VDT View — Billy McGuigan remains amazed at the many ways the Beatles music connects with people’s lives.

He understands. As he describes himself on the phone, McGuigan’s “an insane Beatles fan,” the son of “a monstrous Beatles fan.”

He’s such a fan that McGuigan, two of his brothers and four additional musicians star in “Yesterday & Today: An Interactive Beatles Experience,” which plays later this week as the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts’ final Presenter Series show for the 2009-10 season.

“I always wanted to do a Beatles show,” McGuigan says. “I always wanted to be Paul (McCartney), but I can’t play bass.”

The McGuigans wanted to create a Beatles show but wanted to avoid the trap of trying to impersonate McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

“So, we don’t try to look like them, but we were looking for a hook for a Beatles show,” Billy McGuigan says. “We looked at the possibility of a request show, but learned that, when it comes to the Beatles, people didn’t just make a request. They had a story about why they made the request. People are very passionate about it.”

That’s the interactive part of this show. McGuigan and company handle the music. The audience chooses the play list. Audience members will get to make a request and share a personal story behind the reason for the request. The band usually shares the audience stories during the performance.

These requests and stories are collected as the audience arrives. About 10 minutes prior to showtime, McGuigan and some other band members go through the requests. Songs with the most requests typically go first. Requests with great personal stories are also selected.

Billy McGuigan and some of the band quickly chart out a play list for the first half of the show then hit the stage. The other two McGuigan brothers prefer not knowing which song is next until hearing the request read.

To make this work, the “Yesterday & Today” band must know every Beatles song. Someone may request “Honey Pie,” for example, along with the expected “Please Please Me.”

The band knows the songs but, McGuigan admits, certain song requests are few and far between. The band tells the audience beforehand if they haven’t played a certain tune in a while.

“Part of the magic of this show is the audience sometimes tries stumping the band,” McGuigan says. “That’s part of the fun.”

The band will even take the occasional stab at “Revolution No. 9” off the “White Album,” though McGuigan adds they only do about 10 seconds of Lennon’s off-the-wall song. “If we did the whole thing, most of the audience would leave,” he says.

The band also has seven members to handle live performances of songs which the Beatles recorded but never performed live: Songs such as “Strawberry Fields” or “A Day in the Life.”

The concert also becomes a communal event. People discover insights about people in their towns during the show. They connect through the music of the Beatles.

“We paint the picture for the audience,” McGuigan says. “A woman might write, my husband died and at the funeral we played ‘In My Life.’ It becomes a very powerful moment. You can see people in the audience closing their eyes and seeing what these songs mean to them.”

This connection is multi-generational. It doesn’t just come from the baby boomers who were kids when the Beatles first took the stage. Passion for the Beatles has continued through younger generations.

McGuigan also tours in a Buddy Holly show, which attracts audiences in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, but the Beatles show attracts as many kids as adults who remember the Beatles firsthand.

“With the Beatles, Grandma can play Beatles Rock Band with the grandkids,” McGuigan says, “and everyone gets it.”



SHOWTIME

The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts Presenters Series hosts “Yesterday & Today: An Interactive Beatles Experience.”

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

Where: Mathis City Auditorium, 2300 N. Ashley St.

Ticket: $45.

More information: Call (229) 247-2787; or visit the arts center at 527 N. Patterson St.

Sponsors: Presenter Series sponsors are The Valdosta Daily Times, Ambling, Dr. James Sinnott/Dr. Ed Fricker & Families, First State Bank, Georgia Power, South Georgia Pecan, WALB.