Rain Deserves a Shower of Praises

The Beatles have been known to unite people, from their relaxed attitudes to their peaceful lyrics in songs like “Let It Be”, “Across the Universe” or John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Though The Beatles are no longer making music and playing concerts they have left a legacy that has given rise to numerous tribute bands.

One such band, Rain, came to Miller Auditorium in Kalamazoo, MI in mid February. Just like their greatest influence, Rain brought together a diverse and eclectic crowd all excited to see their favorite songs performed by one of the greatest tribute bands. Their show couldn’t have disappointed even the greatest fans.

Rain seemed to pride themselves on gathering this varied crowd. Throughout the show members of the band asked for lots of audience participation and would often only ask one type of group to participate at a time. During “Hey Jude” their John Lennon asked, “All the ladies, give us a sing,” and later “Everybody over sixty!” The crowd was made up of kids so young and small they had to stand in their seats to see and ranged in age all the way up to those that were so old they couldn’t stand to see at all. The mixed crowd made for a great experience for those that were used to a more homogenous feel.

Besides their varied audience, Rain effectively recreated the feel of the times in which The Beatles were most famous. Throughout the concert, the set changes a total of five times. The first set recreates the feel of “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. Following this the set becomes that of Shea Stadium where The Beatles played their most highly attended concert. Later they play music from the “St. Pepper” and Flower Power era. They end their show with the “Abbey Road” era.

Between each set change video montages played on the side of stage showing clips from shows, audience members, commercials of the times and even war clips. These montages effectively immersed the audience in the time period and got them remembering the pop culture but also the politics that fueled some of The Beatles greatest music. Along with changing sets and playing montages, the members of Rain changed costumes and appearances. They went from black suits, skinny ties, and long hair in the “Ed Sullivan” era to their barefoot, dirty shirt, and bearded “Abbey Road” era.

By the end of the show the whole crowd was on their feet begging for an encore. The first encore was “Imagine” and left some crowd members in tears, following that they played “Hey Jude” to end on a happy note. Following the show, as people dispersed for their cars, many were singing its praises. One woman, speaking to her partner, said “Maybe its my memory that is going, but that might have been better than when I saw The Beatles back in ’65”.