Rain brings Sgt. Pepper to life at DPAC

Rain, a group that has been honoring the legacy of The Beatles since the mid-1970s, had the crowd on their feet by the end of the two-and-a-half hour show that took the audience through the now legendary career of the band.

Presented in two acts, Rain’s stage show began with the group appearing as The Beatles did on the Ed Sullivan show, with matching suits and mop top hair, before transitioning to the mid-60s, when the group became the first ever to play Shea Stadium and eventually began experimenting with psychedelic rock on albums "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver."

The four lads on stage, while not exact look-alikes, had the mannerisms of John, Paul, George and Ringo down pat. As someone who has watched filmed performances of the Shea Stadium concert and The Beatles’ appearances on the Ed Sullivan multiple times, it was amazing to see the attention to detail put into Rain’s show.

Paul Curatolo nailed Paul McCartney’s dance moves and cheeky crowd banter while Steve Landes did a near-perfect impression of John Lennon’s spastic movements and faces and his iconic wide stance while playing guitar.

Alastar McNeil as George Harrison and Aaron Chiazza as Ringo were a bit more subdued, largely because Harrison and Ringo don’t have nearly as many songs as Lennon and McCartney, but both did a fantastic job at bringing the musicians to life on stage.

The vocals were pretty spot-on, particularly on songs like “If I Fell” and “In My Life,” which are both beautiful ballads with difficult harmonies, although I did feel as though the harmonies were a little off on the performance of “Day Tripper,” and Landes’ impression of Lennon on “A Hard Days Night” was a bit too nasally.

The highlight of the show, however, came after the intermission when the group played "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" in its entirety for the first time ever to celebrate the iconic album’s 50th anniversary.

The album was originally released in May 1967, after The Beatles made the decision to quit touring. Following that decision, The Beatles only made one more live appearance together, for the famous rooftop concert, before breaking up for good.

Although “With a Little Help from My Friends” has been a staple in Ringo’s tour set list for years, and many of the songs from Pepper have been played live by McCartney in recent years, none were ever performed live by The Beatles. Some songs from the album still never been performed live by either of the remaining members and were never played live by Harrison or Lennon before their deaths.

With some help from keyboardist Chris Smallwood, Rain did an amazing job with the material. I was particularly impressed with how they executed the transitions between the final three songs, which, on the album, flow seamlessly into one another.

Their rendition of “She’s Leaving Home,” which has always been my favorite song on the album, was nearly as beautiful as the original recording, and they thankfully cut short “Within You Without You,” a five minute song featuring a droning sitar that always stood out to me as the weak spot in the original record.

By time the group finished “A Day in the Life,” the final song on the album famous for its booming final note, the audience were on their feet, which is both a testament to Rain and the lasting power of Sgt. Pepper and The Beatles themselves.

My only complaint is that the inclusion of the full Sgt. Pepper album seemed to come at the expense of some of The Beatles other later material.

Songs from "The White Album," which also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, were few and far between, and some were played glaringly out of order during the first act. The show didn't include any songs from "Magical Mystery Tour," which features songs like "Penny Lane," "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "All You Need is Love," and only one song from the "Let it Be" album made it into the performance.

Following the Sgt. Pepper performance, the group did play a few songs from "Abbey Road," which has me hoping that they decide to play that album (including the 17-minute medley on side two) in full when it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2019.

Having seen both McCartney and Ringo in concert, there is little that can compare to seeing a Beatle perform live on stage, but Rain gives a different kind of experience. For a few hours, they’re able to recapture some of the magic of Beatlemania and let the audience witness the musical evolution of one of the greatest bands in music history.

For many like me, who were born long after The Beatles broke up, Rain is the closest opportunity to seeing the group live on stage, and it’s an opportunity worth taking.