Beatles tribute band comes to Civic Center, performing tracks the real Beatles never tried

Rain
Tuesday, through June 13
Civic Center Music Hall
201 N. Walker Ave.
297-2264, www.celebrityattractions.com
$16-45

Paul McCartney said your mother should know. And he was right (according to Mark Lewis, at least).

Lewis first heard the Fab Four when his mother came bustling into the room, telling him to turn on "The Ed Sullivan Show" to check out the mop-tops.

"I didn't want to, because I figured it was probably Liberace, or someone like that," said Lewis, the co-creator and manager of Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles. "Anyway, it was The Beatles, and I was blown away. I remember going out the next day with my allowance and buying the 'Meet The Beatles!' album."

In the '70s, Lewis formed the band that would become Rain. The tribute's current lineup includes McCartney (Joey Curatolo), John Lennon (Steve Landes), George Harrison (Joe Bithorn) and Ringo Starr (Ralph Castelli).

Rain, which debuts Tuesday at the Civic Center Music Hall, doesn't have "Your Mother Should Know" in its repertoire, but its set list is impressive, including "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I Am the Walrus."

"They were never intended to be played live. They were made in the studio after The Beatles had decided to stop touring," Lewis said of those psychedelic classics. "They had decided to focus on making records in the studio without any regard to how they would pull the songs off live. At that point, they started to utilize a lot of experimentation with different instruments, and studio effects that were never intended to be duplicated live. Many of these sounds that are on their albums are still difficult to do today even with modern technology."

Rain will try not to sing out of tune during performances Tuesday through June 13 at the Civic Center. For more information, call 297-2264 or visit www.celebrityattractions.com. "Rob Collins

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