BeatleView
By Chris Murphy
There is really nothing more magical than a Beatle song. You may not know this, but I am a Beatle fan. I have even been to Liverpool and have walked Penny Lane, been to Strawberry Fields and to the site of the former Cavern Club. It is truly a sacred place along with the Abbey Road crossing. The songs really come to life when you have actually seen the places that inspired the songs. There are 2 amazing Beatle events in Modesto this month. 1st, it is the 50th Anniversary of the release of the best album of all time, Abbey Road on Sept 26. Make sure you create your own Abbey Road crossing and #modestoview so we can share it.
2nd, Beatles songs get even better when they are played by someone who really loves the music and has created a multi-media show that brings Penny Lane to life. Joe Anastasi is the visionary behind the successful Penny Lane Experience show and has assembled an outstanding band of musicians, an animator, and a video artist to create a unique concert experience featuring 25 different films coordinated with the songs that are played above the band. How did this come to be?
As a kid, Joe would listen through the walls to his sister’s records by Leslie Gore and others and then he heard the Beatles and it was magic! During college he learned guitar and and went to Wall Street setting his guitar aside until he went to a Paul McCartney show in 2002. It brought it all back. He started a podcast in the early days and it lead to a show with the full arrangement and then teamed up with film experts and fellow musicians that shared his vision.
I asked Joe how he feels when playing a Beatles song like You Never Give Me Your Money?
First time I played through the song, it was “holy crap, I’m doing this Beatles song! It is like an epiphany when the vocals and harmonies come together”. I quizzed him about his “moment” during the show, where say to yourself, this is the best part. Joe said “There are a couple, but in the song1985 on the outro, we really build it up and it is a highlight. There are a couple of moments that when you mix the story and the song they get so personal that it brings people to tears.
You can experience these feelings in person when the Penny Lane Experience comes to the State Theatre on September 28 at 7 pm. If you even slightly like the Beatles, this is an event not to miss. Get tix at www.thestate.org
www.strolldownpennylane.com
