Beatles tribute band plays The Blue Note

Mystery Trip was disappointing for loyal yellow submariners.

By Ryan Cornell

Published July 8, 2009

Hordes of aging baby boomers lined up on June 25 in front of The Blue Note doors in the summer heat to wait for the Mystery Trip concert to begin. Of the many nostalgic stories tossed back and forth, one father trekking from nowhere, Oklahoma said he had passed on the opportunity to see the Beatles' last concert at Candlestick Park. Apparently, by seeing this tribute band, he hoped to get some closure. Unfortunately, comparing the Mystery Trip with the Beatles would certainly make John and George roll in their graves.

Based out of Nashville, the Mystery Trip claims to play "the definitive sound of Liverpool" and consists of five members who couldn't look more different from each other. Comprised of Saul Zonana, Gordon Kennedy and Steve Allen on the three lead guitars, keyboardist Rob Arthur and John Salaway on drumset, the Mystery Trip cuts the crap associated with countless other tribute bands and skips the moptop wig and Sgt. Pepper costumes. And though Allen could be easily mistook for another member's father or have been a roadie for the Beatles back in the day, they do a decent job at masking their southeastern roots with a fake British accent.

Nevertheless, their versatility was a plus. Throughout the setlist, many of the members would switch instruments in a near game of duck-duck-goose. It could even be argued that Salaway, the drummer, had the best voice of them all.

Aptly starting with Magical Mystery Tour, they tore through a variety of songs, many of which came from the Beatles later work (and thankfully, wasn't a mere rundown of the Beatles' 1 album). After nice renditions of "Lady Madonna," "Paperback Writer" (my personal favorite) "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "Across the Universe," one could finally see why this band only has three hits on Google's front page. Although their skilled guitar work and vocal harmonies could surely get perfect scores on the upcoming "Beatles Rock Band" video game, there was definitely an element missing from the performance. Not only was their tempo dragging in a majority of the songs, they lacked the energy and intensity needed to pay tribute to such an important band. Of course, they have perhaps the highest standard of music to meet and it's often said the Beatles' music was never meant to be played live, but these guys could most likely use a spiritual pilgrimage to India, or at least a heavy dose of LSD.

Climaxing at "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," the band broke the boundaries set by Sir McCartney and launched into a massive solo session. At this point, the handful of college students waving scarves and dazed hippies no longer had to force themselves to enjoy the concert. Then, after a brief intermission, the Mystery Trip played crowd favorites such as "Help," "With a Little Help From My Friends" and "Revolution." But it was already too late.

Some might say it was a good thing the Beatles broke up and went their separate ways. Otherwise, they might turn into a band like the Mystery Trip, a group akin to the fermenting Rolling Stones or Eagles that takes themselves much too seriously. In a way, the Mystery Trip could be compared to a cult-classic movie. They were trying their best and were hitting everything they set out to accomplish. But similar to "Eraserhead" and "A Night at the Roxbury," they just didn't belong. A better setting for them would be an afternoon over-forties club or maybe even a battle of the bands against "Across the Universe" stars Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood. In conclusion, the Mystery Trip is a nowhere band: neither here, nor there, deserving not The Blue Note nor The Blue Fugue, neither hello, nor goodbye.