It's an age old question for fans of popular Rock music (or even just humans who know the names of either of these two groups): Which band is better? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
Thankfully, we have two dedicated tribute acts to help solve this musical morass: Abbey Road and Satisfaction - The International Rolling Stones Show.
The two are participating in the touring "Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown," a Rock & Roll rivalry coming to Riverfront Live in the East End on Friday, Oct. 16.
"Through their heyday, fans accused London’s Rolling Stones of stealing ideas — even entire albums — from their Liverpool counterparts. At the same time, the Beatles secretly envied the Stones’ 'bad boy' image and attitude, often copying their style. Both bands are unmistakably great, scoring an array of hits that changed musical history, but only one can be the best," reads a release.
Tickets for the show, which promises "fantastic music, iconic wardrobe and spot on performances down to the onstage banter, missed notes and flubs heard on the original records," are sold in groups of 4, 6, 8 or 10. The venue will also be enforcing social distancing, requiring groups to stand at least 6 feet apart from each other, and masks are required. Concertgoers must also remain seated and will have their temperature checked upon entry.
The press release also has dueling trash-talk quotes from band members to really hype the conflict.
“The Stones rocked the stage, and worked as hard as the bluesmen they modeled their stage show after, generating the smoldering sexuality that came to be a hallmark of great Rock & Roll acts. The Beatles? Well, they were cute," says Chris LeGrand, who plays Mick Jagger.
"We got our Sgt. Pepper jackets made a little long so the Stones would have no problem riding our coattails," says Axel Clarke, who drums as Ringo.
Should be a weird experience for myriad reasons, perhaps the least of which is that this tribute band fever dream is occurring during an international pandemic.
The show starts 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16. Tickets ($30-$40) can be purchased online at riverfrontlivecincy.com. Riverfront Live is located at 4343 Kellogg Ave., East End.
