This is the story of three boys who were bestowed the great gift of love for the Beatles by their father. When their father died tragically young, playing the music of their father’s favorite band helped bring closure and healing. Now these three boys have taken this great gift and pay tribute to both their father and the greatest band in the history of rock with Yesterday and Today, an interactive Beatles experience currently playing at the Omaha Community Playhouse.
Let’s get one thing straight right now. Though Billy McGuigan and his brothers, Ryan and Matthew, pay tribute to the Beatles with this all request show, they are not a Beatles tribute band. They don’t wear wigs or adopt Liverpudlian accents. What they do is present the music of a legendary group that sounds distinctly familiar yet is enhanced by an original feel and energy that is uniquely the McGuigans.
I am a Beatles nut and I make no bones about it. I own all of their albums, am well versed in their history, and am chock full of obscure knowledge that makes me a devastating Beatles Trivial Pursuit player. Needless to say, I hold those who cover Beatles songs to exceedingly high standards and the McGuigans and their band shattered those standards and then some in a high energy two plus hour concert that literally had us dancing in the aisles. If you love the Beatles, you will love this show.
What makes this show so enjoyable is not only the great music, but the incredible camaraderie between the three brothers. Like the Beatles, the McGuigans have a natural banter with each other and the audience that is full of fun and wit. These guys can also play. All three men are multi-instrumentalists with precise musicianship and a minute and exact understanding of all, and I stress ALL, of the Beatles’ work. They play the well known numbers at your request, but they also know the lesser known numbers as demonstrated with performances of Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and, for the first time in their 8 year history, Baby, You’re a Rich Man which blew the roof off.
Billy McGuigan is the emcee of the show. He’s also a natural showman and raconteur who revels in the energy of a live crowd and is able to take it and redirect it into the music and back to the audience with something more. He’s also got a mighty rock tenor voice that shone in numbers such as Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da and I Saw Her Standing There. Billy is equally as strong on the slower numbers, especially with his haunting performance of Yesterday.
Matthew McGuigan got quite a vocal workout in this evening’s performance as he sang lead on a large number of the night’s tunes in addition to his nimble and flawless bass playing. Matthew started the night off hot with the ferocious Revolution, had a superb turn with Hey Jude, and nailed the falsetto line in Baby, You’re a Rich Man. But his capstone number was his pudding sweet solo performance of Blackbird which sent chills down spines.
John Lennon would be proud of Ryan McGuigan’s voice. Like Lennon, Ryan has a unique vinegar sour singing voice that lends itself beautifully to subtle nuance and emotion. That incredible instrument was put to excellent use in Come Together, I Am the Walrus (with a little theatricality thrown in for good measure), I Feel Fine, and especially with his solo sequence in This Boy.
The McGuigans are also supported by a band that loves this music every bit as much as they do and even got their own turns in the spotlight.
Jay Hanson was phenomenal on lead guitar and fired off some sensational licks on While My Guitar Gently Weeps and had a remarkable vocal similarity to George Harrison on his rendition of Do You Want to Know a Secret? Tara Vaughan’s fingers flew across the keyboard and she glowed in a solo during Oh, Darling. Rich Miller’s drumming fueled the performances with a rock solid backbeat and Aaron Slagle’s cowbell had the crowd roaring for more in A Hard Day’s Night.
As I stated at the beginning of this review, Yesterday and Today is far more than a tribute to the Beatles. It’s also a tribute to the McGuigans’ father, Bill, who died too soon from leukemia at the age of 42. Bill can be proud of the legacy he’s left in his sons who do him proud by sharing their father’s love of a band that was simply the best with an act that is nothing but the best. If tonight’s crowd was any indication, this show is going to be a long series of sellouts. Do not delay. Buy a ticket to see this city’s best musical act before the tickets fly out the window.
Yesterday and Today runs at the Omaha Community Playhouse through December 31. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm and Sundays at 6:30pm. There will be a 2pm performance on Sunday, November 29 and a special double performance on New Year’s Eve at 7pm and 10pm. Tickets cost $40 except for the New Year’s performances which will be $50 for the 7pm show and $75 for the 10pm show. For tickets, contact the box office at 402-553-0800 or visit the Playhouse’s web site at www.omahaplayhouse.com. The Omaha Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass St in Omaha, NE.
Chris' Corner 