Beatles influence all ages

IU music professor Glenn Gass charmed an audience of all ages as he spoke about The Beatles on Friday. 

Gass’s speech prefaced the performance of Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles at the IU Auditorium.

The short refresher course about The Beatles began with a video from the group’s performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964.

“It’s beautiful to watch them in symmetry,” Gass said.

The clip showcased the first time The Beatles came to America and illustrated a shift in their career. They no longer were a little band from Liverpool, England, playing small gigs at local taverns. Rather, their appearance on the show served as a catalyst for the global phenomenon known as Beatlemania.

Gass then discussed a clip from The Beatles’ performance at New York City’s Shea Stadium in 1965.

“Their first concern was the other three people,” Gass said.

He added that The Beatles were a group that wrote, sang and performed as one.
Gass said after a while of playing in sold-out stadiums packed with thousands of screaming girls, the Beatles decided they no longer wanted to tour. They decided instead to put their efforts into creating studio albums.

“They got to a point where the things they were writing couldn’t be performed on stage with the equipment they had,” he said. “Could you imagine they playing ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ live?”

Gass said this is why tribute bands such as Rain are important.

“They are playing songs that the Beatles never even played live,” he said.

The name Rain comes from the band’s 1966 B-side single “Rain.” Though the song never appeared on a Beatles album, it is important because of their implementation of backward vocals. It also started the trend of making music videos.

Gass talked about the drifting apart that occurred within the group during the time of “Let It Be.” He said that he wondered what might have been had The Beatles stayed together like The Rolling Stones.

“Paul tried to tell the group, ‘Let’s rediscover music we played as a band,’” Gass said. But, unfortunately it was already too late.

He added that the band had begun to separate and all Paul could do was write “Hey Jude” in an attempt to send his blessings to John.

Bloomington resident Mary Bent and her husband came to Gass’s lecture because they said they think the Beatles are iconic.

In five and a half years, The Beatles went from playing “The Ed Sullivan Show” to ending their career with their album “Abbey Road.”

“I started liking them when our children were teenagers,” Bent said.

People of all ages enjoy listening to the Beatles, and bands such as Rain bring their music back to life, Gass said.

“It’s funny how today the Beatles’ music brings families together, when it used to tear them apart,” Gass said.