Review: BEATLEMANIA AGAIN at Stickyz Rock N Roll Chicken Shack

Broadway World recognizes that being a tribute artist, or in the case of BEATLEMANIA AGAIN, a tribute band, is a form of theatrical artistry on another level. Thursday night, January 18, I was able to experience this offering to the Fab Four at Stickyz Rock N' Roll Chicken Shack, 107 River Market Ave, in Little Rock, with fellow Beatles lovers who braved the chilly weather to dine on chicken cuisines, devour tasty beverages, and capture a glimpse of a musical era that is still treasured here in Central Arkansas. 

“The audience reaction has been incredible,” Rich Morello (Ringo Starr) said. “The show chronologically traces The Beatles career from their debut on the Ed Sullivan show to their final performance on the rooftop of Apple records.” 

The cast of BEATLEMANIA AGAIN (John Aber as Paul McCartney, Marty Mcgowan as John Lennon, Tyler Lindemuth as George Harrison, and Morello as Ringo) took the stage in their black velvet suits like when The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.  According to their website beatlemaniaagain.com, “Act One’s authenticity is showcased by actual instruments and amplifiers used by The Beatles.” To possess the instruments is impressive, but when those instruments possessed the group, that was truly inspiring. BEATLEMANIA AGAIN’s knowledge of the music and handling of the instruments were as if The Beatles themselves were there playing the songs, and even though I say with caution that the Beatles could be matched, if I closed my eyes, musically, I would not have known the difference between The Beatles and BEATLEMANIA AGAIN. The musicianship was pro level.   

For Act One, they open with I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and follow with She Loves You, All My Lovin', and I Saw Her Standing There. Aber, who has a BFA in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, does most of the addressing to the audience. His personification of Paul is uncanny and keeps us entertained. 

John Lennon (Mcgowen-plays guitar and keyboards) sings A Hard Day’s Night and then the group goes into Can’t Buy Me Love. Next up is Ringo covering a Carl Perkins tune called Honey Don’t, which was the first of only a small few that I didn’t recognize, and I’m always thrilled to be introduced to new-to-me songs. From there, they do Eight Days A Week, I Feel Fine, Help, and In My Life. At this point, this obnoxious guy who keeps screaming out Freebird gets acknowledged by Mcgowen’s Lennon who briefly changes the lyrics of Nowhere Man to Freebird Man. Though I’d like to report that the tiny fragment appeased him, it only encouraged him, and he started yelling something else. I’m not easy to annoy, but even I was telling him to shut up. However, the guys were pros and went about their show. George Harrison crooned If I Needed Someone, and then Act One ended with Day Tripper. If I’m being honest, Tyler Lindemuth looks more like Paul than George, but that boy can play his guitar! I was thoroughly impressed with his stylizing when he was spotlighted.  

Act Two and three were much shorter. During Act two, they did a Sgt. Pepper set, and Act Three was based on Abby Road and the Rooftop concert. For Sgt. Pepper, they had the colorful boisterous costumes and for the Rooftop, they had vests and donned long-haired wigs. Many wonderful songs were played, but I was a little sad to not hear Strawberry Fields and Yellow Submarine. Of course, I’m sure everyone has their favorites, and if they were all played, this concert would have gone on all night, which would have been fine by me.  

After the show, they greeted their fans.  

“One of the special things about going out on the road is meeting different people from all age groups, and truly experiencing how much The Beatles music means to them,” Morello said. “It truly is a privilege and an honor to perform this music and bring it out on the road. (We) would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has come out and supported this tour, the fans, the fabulous venues we have performed at, the incredible sound and lighting crews an

d everyone involved in having Beatlemania Again.” 

Well, I am definitely a fan and hope to see them our way soon.  

Before the show, we dined inside the eclectic restaurant area and munched on the tasty chips and dip with salsa. I ordered the Chicken Cordon Blues and my friend had the BBQ Burger, even though I told him he needed to order chicken at a chicken restaurant. He insisted that his was delicious, so I let it go. The meal ran us $45, which included soft drinks. Had we had known that we could have eaten in the concert area, we probably would have waited, but instead we enjoyed several different beverages during the show. My favorite was the yummy Bob Marley. 

To find out where BEATLEMANIA AGAIN is headed to next, visit their website at the button below.

To see who is gracing the Stickyz stage, check out their lineup at https://www.stickyz.com.  

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