Cat’s Cradle will “come together” on Sept. 28 with Beatles tribute band Abbey Road LIVE! for a one-night-only concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band's famous album, "Abbey Road."
With songs like “Come Together” and “Here Comes the Sun,” the album forged its way into music history and into the hearts of many Beatles fans.
“Growing up, I always listened to the Beatles, and I have really specific memories of singing 'Here Comes the Sun' with my dad,” UNC senior Brooke Smaltz said. “Besides the fact that I remember it growing up and it’s sentimental and nostalgic, I recently got to see Abbey Road Studios and walk across the sidewalk and it was really magical. It flooded back all those memories."
Abbey Road LIVE! is not a traditional cover band. The four musicians pride themselves on their ability to bring something more complex to Beatles music, band member Michael Wegner said.
"With Beatles tribute bands, a lot of them will put on suits and wigs and fake British accents and try to impersonate the Beatles," Wegner said. "We don't do that. We really just focus on the music."
According to Wegner, Abbey Road LIVE! formed nearly 20 years ago, when several members of another band decided on a whim to learn the entire "Abbey Road" album. Despite the fact that the band has performed the same set for other venues, Wegner said the concert at Cat's Cradle is even more special.
The music of "Abbey Road" was never performed live in concert by the Beatles. The group stopped touring in 1966. Wegner said Abbey Road LIVE! focuses on giving audiences the experience of an authentic Beatles concert.
"It's one of the most iconic albums, if not the most iconic album of rock 'n' roll history," Wegner said. "Everyone pretty much knows 'Abbey Road' and the cover with the Beatles on the crosswalk and whatnot.”
The music of the Beatles not only shaped the 1960s and 1970s, but also continues to influence audiences today. UNC sophomore Ashley Curry has been a Beatles fan since she was 11 years old.
