1964 ... The Tribute
8 p.m. Saturday
Bass Hall, Fort Worth
$30.25-$46.75
817-212-4280;
FORT WORTH -- The songs weren't new, but Paul was.
The members of 1964 ... The Tribute, one of the most lauded of the 3 million or 4 million ersatz Beatles bands out there and frequent visitors to these parts, returned to Bass Hall on Friday night to shake their mop tops for a packed house of about 2,000.
And there is a reason all of those seats were filled by Beatles fans ranging from the expected boomers to a surprising number of teens. Three members of this group have been getting in touch with their inner John, George and Ringo for 27 years. So no one seemed to have any trouble remembering the lyrics.
But if they had, it wouldn't have mattered because the crowd sang along lustily with most of the numbers, providing especially strong support for Love Me Do, A Hard Day's Night, Ticket to Ride and Yellow Submarine.
Almost every song in the set, which went no later into the discography than 1966's Revolver album, was spot-on musically and vocally. The highlights included an energetic Can't Buy Me Love and an exceptionally good version of The Word, one of the less-appreciated tracks from 1965's Rubber Soul, that was one of the tunes augmented by a string and brass ensemble of about 15 players who joined the band for the second half.
In terms of individual efforts, Mark Benson always stands out as John Lennon. He has the Thinking Beatle's vocals down (right down to Lennon's distinctive, sharp attack) and does a nice job of imitating his speaking voice and cheeky sense of humor. And he was impressive on all the numbers that called on him to play harmonica, such as I Should Have Known Better and Love Me Do.
The band featured a new Paul. Alexander Smith has taken over the Cute One's Hofner bass, replacing original member Gary Grimes, who died late last year. Playing left-handed, he looked the part, and his vocals came across as Paul on the rockers, such as I'm Down. But he was tentative in his delivery of ballads like Yesterday and Eleanor Rigby.
But, on the whole, the evening was exactly the sort of note-perfect stroll down memory lane that the crowd wanted. This band always seems to pass its audition.
