Coming together, friends of all ages packed the seats and aisles of the Memorial Opera House for the annual MegaBeatles concert. While the MegaBeatles have not been around for quite as long as the original Beatles, this was their sixth time performing at the Memorial Opera House, and every performance has sold out.
“It’s a great way to shake off the winter blues,” said Scot MacDonald, Executive Director of the Memorial Opera House.
Sheri Lerner and Wayne Kullman were returning attendees.
“They are pretty darn good,” said Kullman, who was hoping to hear the song “Old Brown Shoe”. He wasn’t disappointed. Lerner was excited to hear “In My Life” as was JoAnn Mosby, a fellow loyal MegaBeatles attendee.
“That songs speaks to me. It brings everything to life about family, friends, and how people come and go,” said Mosby. “You have two different bands with different styles coming together for this. They are just amazing.”
The MegaBeatles is a combination of members from The Crawpuppies and Chris and Lou bands. All members are Northwest Indiana natives. Longtime friends Chad Clifford and Lou Samaniego started playing together for fun, but it turned into more than that; The MegaBeatles was born.
“The complexity of the early Beatles stuff is crazy,” said band member Chris Kurtis. “It’s like watching your favorite movie. You come back to that thing ten different times and hear ten different things each time you go through.”
“It gets more and more fun” said Clifford. “When all of us really get a part, it sounds so cool and it excites the whole thing.”
Clifford doesn’t have a favorite part about playing. He just enjoys coming together and performing.
“I am playing my favorite music for the people of my hometown and some of my best friends are in the audience. You really can’t beat it,” said Clifford.
This was the second year Jim Niec and Krista Massa of Valparaiso had attended. MegaBeatles holds a special place in the hearts of the two music lovers. This was one of the first events they had ever attended together.
“They are such a great band the way they mend together,” said Niec. “The way they bring the Beatles music out is just amazing.”
Chris and Lou opened up the show and were soon joined by Clifford. The first half of the concert was a performance of early Beatles songs followed by the second half which covered Abbey Road in honor of the album’s 50th anniversary.
Once the concert started, it didn’t take long before Mosby broke the ice on the dance floor. She was soon followed by others coming together singing and dancing united by the music.
Proceeds from the concert go toward helping the Memorial Opera House and its programs. For more information on upcoming performances or programs, visit their website https://www.memorialoperahouse.com/.