Celebrating the Beatles
January 27, 2016
From the phenomenon dubbed “Beatlemania,” that swept across the world in the 1960s, to the 1.6 million records sold in the United States alone, there’s no denying that the Beatles were one of the most successful and respected musical groups of all time. So it’s no wonder that they were the subject of the Diamond Bar High School’s Commercial Music Program’s show on Jan. 15.
The students from the Commercial Music Program performed two sets of Beatles songs, in a tribute concert.
The first set of songs consisted of early classics from the Beatles that anyone, young or old, would be able to recognize, including “Help!” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Between each of the thirteen songs, a short clip was played from “The Beatles Anthology,” setting the mood for the upcoming song.
One standout performer was sophomore Cheyenne Fox, who opened the show with “A Hard Day’s Night,” which displayed her powerful vocals and bass guitar skills. Joining her on stage were Glenn Arnande, Brandon Marantz, Yvonne Davis, Justin Yoo, Samantha Hersh, and Jacob Corletto, amoung others.
The Diamond Bar High School Orchestra was also included in many songs, adding an authentic feeling to the performance and elevating the sound quality immensely.
After a short intermission, and a welcoming message from teacher and director of the program, Daryl Hernandez, the students returned to the stage dressed appropriately in late 60s fashion, to perform all of the songs on one of the Beatles’ best-known albums, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
During this second set, Glenn Arnande and Brandon Marantz proved their vocal talents in “When I’m Sixty Four,” and “Lovely Rita,” respectively. Trying to recreate a sound as close to the original track as possible, guest artist Tapan Joshi was brought on stage during “Within You Without You,” to play the tabla, an Indian percussion instrument resembling bongos. The presence of the orchestra was heard heavily in the second set, which utilized many wind instruments.
As the show came to an end, Hernandez put into perspective all the work that went into preparing for the showing by thanking the many people who contributed to the process. The audience then left the theater with the promise that the songs of the Beatles would be stuck in their heads for days to come.
