Review: Beatles Tribute "RAIN" is a Musical Journey Worth the Trip

With the invention of digital music players and online media, it is very likely that I probably hear a Beatles song or a Beatles cover a day (I'm listening to some as I write this!). As a Beatles fan, I've enjoyed the richness and depth of their catalog, grown up seeing how their music and their performances are intrinsically tied to our global history, but I'll never be able to say I attended their concerts or that I know what it feels like to hear their sound come to life. Seeing something come to life - existing while you exist - is one of the greatest aspects of being an arts patron. But I never really put two and two together with the Beatles music because it's always been tied to an impossibility. That's what's so amazing about the RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles experience, it's the next best thing to having that.



RAIN might dress like the iconic members of the Beatles, might travel through time and history singing their songs and wearing their costumes, but they make no false pretenses. They don't expect you to think they're the Beatles and their "that guy" jokes as they perform are very heartwarming. But they certainly sound like the Beatles and that's what makes it all spectacular, that's why we were in packed theatre of different generations all in love with the sound of the Beatles music.  It was obvious, too, that RAIN loves the Beatles and that love of music and appreciation from them makes the show all the better.

This is not just a musical journey; it's also an historical one. Utilizing video footage, costumes, and set design, they assist the audience to travel through time, to understand that the Beatles and the influence of their music extend beyond just the musical sphere.

RAIN is also a personal experience. There is a reason you love the Beatles or a particular song that you can sing along to - or as the case may be, many songs - but at the show you're also surrounded by others who have their own personal associations with the music. Collectively, this creates an energy that is hard to replicate with other musical acts and ultimately, RAIN is a musical journey worth traveling.

RAIN plays through this weekend at the Pantages Theatre.  Visit ExperienceLA.com for more information.

-Charity Tran