Featured Live Music Artist of the Week - B4 And After

Beatles and Beyond

B4 And After is a Beatles cover band, covering the "Beatles and Beyond" (hence the name).  They cover the entire Beatles catalog from beginning to end, including some of the rarities made famous with the Anthology CDs, plus Beatles Solo Careers.

The band consists of 5 people, so obviously they aren't trying to look like The Beatles, unless you consider the Stu years.  Anyhow, when it comes to The Beatles, it's really all about the music.  And, that is where this band excels!!!   "Close your eyes" (to quote the Fab Four) and listen, and you'll think you are hearing The Beatles.  With a 5-piece band, the band is able to introduce keyboards and not lose any guitar influence into the song.  In the Beatles early years, this didn't matter, but the studio years - that keyboard is vital! 

The band is excellent at cycling through, in no particular order, all of the Beatles eras plus the solo careers of all four members.  In each case recreating the sounds faithfully.  As any good Beatles fans, these guys also know all the trademark funny lines such as "rattle your jewelry" and many others and they incorporate those, with their own unique touches, into the between-song dialogue, creating an excellent bond with the audience.

Each member of this band is more than accomplished and brings years of experience to the stage.  Obviously a 5-piece band can not create Side 2 Abbey Road perfectly - that would take 15 pieces (or more) - but they recreate the studio sounds so faithful, you really don't notice the absence of the viola or some obscure anvil.

They are great at engaging the fans, who are usually up and dancing by the 4th or 5th song (if not sooner) - and naturally everybody is singing along almost immediately.  Because they recreate the music faithfully, signing along is easy, because Beatles fans know the music by heart and can sing it in their sleep.

They bring high energy to the stage as well, keeping with that live Beatles spirit and present a concert worth seeing again and again.......and again!

Bob Blider, one of the members of the band also performs Beatles and Beyond music as a solo acoustic artist.  He can be seen/heard here live on these dates :

Friday February 6 at Stray Bar in Frankfort, IL in a special tribute show to George Harrison
Friday March 20 at Amici's Taverna in Steger, IL in a Beatles and more show