Sunday, February 7, 2010

Yellow Sub Marines

Saturday night in Fowlerville . . . and the performing arts theater at the high school was rocking. The Yellow Sub Marines, a group of four men from the mid-Michigan area became the "Fab Four" in two acts. Ringo, John, George, and Paul were in the house.This was a benefit performance put on by the Fowlerville Rotary Club, the high school, and sponsored in part by Fowlerville Ford to help raise money for the Family Impact Center. The Center is deep in their planning to move from their current location on Fowlerville Road south of town to the old administration building across from the high school.Before the concert, we had the opportunity to step into the auditorium and watch the band for a few minutes do their sound checks while dancers from Maria's Dance School practiced. No glitz, no glamour yet. There were also a few minutes to wander around to check out various display cases set up just for this event. The students at the high school created the displays from borrowed Beatles memoriabilia and artwork the students created.
Over the span of a half a dozen display cases, the evolution of the Beatles was truly evident; going from teeny-bopper music with an edgy sound to the revolutionary Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Everything from the work in the sound booth, to the dancers and band on stage, to the audience participation, made the evening just a lot of fun. The band, and in particular my favorite, "Ringo," worked hard, covered the songs beautifully, and seemed to be truly enjoying what they do. Even to the point, "George" stepped forward for a moment and delighted the crowd with an Eddie Van Halen riff.
Act 1 covered a large number of early songs -- you know the ones where every word is indelibly etched in your memory. Act 2 got a bit louder when the four men came out in the candy-colored Sgt. Pepper uniforms. It was easily a 2-hour concert and another great trip down memory lane of those youthful "yesterdays" of "twisting and shouting," before I began traveling down "the long and winding road."

A huge thank you needs to go out to Jerry Bell, President of the Fowlerville Rotary Club, and Jeanne of the Fowlerville High School for their efforts and enthusiasm to help out the Family Impact Center. Without their hard work, the Fowlerville community would never have had the opportunity to meet the Yellow Sub Marines.

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