Next best thing to the Beatles

MANILA, Philippines - In 1966, The Beatles swore they would never return to the Philippines after they were dissed, harangued and physically assaulted by Filipino sympathizers of the Marcos regime at the airport on their way out of Manila. They were chastised for snubbing an invitation to perform at Malacañang Palace when their contract was strictly to appear in two shows at the Rizal Football Stadium for a $250,000 fee. It was later clarified that The Beatles never knew of the invitation as their manager Brian Esptein didn’t bother to inform the Fab Four that he had turned it down because of a contractual restriction.

Today, only two Beatles are alive, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, both still touring, recording and active in the music business. John Lennon died from four gunshot wounds in the back in New York at the age of 40 in 1980 while George Harrison succumbed to lung cancer in Los Angeles in 2001. There have been attempts to bring McCartney and Starr over to Manila for a show but no promoter has reached first base with either surviving Beatle. It appears they will bring their vow to stay away from the Philippines to the grave.

But the consolation for Filipino music lovers is there’s an English band that has kept the Merseybeat Sound strong and alive through the decades. The band is called the Bootleg Beatles and thankfully, they’re not tied down to a vow of distance. In fact, the Bootleg Beatles have visited the Philippines thrice for a series of concerts — at the Araneta Coliseum in 1983 and 1987 and only a few weeks ago, at the PICC, SMX Convention Center in Davao and Solaire through Viva and Redstone Productions.

Bootleg Beatles founder Andre Barreau, who portrays Harrison, said he played the part in the West End musical Beatlemania from 1978 to 1980 then decided to form a band to keep the music going. The original cast was made up of Barreau, Neil Harrison as Lennon, David Catlin-Birch as McCartney and Jack Lee Elgood was Starr. The current line-up lists Barreau, Hugo Degendhardt as Starr since 2003, Adam Hastings as Lennon since 2011 and Steve White as McCartney since 2012. 

Annette Brown, the Bootleg Beatles’ trumpeter, said there are hundreds of tribute Beatle bands all over the world but none compares to the Bootleg Beatles in terms of similarity in looks and sound. In an ironic commentary, the Daily Mail of London described the Bootleg Beatles show as “absolutely authentic” and the Sunday Times said the band is “frighteningly real.” Even The Beatles original producer George Martin said that they do “a terrific show.”

 Since 1980, the Bootleg Beatles have performed in over 4,000 concerts. They’ve enthralled audiences in Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Mongolia, Argentina, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia, Japan and the US. In England, they’ve rocked the stage at the London Palladium, Royal Albert Hall, Airfield Football Stadium, The Cavern in Liverpool and Wembley Stadium. They’ve performed before the Queen and even The Beatles themselves and to prove their legitimacy, played on the same bill as Rod Stewart, Iggy Pop, Bon Jovi, Oasis, Manic Street Preachers, David Bowie, The Corrs and Simple Minds.

Once, after enjoying a show as a spectator, Harrison told Barreau, “You probably know the chords better than I do.” McCartney was, likewise, so impressed by their music that he encouraged the band to sing their own songs. Barreau, however, shrugged off the suggestion, thanked McCartney for the compliment and said, “What for when your songs are better.”

At the Solaire climax of the band’s recent Philippine tour, the Bootleg Beatles were stunningly impeccable. They had three costume changes, reflecting the most significant chapters of The Beatles history — the early stage of the British Invasion, the Sgt. Pepper’s mystical era and the last hurrah. The band used the same guitar models as The Beatles — McCartney’s Hofner bass, Harrison’s Gretsch lead guitar and Lennon’s Rickenbacker rhythm guitar. They used other guitars in dishing out a 28-song repertoire and the rotation included Gibson acoustics, Fenders and a Rickenbacker bass. In all, Barreau said they brought over 10 guitars and a Ludwig snare drum. Even the Vox amplifiers on stage were strikingly similar to what The Beatles mounted for their shows. They were supported by a five-piece Filipino orchestra, which rehearsed with the Bootleg Beatles only for a few hours yet their chemistry was incredible.

Not only was their music so much like The Beatles but they even looked and acted like the Fab Four. Hastings sang with his right foot at an angle from the left and chewed gum like Lennon. Barreau strummed his Gretsch like Harrison and White swayed his lead like McCartney. They even talked like The Beatles, even what they said was Beatle-like. Before singing Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Hastings joked, “Those of you who got by security with your drugs, it’s time to take them now.” It was so reminiscent of Lennon.

To make themselves look even more like The Beatles, the band invested a tidy sum in several hairpieces each costing the equivalent of P140,000. The costumes were just as authentic-looking from the round-neck suits The Beatles wore on the Ed Sullivan Show to the Sgt. Pepper’s get-ups and the raggedy clothes of the Get Back era. On English shores, the Bootleg Beatles rotate 20 guitars, all of the same make as what the Beatles used, and are backed up by a 10-piece orchestra. 

At Solaire, the songs rolled out like a jukebox of bestsellers, starting with A Hard Day’s Night followed by Eight Days A Week, Do You Want To Know A Secret, She Loves You, All My Loving, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There, Help, Can’t Buy Me Love, I Feel Fine, Twist and Shout, Yesterday, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, Magical Mystery Tour, I Am The Walrus, Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Come Together, Get Back, Don’t Let Me Down, Here Comes The Sun, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Hey Jude, Let It Be and Long Tall Sally.

The jam-packed Solaire Grand Ballroom was transformed into a nostalgia enclave as the audience begged more and more from the Bootleg Beatles and wouldn’t let them go easily. In the crowd, singing and swaying, were broadcaster Arnold Clavio, Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, Rep. Danny Suarez, Rep. Bing Leonardia, Greggy and Irene Araneta, Buddy Roa, Tonyboy Liao, Eddie, Francis and Margaret Gonzalez, Viva big boss Vic del Rosario, Ronnie Nathanielsz and the Spirit of ’67 which was the front act.

Rajan Gidwani of Redstone said he’s bringing the Bootleg Beatles back for another tour in November. â€œEveryone’s talking about how they look and sound so much like The Beatles and I’m swamped by callers who missed the shows and want them to return,” he said. â€œThere are so many more Beatles hits they left out in their set list like Long and Winding Road, Love Me Do, Please Mr. Postman, Ticket To Ride, We Can Work It Out, Please Please Me, From Me to You, Paperback Writer, Hello Goodbye, Something and Yellow Submarine. They could do a brand new show when they come back.”

On a personal note, I watched the West End musical Let It Be at the Savoy Theater in London last September and the high-cost production of The Beatles impersonators paled in comparison to the Bootleg Beatles who are much more polished and convincing in their act.

 â€œI’ve been doing this for over 30 years,” said Barreau who is 55. â€œWe’ve performed before royalty and audiences all over the world. Even if we’re not the real thing, we’ve been accepted for what we do because everyone loves The Beatles music. This is our way of paying tribute to the band we all love.”

The Bootleg Beatles are in high demand. They’re booked for 21 shows in a UK tour in March and April. There are 14 more gigs scheduled in the UK in December. Concerts in Holland and Belgium are also in the calendar this year. The band is excited to return to the Philippines. If you haven’t seen the band perform and you’re a Beatles lover (who isn’t?), you can’t afford to miss the return engagement.