And the
Beatles
go on
Ed Sullivan promised a "really big show" on his television program in February of 1964, but little did he know that his special guests that evening would change pop music forever.
From the early days of "Love Me Do" to the flower power-era hits "Let it Be" and "Hey Jude," The Beatles' music has become timeless.
Conductor Matt Catingub and the Honolulu Symphony Pops Orchestra will help audiences tonight and tomorrow relive the heyday of the Fab Four from Liverpool in "A Tribute to The Beatles." Guest artists will be Henry Kapono, Glenn Medeiros and Anita Hall.
'A Tribute to The Beatles'
With the Honolulu Symphony Pops Orchestra and conductor Matt Catingub, with guests Henry Kapono, Glenn Medeiros and Anita HallWhere: Blaisdell Concert Hall
When: 8 p.m. today and tomorrow
Tickets: $20, $30, $40, $50 and $65
Call: 792-2000
"I love the Beatles for their music, their incredible talent and all the wonderful memories the music rekindles," said Catingub, who was just three years old when the quartet performed the TV variety show that attracted a record 73 million viewers.
Just eight days earlier, the group's single, "I Want To Hold Your Hand," reached No. 1 in the United States.
"I remember seeing reruns of the show a few years later, then I became the typical teenybopper who loved their music," Catingub said. "I don't remember my first favorite Beatles song, but the first one I learned to play on the piano was 'Let It Be.'
"What a cool song -- and I only had to play it on the white keys."
The Pops concert will follow the group's musical history, with songs like "Please Please Me," "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Yesterday," then move into the more studio-produced tunes, including the "Sgt. Pepper" collection, a special orchestra crescendo, "The Long and Winding Road" and selections from the group's last album, "Abbey Road."
Catingub favors the studio produced music as well because he likes fine tuning songs.
"I love production," he said. "'Sgt. Pepper' was such a breakout piece, the first that really took advantage of what can be done in a studio, like overdubbing and the addition of so many instruments, which came from their producer George Martin.
"What the Beatles turned out in really just nine years is phenomenal."
The group also proved that music didn't have to always be about people falling in or out of love, Catingub said.
"They did so many amazing things, creating songs like 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' and 'I Am the Walrus,' but their minds may have been altered at the time," he said. "Their lyrics paint so many pictures and continue to influence writers."
CATINGUB, now in his fifth year with the orchestra, is a celebrated saxophonist, woodwind artist, conductor, pianist, vocalist, performer, composer and arranger.
Guest Glenn Medeiros began his professional singing career at 16 after winning the "Brown Bags to Stardom" talent contest. Within a few months, he was signed to Amherst/A&M/ Polygram Records and released his first single entitled "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You," which was a worldwide hit and has become his signature song.
From 1987 to 1994, he regularly performed on stage, television and radio in more than 30 countries throughout the world. During that time, he also recorded six records that included hits such as "She Ain't Worth It" (which actually made the No. 1 spot on the Billboard pop charts for exactly one week, and featured guest Bobby Brown) and "Love Always Finds a Reason," a duet with French singer Elsa, which also topped France's pop charts.
Medeiros is a music teacher at St. Joseph School in Waipahu and continues to give voice instruction.
Since moving to Hawaii in the 1980s, Anita Hall has become one of the islands' more celebrated vocalists. Besides her side work as one of The Paradise Sisters, Hall is also a member of the gospel group Remnant, which works with Christian Athletes United for Spiritual Empowerment (CAUSE), which uses the status of professional athletes to spread God's word. She also performs regularly as one of the vocalists with local pop-fusion band Nueva Vida.
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