Review: IMAGINE: The Beatles Music Comes to Brunswick

“You may say I’m a dreamer,” John Lennon writes in his iconic anthem, “Imagine,” and, indeed, in 1969 when the Beatles disbanded and embarked on solo careers, each of the four would create songs that did explore new realms. Musician Joe Boucher and his band, allow themselves to re-imagine new possibilities for the Beatles music from their solo careers in a concert bearing the title of Lennon’s song, which the group performed to a soldout house as a part of Maine State Music Theatre’s Concert Series July 9-10.  IMAGINE presents compositions by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr from 1969-1980, played as they might have, had the foursome still been performing together as The Beatles and still under the watchful, creative eye of producer George Martin.

Using a fifteen-piece orchestra combined with a four-piece rock band, Boucher creates a soundscape that is at once original, and yet nostalgically reminiscent of the great quartet. Christopher Eastburn orchestrates the unforgettable Beatles melodies - particularly those by Lennon and McCartney – in a manner that showcases what made these songs so experimental; one hears the groundbreaking qualities these artists discovered in their musical explorations of that decade - sounds borrowed from India, from psychedelia, from folk rock – themes at once political and universal, protest and prayer.

Boucher’s band is comprised of four talented musicians: Boucher on piano, bass, acoustic guitar; Eastburn on piano, acoustic and electric guitar and bass; Gary Backstrom on electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and piano; and Nick Pires on drums/percussion.  They provide the core sound that made the original Beatles famous. The orchestra, conducted by Peter Shannon, expands the aural universe of the songs, adding color, texture, and new harmonies.

Perhaps what one notices most about the group is the seamlessness of the ensemble. The musicians switch instruments, exchange vocal parts and trade off with the orchestra to create stunning individual moments that all come together in complete harmony.

Highlights of the performance include: “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Band on the Run,” “Photograph,” “Silly Songs,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Real Love,” and the closing anthem,”Imagine.”

The visual aspects of the concerts are sleek and compelling.  This time the band has the serendipity to perform on the set of MSMT’s THE Buddy Holly STORY, (Charles S. Kading, designer) which adds a context of legendary rock n’ roll and has the technological advantage of the video wall that has been winning acclaim this summer. Black and white photographs of the Beatles flash across the screen, transporting the audience back with waves of nostalgia.  The MSMT design/technical team (uncredited) delivers its customary polished product with colorful lighting, clean sound, and bonus special effects.

John Lennon’s song, “Imagine,” articulates a vision of utopia - a place of peace and brotherhood. “Imagine all the people sharing all the world” is a grand and mystical wish, but for a small slice of time, sitting in the dark, in a theatre in a small northernmost corner of America, an audience is on its feet singing, clapping, and – yes - sharing a sense of well-being that comes from the songs Lennon and his bandmates wrote. And the catalyst for that sharing, that camaraderie, that sense of uplift is music - in this case, the music of the Beatles and Joe Boucher and his band.

Photo courtesy of MSMT

IMAGINE THE BEATLES’ SOLO YEARS plays for 3 performances at MSMT’s Pickard theater, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME on July 9 and 10, 2023   www.msmt.org  207-725-8769
 

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