfering with any patrons view. Very important. The night started as the crowd delighted in those first chords. RAIN encouraged crowd participation several times during the performance. The first full audience stand was for Twist and Shout. The energy was energizing. The first half of the performance included songs from Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, and Help. The second half of the performance included songs from Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, and Let It Be. It’s a hard task to do as many songs in a performance as there are so many hits and so many favorites. In my opinion I feel the setlist encompassed those songs well. The cast of RAIN was having a blast on stage. Bantering, joking, and laughing. But very serious when it came to presenting the songs to the audience. From start to finish, you couldn’t have asked for a better performance.

The setlist for the evening included such hits as: I Saw Her Standing There, All My Loving, A Hard Days Night, Twist & Shout, Yesterday, Sargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help from My Friends, When I’m 64, Eleanor Rigby, A Day In The Life, Strawberry Fields, Hello Goodbye, I Am the Walrus, Norwegian Wood, In My Life, Going Home, Come Together, Get Back, Revolution, Give Peace A Chance, Let It Be, Hey Jude. I know I’ve missed some however this is my best recollection as I was singing along and getting caught up in the performance.

For more info on RAIN including tour dates, tickets, media, merchandise, and bios, visit http://www.raintribute.com/the-band/

I want to give a big shout out to Melissa Hazek from Anita Dlonkiak and Associates, Jeff Albright from Albright Entertainment Group, and Melissa Stradnick from Hershey Entertainment for making this opportunity happen for me and the Away-Team. Thanks!

Thursday, January 26, 2012 – Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA
Photos by Marcy J Royce

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