Thursday, Oct. 08, 2009
beatlemania lives on at hot fish club
Abbey Road
There's no question about John Gilbert's enthusiasm for Liverpool's (some say the world's) greatest band ever - The Beatles. Gilbert has played the Paul McCartney role in the Beatles' tribute act Abbey Road for 26 years - that's nearly three times longer than The Beatles managed to keep it together.
Gilbert and his three faux Liverpudlians will bring their act to The Hot Fish Club in Murrells Inlet at 9 p.m. Friday in a celebration of John Lennon's birthday. Lennon would have turned 69 on Friday. The crazed Mark David Chapman, who is still in jail having been denied parole on numerous occasions, murdered Lennon on the doorsteps of his Manhattan home on Dec. 8, 1980. Lennon was once asked how he might die, and, according to a widely attributed quote he answered, "I'll probably be popped off by some loony." George Harrison died of cancer in 2001 leaving McCartney and Richard "Ringo Starr" Starkey as the surviving two of the Fab Four.
The Fab Four have enjoyed yet another new buzz lately thanks to the late September mega-launch of The Beatles Rock Band video game and the re-mastered re-release of every Beatles album ever made. None of this hurts Abbey Road's booking potential and the band plays steadily around the U.S. and has had occasion to perform in Europe as well. Abbey Road's home base is in Salem, Ohio, though Gilbert claims nearby Cleveland because of its association with the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, and its easily identifiable locale, even overseas. He attributes visual and musical authenticity, and performing the full range of The Beatles' music, as reasons for the bands' longevity.
"We use all the correct amplifiers, have five costume changes, and I taught myself how to play left-handed," said Gilbert. "I've got three vintage Hofners (bass guitars), and all the instrumentation and amplification - everything we use is vintage. I have to mimic Paul, so there's the bloody accent, too - and I have to use some make-up because I'm starting to show my age."
Abbey Road is one of hundreds of full-time Beatles tribute acts around the world and it competes with more than one band using the same or similar monikers, but that hasn't slowed Abbey Road down. "We have costume changes from the Ed Sullivan Show era to Sgt. Pepper," said Gilbert. "Depending on the budget and the length of the shows we can do up to five full changes." The band expects to do three such changes at The Hot Fish Club. "Sgt. Pepper is definitely one of them - everybody wants to see the Sgt. Pepper costumes," he said.
Gilbert claims to have met many of the Beatles entourage and family along the way, including: Cynthia Lennon (John Lennon's first wife), Louise Harrison (George Harrison's sister), Mike McCartney (Paul McCartney's brother), and Pete Best (the Beatles' first drummer), "We see Pete all the time as he tours the U.S., around three times a year," said Gilbert. "I had Pete sign one of my Hofners and a big bass drum. My girlfriend, when she was very young, saw the Beatles several times, in Liverpool at The Cavern Club. We toured with Davy Jones of The Monkees for several years. We'd open the show as The Beatles, then Davy would come out play his sets, and then we would close the show. He was very gracious and a pleasure to be around. He was overwhelmed by the VOX amplifiers because the Monkees used to use the same ones."
Gilbert is excited about the Lennon birthday bash.
"These John Lennon commemorations are very special to us,'' he said. "For this one at the Hot Fish Club we're going to include five acoustic songs in the memory of John. My guitarist really loves John - in fact we all really love The Beatles - and you have to, to make this work. We've had other guys in the past who were in it just to make the money, but their hearts weren't into it. To give a good performance you have to really love The Beatles."
Gilbert was unable to name a single favorite Beatles tune, but is emotionally tied to many of them for different reasons. "I don't really have a favorite Beatles song," he said, "but 'Ticket To Ride' makes me cry a little because we always dedicate it to the memory of George Harrison. I love the music and respect the band. It's an honor to have played the music for as long as I have.
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