Here comes the fun as Beatles tribute band Rain in forecast for Maverik Center
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles will play three shows this weekend at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, marking the first rock concerts at the venue in over a year.
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles appears during a soundcheck on Friday April 9, 2021, at the Maverik Center. The band will play three shows over the weekend at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, marking the first rock concerts at the venue in over a year.
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles appears during a soundcheck on Friday April 9, 2021. The band will play three shows over the weekend at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, marking the first rock concerts at the venue in over a year.
A mass vaccination site by day, the Maverik Center in West Valley City will be overrun by tunes from the British Invasion this weekend. Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles played live in front of a socially distanced crowd on Friday night and will perform twice on Saturday, marking the first rock shows at the venue, and some of the first in the state, in over a year.
Fans will truly be able to get back to where they once belonged as the live event industry looks to reopen after an extended hiatus. Steve Boulay, a member of the management team for the promoter Magic Space Entertainment, rated his excitement about this show at almost a 10 out of 10.
“This is the first rock show in here in over a year, that’s a big thing,” Boulay said. “You’re sitting here and it’s just fabulous, you forget how much you love this. Just being with people feels unusual and good, then you throw music in there and it multiplies it by 10. People are going to be so excited, I guarantee it. I couldn’t be happier.”
Boulay had been talking to promoters across the country and some international promoters, who are having shows pushed back due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the spikes some areas are seeing. He said the first step to getting the live events industry back on the right track is making people feel comfortable attending again.
He’s happy that the Maverik Center is working with Magic Space on this show, adding that the state even used some CARES Act money to make the shows possible.
Steve Landes, also known as John Lennon in Rain, said that the band is also excited to play in front of a live audience.
“Everybody wants to play music and get out in front of an audience,” Landes said. “Especially now that we are able to do it in a safe way — vaccines, masks and socially distancing. Do things the right way, do it with your heart, and as long as you’re passionate about the music, whether you’re playing it or whether listening to it, get out there and do it the right way. I’m glad that there is a light at the end of this long tunnel.”
When asked about why the Beatles’ music is so special and universal, Landes said that there was an energy about the band on top of a catalog that has stood the test of time. The messages of positivity are what has also stuck with the band with songs like, “All You Need is Love” and “Give Peace a Chance.”
These same sentiments speak to everyone, no matter what era or walks of life people come from. Landes said this is something everyone needs right now, maybe more than ever.
Along those lines, it’s been a passion of the band’s to spread peace, love and positivity, and that is exactly what it hopes to bring to the Maverik Center this weekend.
“This show is going to be kind of a best-of,” Landes said. “In past years we’ve been doing the whole ‘Sergeant Pepper’ album and this last year we were doing pretty much the whole ‘Abbey Road’ album live. This time it’s just a celebration of the music, a celebration of getting back on stage and doing the best of our favorite hits from the Beatles. It’s really something for everybody.”
The goal of these shows is to be inclusive, according to Landes, with people from all different levels of Beatles fandom being able to attend and enjoy the show.
When asked about some of his favorite songs that will be played this weekend, Landes jumped straight to a classic Beatles song that has some words that connect to the COVID-19 pandemic in a way.
“Especially tonight because we’re coming back from the pandemic, the quarantine, it’s such a rough time of being alone in our house and being away from people, I think that songs of positivity like, ‘Here Comes the Sun,’ are going to be ones that really feel good presenting to the audience,” Landes said on Friday afternoon.
On the promotion side of things, Boulay said the excitement for future shows is high although the industry is not bouncing back as fast as he would have liked. The reason why Magic Space was able to make this show possible is due to the connection between the company and the band.
It promotes and produces the show, so all of the equipment and staff were already accounted for. This made it possible for a nationally touring band to make a stop in Utah for this historic set of shows.
As people begin to file into the Maverik Center this weekend, it may be a hard day’s night but they will be able to feel fine through the upbeat, positive and at times groovy music of one of the world’s most well-known rock bands.
To purchase tickets to see Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, visit www.axs.com/series/11476/rain-a-tribute-to-the-beatles-tickets.