“Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust,” wrote Joe Strummer in the Clash’s London Calling back in 1979. Well, sorry Joe, but you were wrong: There are, in fact, three different sets of phony Beatles performing in New Orleans in months to come, starting with the Beatlemania Now show at this week at the Joy Theater.
Not the Beatles.
Inaugurating the fall season at the Joy (1200 Canal St), the show Beatlemania Now will combine the quasi-Beatles performance with multi-media backdrop recalling those wacky, turbulent ‘60s (for those who weren’t around, there was a war going on, and a lot of them hippie kids got carried away). The four guys who portray the Fabs in this particular show are almost English, in the sense that the group is from the Delaware Valley and a couple of them hail from New Britain, PA. Performances are on the same schedule this weekend and next (September 12-15, and September 19-22): Thursdays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets start at $40; available at www.thejoytheater.com or at 800-745-3000.
If that doesn’t satisfy your Liverpool craving, two more sets of Beatles are hitting the Saenger Theater (1111 Canal Street) this winter: The group known as “1964: The Tribute” will play one night only on November 9; and the group Rain—probably the best-known of the tribute pack—are playing four shows on the weekend of January 17-19. Visit www.saengernola.com for details.
And just to turn our attention back to a real Beatle: Have you heard Paul McCartney’s new single yet?
