Revolution: The Music of the Beatles

It should be no surprise that I love the Beatles so, when I created my Utah Symphony season package last spring, a concert featuring new symphonic arrangements of classic Beatles songs was obviously the first on my list!  However, when I learned that the 2020-2021 season was being re-imagined because of Covid-19, I felt certain that this concert would be canceled in favor of something simpler.  I was thrilled when it was announced that it was still on the schedule and I was thrilled to be at Abravanel Hall last night listening to my favorite songs performed by the Utah Symphony under the baton of Conner Gray Covington.  The orchestra was joined by guest artists Colin Smith on vocals, Zach Jones on vocals and drums, Paul Loren on vocals, Greg Mayo on guitar and vocals, Josh Myers on bass, and Andy Roninson on keyboard.  They didn't particularly look like or dress like the Beatles (as most of the tribute bands that I have seen do) but they sounded great!  They performed fantastic renditions of "Get Back," "Ticket to Ride," "Yesterday," "Penny Lane," "Lady Madonna," "Blackbird," "Eleanor Rigby," "Here Comes the Sun," "Hey Jude," "Come Together," "Something," "I am the Walrus," "Golden Slumbers/ Carry that Weight/ The End," and "Twist and Shout."  The guest artists returned without the orchestra to play "Can't Buy Me Love," "A Hard Day's Night," and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as an encore.  I think that the music of the Beatles is particularly well suited to symphonic arrangements and I especially loved their versions of "Yesterday," "Blackbird," and "Something."  I also loved Travis Peterson's trumpet solo in "Penny Lane."  Listening to these songs was so much fun because it actually felt like a rock concert (I haven't been to one since February) complete with clapping, cheering, singing along, and holding up flashlights on phones!  We may have been a smaller audience than usual but I think we did justice to the chorus of "Hey Jude."  I really enjoyed all of the images of the Beatles (some of which I had never seen before) projected on the screen during each song. The guest artists, who hadn't performed with each other since March, told us how happy they were to be on stage in front of actual human beings and dedicated "Here Comes the Sun" to the crowd.  I loved every minute of this concert (I was actually a little bit sad when it came to an end because I had been anticipating it for so long) and I highly recommend getting a ticket to tonight's performance of the same program (go here for more information as seating is limited).