2008 Woodie Awards
Beatles tribute band from Tokyo twists, shouts
Robert Vilchez
Issue date: 8/18/08 Section: Variety
The Beatles played at The Social last Friday. The Beatles tribute band, The Silver Beats, that is.
"I'm a huge fan of The Beatles, so that's why I came," Melissa Lirian, 17, said.
As an increasing line of fans wearing punk rock T-shirts, fedora hats and dress shirts patiently waited outside the venue for the doors to open, you could definitely sense the excitement from the crowd. After all, this was the first time The Silver Beats were playing in Orlando.
"I hope to hear a 'Day in the Life' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand,'" Ariel Cano, 24, said.
Around 9:45 p.m., spectators from all walks of life filled The Social, ranging from teenagers to husband and wives, all coming together for one sole purpose: to experience The Beatles' music live.
Hailing from Japan, The Silver Beats' band members are Tadaaki Naganuma as Paul, Hidemasa Mabuchi as John, Hajime Kubo as George and Yukinobu Kabe as Ringo. The band's Beatles' songs catalog includes 160 songs that cover the whole career span of the rock legends.
The Silver Beats made their debut in 2002 at The Cavern Club Tokyo, where the band still plays nightly from 7:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.
"We were all brought together because the club was looking for a new band," Mabuchi, the band's guitarist, said.
He also said that in their first show, they sounded like amateurs and needed a lot of work, but after a few years of practicing and continuous playing, the band eventually landed exhilarating shows such as opening for The Killers at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Mabuchi fell in love with the fact that in America, the crowds love to cheer to their favorite bands.
"In Japan, it's hard to read the crowd, but in America, people go crazy," Mabuchi said.
The opening band, Mumpsy, started off the night with refreshing rock songs such as "Thanks to You" and "Sir Lancelot," and a very warm welcome of "Hello, early birds."
Following Mumpsy was Prabir and The Substitutes, whose on-stage chemistry caused the crowd to jump and down like it was a music video for House of Pain's "Jump Around."
"I'm a huge fan of The Beatles, so that's why I came," Melissa Lirian, 17, said.
As an increasing line of fans wearing punk rock T-shirts, fedora hats and dress shirts patiently waited outside the venue for the doors to open, you could definitely sense the excitement from the crowd. After all, this was the first time The Silver Beats were playing in Orlando.
"I hope to hear a 'Day in the Life' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand,'" Ariel Cano, 24, said.
Around 9:45 p.m., spectators from all walks of life filled The Social, ranging from teenagers to husband and wives, all coming together for one sole purpose: to experience The Beatles' music live.
Hailing from Japan, The Silver Beats' band members are Tadaaki Naganuma as Paul, Hidemasa Mabuchi as John, Hajime Kubo as George and Yukinobu Kabe as Ringo. The band's Beatles' songs catalog includes 160 songs that cover the whole career span of the rock legends.
The Silver Beats made their debut in 2002 at The Cavern Club Tokyo, where the band still plays nightly from 7:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.
"We were all brought together because the club was looking for a new band," Mabuchi, the band's guitarist, said.
He also said that in their first show, they sounded like amateurs and needed a lot of work, but after a few years of practicing and continuous playing, the band eventually landed exhilarating shows such as opening for The Killers at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Mabuchi fell in love with the fact that in America, the crowds love to cheer to their favorite bands.
"In Japan, it's hard to read the crowd, but in America, people go crazy," Mabuchi said.
The opening band, Mumpsy, started off the night with refreshing rock songs such as "Thanks to You" and "Sir Lancelot," and a very warm welcome of "Hello, early birds."
Following Mumpsy was Prabir and The Substitutes, whose on-stage chemistry caused the crowd to jump and down like it was a music video for House of Pain's "Jump Around."