Wed 3/21 @ 7:30PM
Like literally every other baby boomer, Mark Benson remembers the life-altering experience of watching the Beatles in 1964 perform on The Ed Sullivan Show.
However, unlike most of his peers, Benson has spent his life recreating that memory for countless audiences as a member of Northeast Ohio-based tribute act 1964 The Tribute, which performs at the 8th annual Baldwin Wallace’s Beatles Festival.
The Beatles Festival also includes “Relax and Float Upstream: Behind The Beatles Masterpiece, Revolver” taking place Thu 3/22 at Gamble Auditorium. The affair is hosted by CoolCleveland’s Thomas Mulready. There’s also the sold-out “Revolver in Concert” event Sat 3/24 at Gamble Auditorium.
CoolCleveland talked to Rubber City native Benson who portrays John Lennon in 1964 The Tribute.
CoolCleveland: This is 1964 The Tribute’s first time playing the Beatles Festival at Baldwin Wallace. Do you enjoy performing for college audiences?
Mark Benson: We’re always looking for great places to play, and the college community has been huge with Beatle fans. When we started this 34 years ago, we made the mistake of thinking this was just going to be a baby boomer thing. It was actually the college market that made us go full-time.
CC: Why do students keep you busy?
MB: It’s been proven to us all of the years we’ve been doing this that there’s no particular demographic that doesn’t like the Beatles. As you know, rock ’n’ roll and good clean fun don’t always go together, but this is an example where you can bring the entire family. It’s not unusual at these places to see three generations of people sitting together all singing, smiling and happy.
CC: 1964 The Tribute bills itself as a Fab Four tribute, including replica costumes and identical instruments, which provides audiences with a glimpse of seeing what the band was like in concert. That limits material you can play to the first seven albums culminating with 1966’s Revolver. Why?
MB: If you were lucky enough to get a ticket to see the Beatles, that was an event with all of the screaming fans and the Beatles on stage. It was just something we hadn’t seen ever. And even though all of the periods in music were very iconic, I think that first British Invasion, and especially as it relates to a live show, we wanted to show people what a Beatles concert was like instead of a Beatles story. The bands that do those provide great shows, but I didn’t want to be one more of them. And on the first seven records, try to find a bad song. It’s like there’s such a wealth of music.
CC: Don’t you ever wonder about expanding the 1964 The Tribute catalog?
MB: We know it all. We’re huge fans of it all. When you try to go past 1966, there’s no rockers. Everything is slow — “Long and Winding Road,” “Let It Be,” “Strawberry Fields Forever.” There’s great stuff, but when you’re trying to put together a show that has a pacing to it, it’s very difficult to do. Plus, everybody and their brother ends their Beatles shows with “Hey Jude.”
CC: What are some of the more obscure Fab Four tracks you perform?
MB: Probably “And Your Bird Can Sing.” Because you never hear it. It’s a really cool song. Our guitar player is a master of playing double leads by himself, and it’s really fun. Another is “Rain,” which you don’t hear very often.
CC: What about “Tomorrow Never Knows” from Revolver?
MB: No, we don’t play that, but it’s hypnotic. Everybody would break out the jazz cigarettes if we played it.
CC: So that’s why you don’t?
MB: (laughs) I can say no more.
Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, OH 44017