The MegaBeatles
While I have covered many concerts by the Crawpuppies, and a few of Chris & Lou (I need to remedy that), and I'm usually at the Megabeatles other benefit at County Line Orchard, this was my first time at The Memorial Opera House. I love historical buildings, and this being a fundraiser for one such place, it was a no-brainer that I wanted to photograph the concert for my friends. Since I knew I was going to write a blog about it, I wanted to learn a bit of history to share to my readers...
Built in 1892-93, the original name was the Porter County Memorial Hall and it was built as a meeting place for the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of veterans of the Civil War. Local legend says that William Jennings Bryan spoke at the hall during the 1896 presidential campaign. Others who have been to the hall include Theodore Roosevelt, John Phillips Sousa, and the Marx Brothers. By the end of WWII, it was an abandoned building, and beginning in 1955, the Community Theater Guild leased it and began theater productions. The city restored the hall in the 1990's and leased it to the Memorial House Company, and theater productions continue today... so naturally I had to take a few photos of the grand old lady...
Being a historical building, a few "historical" edits felt proper...
I really liked the old advertisements in the ladies room, lol...
On to the concert.. It took place on January 20th and this was the fourth year that the MegaBeatles did this benefit for the Memorial Opera House. The last three (including this one) have sold out (so keep an eye out and get tickets early next year)! It's such a great time, not only because of the music, but the friendship and love that fills the room. You have the band members that are friends, and their friends and family in attendance. Then there's groups of friends, families, and couples. All sharing their love for The Beatles, The Opera House, and these amazing talented musicians we have in Northwest Indiana. There's so much musical talent in Northwest Indiana, it's always an amazing time when some of them get together, and this night was one of those times. For those that might not know, the MegaBeatles consist of members of The Crawpuppies and the Chris & Lou Band (links provided at the bottom of the blog). I was fortunate enough to be able to photograph "behind the scenes" and soundcheck as well as the concert, so I added a few of those photos as well... I hope you enjoy them!
(Click on any photo to see them larger)
The "back line"..
A little preshow relaxing and goofing around backstage..
Almost showtime...
Up first, The Chris & Lou Band..
I was running around like a crazy woman with a camera, so I missed the couple, but there was a wedding anniversary celebration taking place...
Marty in his "Beatles wig", lol...
Next up, we have The Crawpuppies...
Then a break before the big jam...
Time for The MegaBeatles...
Made me think of the moon and stars...
All You Need Is Love..
I think this is my favorite photo of the night...
Shenanigans on the way (poor Lou, lol)....
Lou's in there somewhere..
What a great night, time to pack up and head out...
Sadly, flowers WERE harmed in the making of this concert...
For Facebook pages, click on the band names:
104 Indiana Ave
Valparaiso, Indiana
And here's the set list...
Chris and Lou Set
1. Slow Down
2. One After 909
3. I'll Cry Instead
4. Hold Me Tight
5. I Call Your Name
6. I'll Be Back
7. Wait
8. Help
9. She Loves You
10. I Want To Hold Your Hand
Crawpuppies Set
11. Twist and Shout
12. Can't Buy Me Love
13. Rock and Roll Music
14. I Feel Fine
15. Ticket To Ride
16. I Should Have Known Better
17. Blackbird
18. Something
19. Nobody Told Me
20. Jet
21. Instant Karma
INTERMISSION
MEGABEATLES
22. Hello Goodbye
23. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
24. Got to get you into my life
25. Yellow Submarine
26. Getting Better
27. Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey
28. Live and let Die
29. Whatever gets you thru the Night
30. I am the Walrus
31. Lady Madonna
32. Savory Truffle
33. Here Comes the Sun
34. Across The Universe
35. Silly Love Songs
36. Hey Jude
37. Get Back
38. Come Together
39. Obla- Di Obla Da
40. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
41. Let it Be
42. Back In the USSR
43. Revolution
44. Sgt. Pepper Reprise/ A Day in The Life
45. All Your Need is Love
46. Golden Slumbers/Carry that Weight/ The End
ENCORE
47. I Saw Her Standing There
** ALL photos on this blog are property of Christi Bushby, copyrighted and protected as such by law. Please see my copyright page for details and/or permissions of use.
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Christi, there are so many favorites!
ReplyDeleteI love that you included the historical nuances. You have such a talented eye. 💗