Dreams do not always come true but in some strange ways, they can be fulfilled – just not in the expected manner. The dream of my heart when I was growing up was to see The Beatles perform live. I admit I am giving away my age, and yes, I am old: old enough to be a first generation Beatles fan. None of the Beatles’ tour came to the town I lived in so the local radio station promoted bus tours to larger cities taking fans to Beatles shows when the group played the US. I begged my parents to take me; always holding out hope that one would lose their mind and give in. Never happened.
This past week-end I went to see a band called 1964. The band is billed as a Beatles tribute band; the best Beatles tribute band according to a 2005 Rolling Stone review. This was repeated quite a few times during introductions and intermission. Think Beatles from their first Ed Sullivan Show appearance. 1964 wear the suits, ties, boots, and hair from the year the band’s name is taken. All the music is from the years The Beatles toured, 1964 – 1966, in the U.S. The band is very good. They should be they have been doing this for twenty-five years. It’s a fun show. The music is great. 1964 even stays in character between songs, using what sounds like vintage Beatle patter
The show I attended was outside in a park. A charity event, only 2000 tickets were available. Beatles shirts adorned quite a few concert goers; not only on older folks but on younger people also. A teacher brought his “Beatles class,” which looked like middle school boys. (It had to be from a private school. Our public system would never fund a class that cool.) Judging by the number of teen-agers who sang along, not missing a word, I’d say Beatle music is alive and well, even if it can’t be purchased on iTunes.
Time has changed the fresh faces of 1964 I saw back in the 1980s at a local university. I sat up front at the park the other night. Maybe the next time I see 1964 , I’ll sit further back, close my eyes and it will be 1964 – the year again. For a brief second, the wish of my ten year self will come true. I did see George Harrison and Paul McCartney perform in person when I grew up. So fifty percent of my dream came true. The moral, and you knew one was coming, is never give up on your dreams, no matter how they come to be fulfilled.
