"It Was Fifty Years Ago Today" Rocks Ridgefield

The music of The Beatles continues to delight long-time fans and enthrall new generations of listeners, more than 50 years after the band went their separate ways. Throughout the years, both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have hit the road with set lists chock full of Beatles tunes. There are also a number of bands who pay homage to the songs of the four lads from Liverpool, including the top notch group The Fab Faux, featuring Will Lee and Rich Pagano. One of the more enjoyable celebrations of the music of The Beatles is It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: A Tribute To The Beatles. Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz, Christopher Cross, Joey Molland (of Badfinger) and Jason Scheff (of Chicago) toured in 2019 and performed The White Album, as well as several of their own hits. For this year's edition of the show, Rundgren, Cross, Molland and Scheff return, and are joined by Denny Laine, a founding member of The Moody Blues and Wings, to pay tribute to Rubber Soul and Revolver, two of The Beatles' finest albums. The tour stopped off at The Ridgefield Playhouse in Connecticut on Thursday, March 4.

The night kicked off with a stellar run through of 'Drive My Car" that immediately enthralled the audience, followed by a terrific take on the George Harrison penned "I Want To Tell You." The set list featured tracks from Rubber Soul and Revolver mixed with performances of the artists' own hits, so Denny Laine took the lead spot for his renditions of "Go Now" (from his time with The Moody Blues) and a fabulous version of the Wings classic "Band on the Run," while Joey Molland led the band through the Badfinger tunes "No Matter What" and "Baby Blue." Other highlights included a marvelous "Good Day Sunshine" and a rollicking version of "You Won't See Me." One of the nicest surprises of the evening was Christopher Cross, who was in fine form on vocals and guitar. Cross got one of the biggest audience reactions of the night when he performed his hits "Ride Like The Wind" and "Sailing." The first set concluded with a seriously rocking version of Revolver's "She Said She Said," led by the energetic Rundgren, who impishly yelled "Intermission!" at the song's conclusion, before running off stage.

The second set began with "I've Just A Face" originally the opening track on the U.S. edition of Rubber Soul, followed by a stellar "Norwegian Wood" and a lovely version of "Michelle" featuring lead vocals by Christopher Cross. The enthusiastic Rundgren got the audience singing along when he performed his hits "I Saw The Light" and "Hello It's Me." One of the true VIPs of the show was Jason Scheff (the bassist and lead singer for Chicago from 1985-2016) whose vocals and bass work were excellent throughout the night. During his spotlight mini-set, Scheff sang the Chicago ballad "Hard To Say I'm Sorry" and then electrified the theatre with a truly epic version of the classic "25 or 6 to 4," which featured Scheff jamming with Rundgren on guitar, and the whole band kicking out the jams. It was one of the highlights of the concert. It brought the house down, and then brought the audience to their feet.

There were more Beatles classics as well, including Rundgren leading the group through an awesome version of "Tomorrow Never Knows," and a dynamic rendition of "Got To Get You Into My Life," with vocals by Scheff. Denny Laine took center stage on "Nowhere Man" and Joey Molland offered up a dynamic version of "Doctor Robert." By the time this amazing show wrapped up with another sing along on "Yellow Submarine," it was evident from the mile-wide smiles on everyone's faces that these talented artists enjoy playing together, and have a deep love and affection for the music of The Beatles. Great songs stand the test of time, and the music of The Beatles, and artists like Rundgren, Chicago and Badfinger clearly hold a special place in the hearts of both the performers and the audience, who clearly loved every minute of this amazing show. It Was Fifty Years Ago Today: A Tribute To The Beatles is touring now, so if you get a chance to check out the show in your area, it's well worth your time.