An Evening With Pete Best
Part II: The Performance

Following a brief intermission, Pete best was joined on stage by three talented Canadian musicians who performed many of the early Beatle songs that the group had developed during their grueling performances in Hamburg and the Liverpool cellar clubs. The band consisted of Pete Best on a set of Premier drums; Paul Eisen (Halifax) and previously from "Tribute" on vocals with his Fender Precision bass; Floyd King (Amherst) on vocals and rhythm with his Charvel redburst six-string; and Kevin MacMichael (Halifax) and previously with "Cutting Crew" on vocals and lead with his Fender Stratocaster with vintage white finish. The sound quality was excellent with nice lighting effects throughout for all artists. The narrator was Kevin MacMichael who provided a warm but knowledgeable introduction to the numbers with intersting anecdotes (twice with the help of Pete) that addressed the music of the period nicely. Of particluar note, was the Vox wall behind the group that was classic Beatles in sound and look. The bass guitarist had two Vox Bass Amplifiers and each of the guitarists had three Vox AC-30s behind them. While there was certainly no attempt to look like the Beatles, these guitarists had their chops down very well and the harmonies were excellent in spite of the difficult task of playing some testy riffs while singing. These performers had the feel of the times in mind with every song and each of their crystal clear renditions of the Beatles was accurate in most respects, from the bass runs of McCartney, the scintilating rhythms of Lennon and the chord based lead of Harrison. The performance was most impressive and well worth the time. Pete's drumming was steadfast and in all likelihood characteristic of the abilities he displayed the first time around forty years ago.

The group began with "Soldier of Love", a song written by one of Lennon's favourite artists, Arthur Alexander, who also wrote "Anna (Go With Him)" recorded by The Beatles. From this song on, in true Beatles' style, the show didn't stop for a minute. They were witty and entertaining throughout. The Harrison-Lennon instrumental "Cry For A Shadow" was a pleasant surprise with the cutting Lennon rhythm and the piercing Harrison lead nailed. Each of the artists took their turn demonstating solid vocal skills and the songs just kept coming with the audience included as well. The all guitar band performed "Money" with a raw ranchy quality that started things moving followed by "I Saw Her Standing There." A sterling perfomance from MacMichaels turned many a head throughout the evening.

Paul Eisen's rendition of "Like Dreamers Do" was superb and this was followed by Kevin MacMichael's McCartney touch on "Till There was You" which included all the lead fills coupled with great vocal range. Just when you thought that the blast from the past couldn't go on, Paul Eisen was back with "Hello Little Girl" with harmonies from Kevin and Floyd that sent shivers up your spine. The tempo increased with "My Bonnie" and "Roll Over Beethoven" and from the Hamburg days Floyd King belted out "Young Blood" as the Star Club memories surfaced with a vengeance. Realizing that this Beatles' fever was not sustainable and that there are limits to the number of "screamers" you can do in a row, three classic Beatles ballads emerged. Kevin began with another great McCartney tune with a flawless rendition of "I'll Follow The Sun" with the lower harmony line provided by Floyd King in the chorus. No guitar rhythm or harmony was overlooked. For me, the true highlight of the performance came with the three part harmonies provided by Kevin, Paul and Floyd and the flawless instrumental performance on "Ask Me Why". No detail was overlooked in this number and at the end of this performance I am sure that my "YES" was heard even over the enthusiastic applause of the crowd. I do not know how long this song was rehearsed by it must have been considerable. The tribute to Stu Sutcliffe with "P.S. I Love You" was most touching and was but another great song with the classic background replies covered nicely. Then Kevin pulled out the harmonica which was the clear signal that "Love Me Do" was about to begin. This song gave the group their last chance to rest before the finale. Floyd then boke things wide open again with "Mr. Postman" and his vocal was right on the money with excellent backgroup vocals by Kevin and Paul. The last scheduled number was "Twist and Shout" which is one of those numbers that you can do only once a night. The audience was included in this number and their first attmept to cooperate resulted in the group referring to the song as "Twist and Whisper." But they worked us up to it and the final outcome was acceptable.

After the group took their bows, they were encourage to return with Floyd performing the last number of the evening "Kansas City." Pete Best provided the glue that held the performance together and did fine work with drumming that was solid and interesting throughout. This performance was an outstanding effort and a quality production that provided additional insight to the early years of The Beatles. Nonetheless, as I left the evening three and a half hours later and reflected on Pete's talents I still had to ask myself, "Why did they let Pete Best go?" While I still don't know the answer to this question, I do know that it was based on more than his drumming.