| Beatles Tribute in Plano |

I know, I know...I have been woefully negligent in my blogging of late. I offer my apologies and the only excuse that I really have, and that's I have been shooting too much to blog. Heck, I have been shooting too much to edit!

And so I know that some people are going to wonder how I have time to shoot, edit and blog a Beatles tribute that just happened last night. Well, the truth is, I had time to shoot it because it's a Beatles thing. I HAD to edit it, because the best editor in Texas, aka my wife Jacki, is too busy editing her weddings plus a few I slipped in on her. And I am just taking the time to blog it because it's a Beatles thing.

BTW, I don't think the City of Plano gets enough credit for putting on these concerts at Oak Point Ampitheater. They are very reasonably priced, I have photographed some KILLER bands there, and there's something really cool about throwing a blanket down, and listening to the music under the stars. Bravo, Jim Wear and the City of Plano!

I would say last night's double helping of Beatles took me back to my younger days, but truth be told, people who grew up on the Beatles seldom stop listening to the Beatles. And I think that'll be true even for today's kids who get turned on to the Beatles. There is NOTHING that my parents ever listened to that I accepted as my own, but both my kids are huge Beatle heads, and from the looks of last night, lots of kids today are still listening to the good stuff.

So let's get into last night's show. It was opened by Dallas' own Beatlegras. Old time blog stalkers of mine know that I photographed their big show at the Majestic in Dallas last year. Beatlegras plays almost exclusively Beatles songs, but with their own special arrangement in the bluegrass style. I gotta admit, when I first heard about it, nothing sounded worse than Beatles played bluegrass. But I gave their music a try, and I have to admit, I am blown away by what comes out of this three piece band. Their singing is amazing, their musicianship as good as any, but their abilities to arrange Beatles songs into new, fun music is beyond compare. They are funny, witty, and my absolute favorite music show to see in Dallas. Every show is different, but they are always great.

So let's see some Beatlegras photos...

Here they are. It was still daylight when they took the stage, so our lighting creativity is somewhat limited. Still, you can see that these guys are no average Beatles cover band.





Here's George, the standup bass player. He's fond of saying that he's the only one of the three of them with a Beatles name.





Dave is the guitar player, and I suspect the one most fascinated by the Beatles.



And Milo plays more instruments than I can count. And he makes every one sound like it's his specialty.





After Beatlegras, a band out of Chicago with a more traditional take on Beatles tributes. They're called American English, and they were introduced as being one of the top 4 Beatles tribute bands in the world. I was a little skeptical at first, and since you can't hear them on this blog, you're going to have to trust me on this one. They sounded unbelievably close to the Beatles. And as you can see, have more than a passing resemblance as well.





I mean, these guys were so spot on, that I began to pack up my camera gear. When my son Pete asked why I was packing up, I told him that I was getting out of there before Yoko showed up.

It takes more than a funny haircut and an old Hofner bass to sound and look this much like Paulie Mac.



Or a pair of Beatle boots. I used to have a pair like these. Why did I ever get rid of them? Too many goo goo babies, I suppose. (If you don't get the reference, just smile and go to the next caption!)



The lads started out of course with the early songs, which were great. Here's the Ed Sullivan era look.



Not exactly a dead ringer for Ringo, but he played just, and I mean just, like him. Sang like him, too. Sorry, mate.





The harmonica was a dead giveaway that Love Me Do was just around the corner.



Followed by some rousing She Loves You.





End of Act I.



Act II started appropriately enough with some incense.



Don't get me wrong...I love the older Beatles music, but I really became quite obsessed by it the more that they pushed the envelope. That envelope really flew off the table in the summer of 1967.



Sgt. Peppers for me was the watershed point in their career where they left every other band on the other side of the grand canyon. The Stones, the pre-Tommy Who...nobody, but nobody had ever done anything like Pepper before.





But then came the White Album, Abbey Road, and Let it Be. For me, the best three sequential records (CD's to you kids) to be recorded by anyone in history. Roll over Beethoven.

Classic Abbey Road evening wear.



I remember in high school, I wrote my senior English paper on the rumored death of Paul McCartney. Too long of a story to go into here, but there were lots of signs on albums and in lyrics that made people believe that Paul had been killed in a car crash and been replaced by a look alike. One of the supposed signs was that he appeared barefoot on Abbey Road. As I was looking at Paul last night, and saw his bare feet, I laughed at the thought that this man in front of me might not be Paul McCartney. Or that he has any kind of arch to his feet at all :>)



Doing some Hey Jude...a song Paul wrote to buoy John's son Julian during a time when John didn't pay a lot of attention to him because he was spending all of his time with the person whose name I won't mention for a second time. (Beatle grudges never seem to heal. I still haven't forgiven Eric Clapton for ending up with George's wife, Patti Boyd...)





Well, that's our trip down memory lane, with a bit of history and rock and roll photos thrown in. Quite a magical, mystery tour. Peace, out. And remember, all ya need is love. And to stay away from avant garde pseudo artists who are only after you for your money and who stand a pretty good chance of contributing to the breakup of the greatest band the world has ever known.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

| Dwight and Brooklyn |

Jacki and I had the great pleasure, and fun, to hang out with Dwight and Brooklyn. We started off in Sherman, and then headed to Denison.

We got some great shots in the 'little arboretum' behind the hospital.





We loved just watching Dwight and Brook interacting with each other. They are so clearly perfect for each other, and their sense of humor was on display as they had to put up with the antics of their photographers all afternoon.





People who follow our blogs know that we aren't real fond of posed photos. Sometimes, you mine gold shooting moments that the posers never get.





We then headed to lake Texoma, Oklahoma side, looking for some water.







Then we took off for downtown Denison and some of the interesting colors and textures there.



Jacki spotted this really interesting old yellow door.



We loved the sunlight coming through this old fan that was in the door.





I asked them if they could dance in the old cobblestone street. No problem!



As a kid growing up in Denison, I always was fascinated with this giant silo.



We were laughing about this lead paint and asbestos mixture. Sure, it was dangerous, but dang, the colors and textures were worth it.











A little hayride later, and our great afternoon was over. But we sure can't wait to photograph their awesome wedding next year!