This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

My Night with John, Paul, George & Ringo

Unlike most people her age, the Misplaced Midwesterner has a passion for 60s rock and felt right at home at the San Diego Symphony's Summer Pops Beatles Tribute concert.

I've always had a soft spot for 60s rock. I probably know more useless trivia information on the subject than other 25-year olds. Recently, my soft spot went to full blown-out addiction.

I can't seem to get enough of classic vinyl-Dave Clark 5, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, The Kinks. These bands play on my radio stations and music players. I can't seem to get enough.  

When I heard an ad on the radio that the San Diego Symphony would be playing a a tribute concert for the Beatles, I knew I had go. As a part of their Summer Pops Series, the symphony was sharing the stage with The Magical Mystery Tour, a Beatles tribute band based out of Los Angeles. My husband was equally excited.

Find out what's happening in La Jollawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The concert was to be held at the Embarcadero Marina Park South, just on the other side of the convention center. My husband and I don't often explore downtown San Diego or Gaslamp Quarter, so we were very excited to dress up and go out for a date.

For dinner, my husband treated me to Bandar, a restaurant featuring Persian cuisine. Persian, Mediterranean and Afghan fare makes me weak in the knees. The food is always healthy, full of veggies and aromatic spices. The restaurant was delicious, something I strongly recommend for those of you who are tired of pub burgers and beers, food that is not hard to find in the Gaslamp Quarter.  

Find out what's happening in La Jollawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We took a cap from the restaurant over to the marina where our tickets were waiting for us. The evening at the marina started with a gala, Tux 'N Tennies Summer Bash, a fundraising event. Our tickets were for the grandstand which overlooked the gala and stage.  

Wearing a cute sundress, black wedges and holding a sweater in my arm, I received a few odd looks from concert goers who were bundled up from the wind coming off the water. A chill in the night air and a steady wind made the evening cool, however, I do not believe it was necessary for many concert goers to be donning winter parkas, blankets, gloves and fur coats. July was one week away; put your winter clothes into storage and wear shorts like the rest of America.  

The symphony started out with a wonderful medley covering some of the Fab Fours songs. Then, they came out, mop tops and all. Four men dressed in 60s fashions. They grabbed their guitars or stationed themselves at a drum set and started to play. It was fantastic.  

The four members of the tribute band did a great job of impersonating The Beatles. The songs sounded so similar to the ones I grew to love on the radio. Even their accents made me think I was watching them live.  

That being said, there is always one issue I have with tribute bands. I'm all about bands playing the songs of other groups. It's a great way for young bands to find their sound and test their abilities. I do believe that it takes a special group of people to decide not to make their own music and dedicate their musical careers to a band that had so much influence, but where do you draw the line? Who makes the decision that not only is the band going to cover the songs of a great band- in this case The Beatles- but also take on their accents, dress like them and even call them by their first names? That, my friends, is what I call creepy. You are not John, George, Paul or Ringo. You're a group of four, grown men, originally scattered through the United States, brought together by the work and influence of The Beatles.  

Despite crossing this line on one occasion, the evening was wonderful and the concert finished with fireworks to the tune of Twist and Shout. The band and symphony played a great collection of songs including Hey, Jude, Penny Lane, I am the Walrus, Strawberry Fields Forever, Yellow Submarine and a few others including "Live and Let Die"- a song originally performed by Paul during his stint with Wings, interesting choice in my opinion.  

I loved the live performance, but I do think it would have been more enjoyable to hear more of the symphony. Oh well, it just means I have to go back to another performance.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?