04
Oct
2005
For some musicians, the idea of performing in a tribute band full-time, and in full costume, no less, would be a depressing proposition. Why devote time, talent, and energy to the presentation of someone else's hits? Michael Fulop and Marty Scott, though, wouldn't have it any other way, and if you had the chance to portray George Harrison for adoring Beatles fans on a nightly basis, you might feel the same way.
Two separate Beatles tribute bands will perform in the area this month. On October 6, The Return: The Best of the Beatles Live! returns to Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse for a 7:15 p.m. dinner-and-show performance, and on October 29, the Liverpool Legends, who performed at the John O'Donnell Stadium this past summer, return to Davenport for a special presentation entitled Elvis Meets The Beatles.
In both bands, the musician playing George is the senior group member; Fulop has been with The Return for 10 years, while Scott, alongside Kevin Mantegna (who plays John Lennon), was part of the Liverpool Legends' genesis in November of 2004. Both were "discovered" by celebrities during Beatles fests in Chicago - The Return by Good Morning, America's Tony Perkins, who booked the band for a November 2000 appearance (which was eventually cancelled in favor of ongoing presidential-election coverage), and Scott by George Harrison's sister, Louise, who was so impressed that she became the Liverpool Legends' manager. ("It's like we're brother and sister," says Harrison of the man portraying her late brother. "I call his parents 'Mum' and 'Dad' even though they're 10 years younger than me.")
But Fulop and Scott have something far more relevant uniting them. They're not just Beatles impersonators, they're Beatles fans, so their respective performances as George aren't just a matter of imitating the artist; they're a way of paying respect to what Fulop calls "a phenomenal group."
For his part, Scott admits that "George was always my favorite guitar player," and that the chance to play his idol now is thrilling for the joy it brings audiences; at concerts, he says, "You see grandparents dancing with their seven-year-old grandkids. That's a great way to earn a living."
Scott's current living started with a total immersion into the look, sound, and presence of George, which began, the musician says, with "a mirror, a VCR, a microphone, and a guitar," along with as much archival footage as was available.
"We got everything we could possibly get our hands on," says Fulop of his group's Beatles homework. "Old Ed Sullivan shows, bootlegged tapes ... ." He adds the transformation isn't complete, and perhaps never will be, as he is constantly discovering more facets to George's stage persona; "I'm still working on it," he concedes.
Though The Return's musicians, like the Liverpool Legends, bear a striking similarity to the original Fab Four onstage, Fulop insists that the cosmetics wouldn't mean much without accompanying musical talent.
"You can put four guys in suits and give them the right haircuts" Fulop says, admitting that booking agents are sometimes surprised at how little The Return's performers resemble The Beatles when out of costume. "Once they hear us play, though," he says, "then they're totally cool about it."
(Conversely, Scott says that, even when not in George attire, he's continually met with "Man, you look like a Beatle!" and was even greeted by Paul McCartney himself with "Hey, you look a little familiar!")
When your career involves bringing so much joy to concert-goers worldwide - Scott says that "in Japan, they know more about the Beatles than we do" and "the further we get away from home, the more they love us" - it's understandable that neither Scott nor Fulop has plans to retire his act any time soon. Scott concedes that he could play George "until people stop liking the Beatles. If it continues like this, we can do it forever."
And Fulop agrees, saying that he'll happily perform as George "as long as there's a want for it."
To hear Fulop and Scott tell it, the only real drawback to their careers lies in sometimes disappointing fans when a favorite Beatles tune isn't included in the groups' set lists. Fulop says that, every so often, "someone will mention a song they didn't hear and I'll feel like, 'Man, we just played 40 songs. What do you want?"
With The Return focusing on the Beatles' early years through 1966, there's no way Fulop and company could perform all the band's hits even if there were enough hours in the day. But because, as Scott says, "we can tailor our shows to be different each time," the Liverpool Legends' George has a ready-made response for fans requesting an addition to the group's repertoire: "I tell 'em to send me an e-mail, and we'll try to get it in there."
The Return: The Best of the Beatles Live! will be presented at Circa '21 on Thursday, October 6. Tickets are available at (309)786-7733 extension 2.
Elvis Meets The Beatles will be presented at the Col Ballroom on Saturday, October 29. Tickets are available at (563)322-4431.
Two separate Beatles tribute bands will perform in the area this month. On October 6, The Return: The Best of the Beatles Live! returns to Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse for a 7:15 p.m. dinner-and-show performance, and on October 29, the Liverpool Legends, who performed at the John O'Donnell Stadium this past summer, return to Davenport for a special presentation entitled Elvis Meets The Beatles.
In both bands, the musician playing George is the senior group member; Fulop has been with The Return for 10 years, while Scott, alongside Kevin Mantegna (who plays John Lennon), was part of the Liverpool Legends' genesis in November of 2004. Both were "discovered" by celebrities during Beatles fests in Chicago - The Return by Good Morning, America's Tony Perkins, who booked the band for a November 2000 appearance (which was eventually cancelled in favor of ongoing presidential-election coverage), and Scott by George Harrison's sister, Louise, who was so impressed that she became the Liverpool Legends' manager. ("It's like we're brother and sister," says Harrison of the man portraying her late brother. "I call his parents 'Mum' and 'Dad' even though they're 10 years younger than me.")
But Fulop and Scott have something far more relevant uniting them. They're not just Beatles impersonators, they're Beatles fans, so their respective performances as George aren't just a matter of imitating the artist; they're a way of paying respect to what Fulop calls "a phenomenal group."
For his part, Scott admits that "George was always my favorite guitar player," and that the chance to play his idol now is thrilling for the joy it brings audiences; at concerts, he says, "You see grandparents dancing with their seven-year-old grandkids. That's a great way to earn a living."
Scott's current living started with a total immersion into the look, sound, and presence of George, which began, the musician says, with "a mirror, a VCR, a microphone, and a guitar," along with as much archival footage as was available.
"We got everything we could possibly get our hands on," says Fulop of his group's Beatles homework. "Old Ed Sullivan shows, bootlegged tapes ... ." He adds the transformation isn't complete, and perhaps never will be, as he is constantly discovering more facets to George's stage persona; "I'm still working on it," he concedes.
Though The Return's musicians, like the Liverpool Legends, bear a striking similarity to the original Fab Four onstage, Fulop insists that the cosmetics wouldn't mean much without accompanying musical talent.
"You can put four guys in suits and give them the right haircuts" Fulop says, admitting that booking agents are sometimes surprised at how little The Return's performers resemble The Beatles when out of costume. "Once they hear us play, though," he says, "then they're totally cool about it."
(Conversely, Scott says that, even when not in George attire, he's continually met with "Man, you look like a Beatle!" and was even greeted by Paul McCartney himself with "Hey, you look a little familiar!")
When your career involves bringing so much joy to concert-goers worldwide - Scott says that "in Japan, they know more about the Beatles than we do" and "the further we get away from home, the more they love us" - it's understandable that neither Scott nor Fulop has plans to retire his act any time soon. Scott concedes that he could play George "until people stop liking the Beatles. If it continues like this, we can do it forever."
And Fulop agrees, saying that he'll happily perform as George "as long as there's a want for it."
To hear Fulop and Scott tell it, the only real drawback to their careers lies in sometimes disappointing fans when a favorite Beatles tune isn't included in the groups' set lists. Fulop says that, every so often, "someone will mention a song they didn't hear and I'll feel like, 'Man, we just played 40 songs. What do you want?"
With The Return focusing on the Beatles' early years through 1966, there's no way Fulop and company could perform all the band's hits even if there were enough hours in the day. But because, as Scott says, "we can tailor our shows to be different each time," the Liverpool Legends' George has a ready-made response for fans requesting an addition to the group's repertoire: "I tell 'em to send me an e-mail, and we'll try to get it in there."
The Return: The Best of the Beatles Live! will be presented at Circa '21 on Thursday, October 6. Tickets are available at (309)786-7733 extension 2.
Elvis Meets The Beatles will be presented at the Col Ballroom on Saturday, October 29. Tickets are available at (563)322-4431.
