Brave Cover Band, We Salute You

Even though the Beatles disbanded in 1970, their fans remain a diehard and opinionated group. Time and tragedy have felled by half the greatest rock band of all time, but there’s something about a Beatles cover that can drive a devotee batty. Reviews of the navel-gazing musical Across the Universe were sharply split between haters of any amendment to the gospel of John, Paul, George, and Ringo; and open-minded souls who were totally fine with Bono self-identifying as The Walrus and Tim Curry butchering “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.” The point is that it takes cojones to step up to the microphone and cover a Fab Four song. And this weekend at the Seminole Hard Rock’s Paradise Live, Classic Albums Live is taking on a doozy. The band that prides itself on sonically re-creating track-for-track, note-for-note covers of beloved rock albums has undertaken the Beatles’ ninth official album, unofficially known as The White Album. We can already hear stick-in-the-mud fans sipping their haterade.

Some of the ditties on The White Album lend themselves readily to covers; “Ob La Di, Ob La Da,” “Revolution,” “Back in the USSR,” and “Helter Skelter” immediately come to mind as possible crowd pleasers. But what of the more experimental and edgy songs that made that album such a beloved landmark in rock music? Will the crowd be prepared for live versions of “Piggies,” “Happiness Is a Warm Gun,” “Wild Honey Pie,” and John Lennon’s achingly personal ballad, “Julia”? Find out this Friday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20. Contact Ticketmaster at 954-523-3309 or www.ticketmaster.com.
Fri., Nov. 28, 9 p.m.; Sun., Nov. 30, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m., 2008