Arrivederci Roma, hello Liverpool.
The Italian Paisans Club and Beatles music by the Nowhere Band Sunday night turned the SeaBreeze Regional Recreation Center into an “Octupus’s Garden.”
It was part of the club’s 2015 cabaret showcase entertainment events and for one night all the Paisans in the house were transformed into Beatlemaniacs.
“I’m not a great fan but everybody loves the Beatles,” said Jerry Vicenti, president of the club. The Nowhere Band is one of the top Beatles’ tribute bands and they played a tight and rousing set for nearly three hours, covering the Beatles’ songbook from “Love Me Do” to “Long and Winding Road.”
It is rare to see the group in such a small setting. In December, the Nowhere Band played the Savannah Center.
“We spend a lot of money for entertainment; that’s what our club is all about and that’s why it is so special,” said Vicenti, who with his wife, Annette, helped keep things moving throughout the evening for the sold-out event.
“Our club is all about respect, class and loyalty,” Vicenti said. “But we always want to have a good time.” The club currently has about 530 members and a long waiting list, said Vicenti, looking dapper in a dark suit and tie.
In addition to Beatles music, the club also shipped in about 120 pounds of Italian cookies from a bakery in Queens, N.Y.
So, at this gig, you could have a heaping helping of your favorite Beatles song and chow down a cookie, too. Toss in a little wine and it was anything but a hard day’s night.
“I love the Beatles, I went to my first Sweet 16 dance in 1964 and all they played was Beatles’ music,” said Jackie Buonocore, who grew up in the Bronx. “When the Beatles were on the ‘Ed Sullivan Show,’ I took still pictures of the screen. They were so different, so cool and so cute.”
John Maguire remembers going to JFK Airport in 1964 to see the Beatles plane arrive on the group’s first visit to America.
“They all looked so happy when they got off the plane,” Maguire said. “They waved to all the kids and we waved back. I will never forget the Beatles or their music. It has such depth and meaning.”
Denise Lyonnais showed up at the classy event dressed in her clown outfit. She belongs to Clown Alley 179 and members were at the event to greet people and share some laughs. But she turned serious talking about the Beatles.
“I liked Paul because he was so cute,” she said. “He had such great long hair and a beautiful smile. He’s a lot older now, but I still like him.”
Pat and Elaine Weith, both 81, shared a slow dance together as the band played, “In My Life.”
“We both love the Beatles,” Pat said. “I saw the Beatles at Shea Stadium in New York. Beatles music never gets old.”
Weith said the Italian Paisans club, “is about friendship. We get along and we have so much fun together. You don’t have to be Italian but you do have to be a good person.”
The Nowhere Band had the Beatle’s guitar licks and vocals down pat. The group featured Steve Lavalley as Paul; Chuck Noonan, John; Donavon Christenson, George and Dave Raddford as Ringo. They were joined on stage by Karkey Karkalits on keyboards.
The group played with intense energy and captured the funny side of the Beatles with their attitude and banter. The group changed outfits at least three times. They started out as the ’64 Beatles, moved to about ’66 and then went to a Sgt. Pepper look before finishing up as the long-hair and bearded Beatles of Let It Be.
“When I was just a kid, I told my mother I wanted to be a Beatle when I grew up,” said Noonan, during a break between sets. “She told me, ‘You can’t be a Beatle.’ Well, here I am 40 years later and I’m a Beatle.”
“We know we’re not the Beatles but we appreciate their music and want to play it because so many people grew up with it and still want to hear it,” said Christenson, who played a mean lead guitar.
“The thing is, this music brings back memories and makes people feel young again,” Lavalley said.
That’s how it was for the Paisan Club. The small dance areas on each side of the stage were filled with dancers. Those in the crowd sang-a-long to such Beatles’ standards as: “Hey Jude,” “When I’m 64,” “Penny Lane” and “Yellow Submarine.” There were even a few post Beatles songs, including “Imagine” and “Live and Let Die.”
You can see a clip from the performance on the Villages-News.com Facebook page at the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/TheVillagesNews?ref=tn_tnmn
The most fun came on a medley of “Twist and Shout” followed by a foot-stomping version of “Shout” that had people dancing in a locomotion line and singing along.
“You hear all this music and you realize how amazing the Beatles are,” John Chipriano said. “They were so unique and so talented. They weren’t together that long and look at all the music they gave us.
“I’m so glad I was young then and grew up with the Beatles music. It will always be a part of my life.”