Tributosaurus and Their Long and Winding Road With The Beatles

What started with The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” ended with The Beatles’ “Love Me Do.” In the five years between, Tributosaurus has performed every Beatles song. This was a tremendous undertaking, but if any band could do it (and do it right), Tributosaurus is that band.

Chris Neville, Curt Morrison, Dan Leali, Jon Paul and Matt Spiegel are the fab five of Tributosaurus. Formed in 2002, the band pays homage to other musical artists through exact recreations of the original music. Joined by other musicians, depending on the needs, Tributo has delighted fans with their chameleon-like performances.

A few years ago, they decided to perform every song in the Beatles catalogue. Friday night at the Copernicus Center, they performed “Let It Be,” thus concluding the long and winding road of the Beatles discography.

Friday night was divided into two sets. The first was a selection of random Beatles’ tunes. Spiegel explained that since they were using an orchestra section this night (because of “Let It Be”), they picked other songs to showcase the sound. After the intermission, Tributo performed four more Beatles songs, before diving into “Let It Be.” Finally, as the encore, the played “Love Me Do,” a perfect ending to the night and the multi-year project.

Mixed in with all of the Beatles’ greatness was an impromptu spot-on Lionel Richie mini-medley. This was just one more example of Tributo’s incredible versatility and their spontaneity.

I also enjoyed the running banter of the band. Clearly they enjoy what they are doing. It would be hard not to get swept up in their fun.

Another personal favorite part was the large role that my friend Michael Cichowicz played. As the leader of the horn section. “The Mayor’s” talent was prominently displayed throughout the show. It was great to see him in action.

The Copernicus Center was the perfect place for this show. It was originally designed for talking movies. Later, it was restored to its’ original beauty and adapted for live performances. The high ceilings, marble and overall grandeur were the perfect backdrop for this orchestral wonder, while the outstanding acoustics worked perfectly for the Phil Spector “wall of sound.”

My sister and brother-in-law are casual Beatles fans and they loved it as much as I (a Beatle-maniac) did. They might not have known some of the deeper cuts, but you didn’t have to know the songs to enjoy the performance. Fans of all ages and levels of Beatles fandom enjoyed this show, but none more than I did.