From Them to You

From L to R (Ryan, Billy, and Matthew McGuigan rock out with Jay “Superman” Hanson in ‘Yesterday and Today’

It all began with one man’s love for the Beatles.  He passed that love to his children who gift countless people around the country with the music of the greatest group in rock, sharpened and honed with their own unique energy and delivery.  And now they’re doing it again in their own hometown at their new home at The Slowdown.  It’s Rave On Productions’ Christmas present to Omaha:  Yesterday & Today:  The Interactive Beatles Experience.

Yes, the McGuigans (Billy, Ryan, and Matthew) and their band are once again blessing the city with their gift of Beatles music for the holiday season.  This year marks the 15^th anniversary of Yesterday & Today and it truly is the gift that keeps on giving.  This is actually Y & T’s second year at their new digs and the move to The Slowdown has actually helped make this show better than ever.

Having seen this show in multiple venues I can tell you that the band sometimes has to adapt their show to suit the environment.  But The Slowdown allows them to adapt the environment to suit the show as they have the best sound equipment, lights, and effects available so musicians can mold a top flight concert.  Billy McGuigan has also been able to add horns and strings which allows the McGuigans and their band to get the maximum potential out of each and every number.  Toss in the most varied set list I’ve ever heard (kudos to the audience), a supercharged band, an audience ravenous for entertainment, and the longest set of encores I’ve heard from the band and you’ve got the greatest rendition of Y & T that I’ve seen to date.

Billy McGuigan

Once more, Billy McGuigan acts as your master of ceremonies and tonight he was especially up for the game.  You could see the joy just radiating from his eyes as he soaked in the crowd’s energy and funneled it into his playing and singing throughout the night.  Billy got the night started off fast and right with a high powered take on “Got to Get You Into My Life” and barely paused for a breath from thenceforth.  If he wasn’t rocking out on early tunes like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “From Me to You” then he was leading the crowd to gentle waters with a trilogy including “Yesterday”, “Let it Be”, and “Here, There, and Everywhere”.  Billy clearly had the gasoline to go all night, but had to leave the audience immensely satisfied with merely a dozen encore tunes including the classic “Hey Jude” to close out the night.

Ryan McGuigan

No performer fuses theatricality and singing quite like Ryan McGuigan.  His numbers aren’t just songs.  They’re performance pieces.  Add that tenor that makes him sound like John Lennon reborn into the mix and you will simply be agog at his musical might.  Ryan kicked things into high gear right out of the gate with the acid trippy “She Said, She Said” and kept his foot on the accelerator with “Revolution”, “Come Together”, and “I Am the Walrus” though he did slow things down with a beautiful take on “All You Need is Love”.

Matthew McGuigan

Matthew McGuigan flexed his musical majesty in the first act especially with his bass work in “From Me to You” and brought his musical chops to bear in the second act.  Highlights of his singing included the ethereal “Strawberry Fields Forever” and somewhere I can hear John Lennon asking himself why he didn’t think to end the song on the same plaintive note that Matthew does.  McGuigan also soars with a peppy version of “All My Loving” and indulges in a bit of hard psychedelia with “Hey, Bulldog”.

Ciaran McGuigan

Lead guitarist Jay “Superman” Hanson not only knocked things out of the park with his skilled guitar playing, but he got multiple chances to shine with takes on George Harrison classics such as “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”, “Do You Want to Know a Secret?”, and “Here Comes the Sun”.  Ciaran McGuigan has blossomed into a fine guitarist and his sweet, almost shy, take on “With a Little Help From My Friends” shows he will carry the legacy of Y & T into the future.

Jay “Superman” Hanson

Billy McGuigan often says the show is not about him and his band, but about the music from four guys from Liverpool and the audience’s connection with that music.  There’s an element of truth to that, but that connection would mean nothing without the interpretation of this music by three guys from Omaha inspired by a father who left this world much too soon.  Yesterday & Today has truly become a family affair and it’s a comforting feeling to know these treasures of Omaha will continue to share this gift with our town and the rest of the country for a long time to come.

Yesterday and Today:  The Interactive Beatles Experience runs at The Slowdown through Dec 30.  Showtimes are Fri-Sun at 7:30pm through Dec 11 and Wed-Fri at 7:30pm Dec 21-30.  There are no shows from Dec 12-20 and the performance on Dec 4 is at 6:30pm.  Tickets range from $20-$50 and can be purchased here.  The Slowdown is located at 729 N 14^th St in Omaha, NE.

Yesterday and Today. . .Forever

It’s that time of year when Omaha’s greatest musical act teams up with history’s greatest band.  Yes, indeed, it’s Yesterday and Today:  An Interactive Beatles Experience and it has returned for its twelfth season at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

It’s amazing the massive effects one small change can have on something.  After twelve years, Billy McGuigan had felt the band had become a little too complacent with the show and were only playing their favorite requests and veering away from the original spirit of the production.  Lead guitarist Jay Hanson then hit upon an idea that would completely reinvent the show.

Why didn’t they just pick the songs live on stage and then play them?

As hard as it is to believe, that idea has evolved Omaha’s premier holiday tradition into something even greater.

The McGuigans (Billy, Ryan, and Matthew) and their band were energized in a way I’d never seen before due to the element of danger in walking this musical tightrope. Would they be up to the challenge of playing any Beatles song suggested?

The answer was a most emphatic YES!!!

I had wondered how well this new format would work as there are three kinds of Beatles fans.  You’ll have your casual fan who would know their biggest hits like “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude”; your more knowledgeable fan who will know their more successful works like “Eight Days a Week” and “We Can Work it Out”; and finally the hardcore megafans who have the library imprinted on their minds and want to hear “Dear Prudence” and “I’m Only Sleeping”.

Would there be enough variety to satisfy these three groups?

Again, a most emphatic YES as the night was filled with a plethora of famed hits and a few obscure delights that were picked right on stage or flashed directly onto monitors behind the band.

Billy McGuigan

Billy McGuigan once again ruled the night with a supercharged performance.  Billy seemed imbued with an almost unearthly energy and that’s saying something for this indefatigable engine of talent.  Billy and his devastating tenor ripped through rockers such as “Roll Over Beethoven” and “The Night Before”, sweetly sang “Let it Be”, and was melancholically vibrant with “Things We Said Today”.

Ryan McGuigan

Ryan McGuigan got to be the most versatile performer of the night as he and his other worldly raw tenor voice went through a mini-history of the Beatles library as he belted out classics like “Ticket to Ride”, nailed the 50+ year masterpiece that is “A Day in the Life”, and visited the Beatles’ flower power phase with “All You Need is Love”.

Matthew McGuigan

Matthew McGuigan supported the numbers with his pluperfect bass playing and had his own impressive run when he came out roaring on “Revolution”, dominated the stage with “Hey Bulldog”, and revved up the crowd with a particularly peppy “Paperback Writer”.

The McGuigans were once more aided by their incredibly talented band who each got their moments in the spotlight.  Jay Hanson had the audience riveted with his phenomenal guitar work and was in fine voice on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and the obscure gem, “For You Blue”.  Rich Miller was the rock with his flawless rhythm on the drums and on a simple box during a segment where the band performed Beatles songs acoustically.  He also shone in a solo as his strong baritone entertained the crowd with “Yellow Submarine”.  Tara Vaughan masterfully played the keyboards as only she can and dazzled with a musical solo mimicking the piccolo trumpet part in “Penny Lane” and she belted out “Oh Darling!” with an alto that would have had Paul McCartney’s jaw dropping.

I’d also like to salute the guitar genius of Max Meyer as he warmed up the crowd with soft instrumental versions of the Beatles’ songs.  Eleven year old Ciaran McGuigan also showed he will be more than capable of leading the next generation of this show as he showed some potent skill with his own guitar playing on instrumental versions of “Blackbird” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” as well as supporting his dad, Billy, with pitch perfect playing on “Yesterday”.

The present and future of Yesterday and Today

It was obvious that the crowd hungered for more as they lingered about after an encore hoping that the band would return to grace us with another tune or twenty, but they and you can certainly get another dose of the one of a kind talent of this group as the show will run through New Year’s Eve.  But I’d get tickets mighty quick if I were you as the sellouts have already started.

It’s hard to believe that Yesterday and Today has been going strong for twelve years and continues to strengthen with each passing year.  With the talent of the McGuigans and their all-star band and the blossoming skill of the next generation, we may very well see Yesterday and Today. ..forever.

Yesterday and Today:  An Interactive Beatles Experience plays at the Omaha Playhouse through Dec 31.  Showtimes are Fri-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets begin at $40 and can be obtained at www.omahaplayhouse.com, calling 402-553-0800, or visiting the box office.  On New Year’s Eve, a double performance will be held with shows at 7pm and 10pm.  Tickets for these shows will be $60 for the 7pm show and $80 for the 10pm show.  The Omaha Community Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass Street in Omaha, NE.

Yesterday and Today. . .Forever

It’s Almost Time for Omaha’s Premier Holiday Tradition: Yesterday and Today

“If you’re not having fun, it’s your own fault.”–Billy McGuigan

The holidays will soon be upon us which means it’s nearly time for one of Omaha’s great traditions as Yesterday and Today:  An Interactive Beatles Experience is poised to begin its twelfth year at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

Spearheaded by the McGuigans (Billy, Ryan, and Matthew) and their all-star band, Yesterday and Today is a joyful, sometimes raucous, romp down memory lane as these multi-talented musicians pay tribute to the Beatles with a series of high energy concerts guaranteed to have you clapping, snapping, sighing, screaming, and singing along before the night is through.

What is this show?

Anything you want it to be.

This is like no concert you’ve ever attended because the set list will be chosen by you from start to finish.  No two shows will ever be the same.

Feel like some classic Beatlemania?  They can do that.  Do you want to hear “Yesterday”?  They can do that, too.  Care to challenge them with an obscure number like “Only a Northern Song”?  Consider that challenge accepted.  They know them all.

Yesterday and Today runs at the Omaha Community Playhouse from Nov 22-Dec 31.  Showtimes are 7:30pm Fri-Sat and 2pm on Sundays.  Tickets cost $40 and can be obtained at http://www.omahaplayhouse.com or visiting the Box Office located at 6915 Cass Street in Omaha, NE or calling 402-553-0800.  On December 31, 2019, join the band as they ring in the New Year with performances at 7pm and 10pm.  Cake and punch are served before each of these two performances with a champagne toast at midnight.  Tickets for the 7pm show are $60 and $80 for the 10pm show.

See it once.  See it twice.  Heck, see the whole run.  You’re in for a “Magical Mystery Tour” because “It’s All Too Much” when the McGuigans and their band hit the stage and blow the roof off.

 

The McGuigans Shine On (Like the Moons, and the Stars, and the Sun)

It was ten years ago this day

That these boys got the chance to play

Some great music that will make you smile

And forget about life for a while.

So may I introduce to you

The act you’ve known for ten great years?

The McGuigans and their rockin’ Beatles band!!!!!

It’s the tenth anniversary run of Yesterday and Today and it’s playing at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

Now it’s possible that there are some reading this review and wondering, “What is Yesterday and Today?”  Well, allow me to enlighten you.  Yesterday and Today is the tribute of three brothers (Billy, Ryan, and Matthew) to the music of the Beatles and to their late father who passed on his love of the Fab Four to his sons.

There’s no gimmickry with this band.  They don’t ape the Beatles.  They just play the music of rock’s greatest group, but fuel it with their own special energy for one amazing night of entertainment.

It’s also never the same show twice.  This is a request show where the audience chooses the night’s numbers.  Pick anything you like because this band can play them all from their biggest hits to their obscurest tunes.

Two years ago, I had the honor of reviewing this show and I felt privileged to come back and review its 10^th anniversary run.  As a writer, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What new insights might I glean to share with the public?”  As it turns out, I had very little to fear because, as the Beatles did, this show just continues to evolve and grow with each passing year.

Not only did the audience get a new, simplified two tiered stage from Jim Othuse, but a slight change in the formatting of the show put more control in the hands of the audience than ever before.  As Billy correctly states, “If you’re not having fun, it’s your own fault.”

This band plays the music of this legendary group with a reverence and passion no mere tribute band could ever hope to match.  I have seen this show in many, many incarnations over the years and I assure you, tonight’s performance was the best I have seen yet.  Not only were the performers beyond on, but this audience picked some of my all time favorite Beatles tunes.

Billy McGuigan

Billy McGuigan is your Sgt. Pepper of the evening.  Using his magical wit and charm, Billy serves as the band’s spokesperson as he banters with the audience and shares a few heartfelt stories along the way.  He also dazzled the crowd with his skill on guitar and keyboard.  He got the night off to a fiery start with “Get Back”, sang a catchy cover of “When I’m Sixty-Four”, and paid heartfelt tribute to his father with his favorite Beatles song, “Let it Be”.

Ryan McGuigan

Ryan McGuigan was a force to be reckoned with in tonight’s show.  Proving he may well be the second coming of John Lennon as he possesses the same beautiful, raw tenor singing voice; Ryan sang lead on quite a few numbers, blasting all of them out of the park.  Some of his standout performances were his harmony part on “It Won’t Be Long”, his haunting rendition of “A Day in the Life”, and an unbelievably nuanced take on the ethereal and stream of consciousness “Across the Universe”.

Matthew McGuigan

Matthew McGuigan lent a hand with his top notch bass playing and own formidable tenor.  He got the crowd rocking with “Hey Bulldog”, took us back to yesteryear with “Eight Days a Week”, and poured his heart into “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”.

And let us not forget the rest of the talented group.  Jay “Superman” Hanson blew the crowd away with his fluid and difficult guitar work and got a moment in the spotlight with the sweet “Here Comes the Sun”.  Rich Miller’s drumming kept a steady beat and his own baritone voice was put to good use in “Yellow Submarine”.  Tara Vaughan had great presence with her animated tambourine and keyboard playing and was splendid with a solo in “Oh, Darling!”.  Aaron Slagle satisfied the audience’s need for more cowbell in “A Hard Day’s Night”.

This show is fantastic for any Beatles fan from the casual to the ultrafan and from the young to the young at heart.  I defy anyone who watches it not to feel like they’re flying ten feet off the ground when the night is over.  My only disappointment is that two hours feels like two minutes and I (and the rest of the crowd) could have easily spent all night rocking out with the band.

The opening night production was completely sold out, so if you’ve never seen this show, get a ticket right away.  And if you are a fan, you better have a ticket because I don’t see them lasting very long.  Find out why Yesterday and Today is the hottest show this holiday season.  A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

They’re the McGuigans and their Beatles band,

You’re going to enjoy the show.

The McGuigans and their Beatles band,

You’ll be sorry when it’s time to go.

The McGuigans and their

The McGuigans and their

The McGuigans and their rockin’ Beatles band!!!!

Yesterday and Today plays at the Omaha Community Playhouse through Dec 31.  Showtimes are 7:30pm Thurs-Sat and 6:30pm on Sundays.  There will be an extra performance at 2pm on Nov 26 and no performances on Nov 30 and Dec 24.  Tickets cost $40 a person.  On Dec 31, there will be performances at 7pm ($50 tickets) and 10pm ($75 tickets).  For tickets, contact the Omaha Playhouse at 402-554-553-0800 or visit www.TicketOmaha.com or www.omahaplayhouse.com.  The Omaha Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass Street in Omaha, NE.

(Photography provided by Sonia Keffer)

The Beatles Would Pay to See the McGuigans

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.