Rain has been doing its Beatles tribute show now for over a half century.
Yes, that’s a lot of years of playing “Twist and Shout.”
So, it’s great to see that the group/theatrical production — which got its start under the name Reign in Southern California in 1975 — is changing things up a bit in 2025 with the introduction of its first-ever holiday tour.
The faux Fab Four brought the production — dubbed “Rain — A Beatles Christmas Tribute” — to the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco on Tuesday, delighting listeners with a mix of John, Paul, George and Ringo classics plus some cool yuletide selections.
“Happy Christmas Eve eve,” Paul Curatolo, in his role as Paul McCartney, greeted the crowd.
And it did indeed turn out to be a happy one, as the musicians delivered a generous helping of tunes — some three dozen in total — stretched out over two sets/acts. The whole production ran just over two hours, which is about four times the length of the average Beatles show. (Yes, that math is correct. During their touring heyday, The Beatles normally only played 30-35-minute shows, which was not unusual for the time period.)
The show is organized chronologically, with the tunes being played in something resembling the order they were released. Although, organizers do give themselves plenty of wiggle room when it comes to mixing material from within the same musical periods/eras. (In other words, a 1967 “Sgt. Pepper’s” track may come before/after a 1966 “Revolver” cut — but don’t expect a 1963 “Please Please Me” number to fall in that same segment.)
Costumes/hairstyles/facial hair change to meet the time frame, as the players go from sporting those iconic suits, ties, Beatles boots and matching haircuts on the 1963 “I Want to Hold Your Hand” opener to the long, long hair and colorful clothing that the Fab Four favored a few years down the road with the likes of “Got to Get You Into My Life” and “Revolution.”
All four of the main players do a terrific job in their respective roles and in re-creating the music live on the stage. Steve Landes (vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, harmonica) was an exuberant and playful John Lennon. Dylan Verge (drums, vocals) kept the beat steady as Ringo Starr. Alastar McNeil (lead guitar, vocals) ripped through some rocking leads as George Harrison. And Paul Curatolo (vocals, bass, piano, guitar) was a spot-on McCartney, nailing his vocal parts, personality and mannerisms.
It’s certainly wasn’t shocking to see that these musicians were at their best during the classic Beatles material — that is, after all, what they do. Yet, they also did a fine job mixing in such Christmas favorites as “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
Given the backdrop and background, the two most appropriate seasonal selections were “Wonderful Christmastime,” a McCartney solo single from 1979 that nicely closed out the first set/act, and a glorious take on Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” that came during the encore.
“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” nicely set the table for the big finale, which — to nobody’s surprise — came with the big crowd sing-along of “Hey, Jude.”
“Rain — A Beatles Christmas Tribute” Setlist:1. “I Want to Hold Your Hand”2. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”3. “Till There Was You”4. “Please Please Me”5. “P.S. I Love You”6. “Jingle Bell Rock”7. “A Hard Day’s Night”8. “I Should Have Known Better”9. “Can’t Buy Me Love”10. “Tell Me Why”11. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”12. “Yesterday”13. “I Feel Fine”14. “Day Tripper”15. “Twist and Shout”16. “Drive My Car”17. “The Word”18. “I’ll See You In My Dreams”19. “Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)”20. “In My Life”21. “Wonderful Christmastime”(Intermission/Set 2)22. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”23. “Blue Christmas”24. “Yellow Submarine”25. “The Bells Of St. Victor”26. “When I’m Sixty-Four”27. “Little Saint Nick”28. “Hello, Goodbye”/”Christmas Time Is Here Again”29. “Got to Get You Into My Life”30. “Please Come Home For Christmas”31. “Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas”32. “Run Rudolph Run”33. “Revolution”34. “The End”Encore:35. “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”36. “Hey Jude”