State Theatre Presents "From Ed Sullivan To Abbey Road"

The award-winning Beatles concert, RAIN - The Beatles Experience, makes its State Theatre debut for one show only, Saturday, February 3, 2007, at 8pm. RAIN - The Beatles Experience is the first attraction in the theater's winter festival, Hub City Carnivale, three weeks of performances, activities, and attractions for children 1-100 sponsored by PSE&G. Tickets range from $25-55 (group, college student, and senior discounts available).

RAIN, the show the Denver Post calls "the next best thing to seeing the Beatles," boasts a song list of nearly 200 Beatlemaniac favorites, ranging from beloved ballads like "Let It Be" and "Hey, Jude" to classic hits including "Revolution," "Come Together," and "Can't Buy Me Love."

The giddy excitement at every RAIN show can be attributed to three distinct factors working magically together. One is the universal appeal of The Beatles' music. Second is the power of that music played to uncanny perfection. Third is the cohesive stagemanship of the members in RAIN, who have been playing together for more than twice as long as the Beatles did, and, indeed, are a band in the truest sense.

The show covers the Fab Four from their very first Ed Sullivan Show appearance through their Abbey Road album. RAIN is a multi-media, multi-dimensional experience"¦a fusion of historical footage and television commercials from the 1960s lights up video screens and live cameras zoom in for close-ups.

For the four longtime band members-Joey Curatolo (Paul McCartney), Joe Blithorn (George Harrison), Ralph Castelli (Ringo Starr), and Steve Landes (John Lennon), with a little help from their friend, Mark Lewis (keyboards, percussion)-the music is first and foremost. For more than two decades, RAIN has distinguished itself by focusing on details, always being faithful to The Beatles with the ultimate goal of delivering a perfect note-for-note performance. All the music is performed live, with no pre-recorded tapes, or sequences.

Legendary impresario Sid Bernstein is undoubtedly one of the greatest music promoters of the 20th century. The man who brought The Beatles to America for the first time with their inaugural 1964 concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, is perhaps best known as "The Father of the British Invasion." It was Sid who brought over this subsequent influx of music stars from the United Kingdom in the 1960s, which included such super groups as The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Jerry and The Pacemakers, and numerous others.

Bernstein, who has certainly seen his share of great music acts, recently had the opportunity to attend a RAIN performance. "When I saw RAIN's first concert in New York at Town Hall, I knew I had to see them again. This new group got me so excited," he raves. "I thought immediately about Carnegie Hall...the buzz...the first excitement of The Beatles. The music was the same; the feeling was the same. I thought about other venues RAIN could play - Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden"¦and all the excitement I felt. Thoughts of Shea Stadium flooded my mind. They look like them; they sound like them. This show is totally live. This group could excite 55,000 people playing the music that now belongs to the world...music that so many of us live our lives by. For those who were lucky enough to see The Beatles live, this is a tremendous opportunity to relive that time. For those who haven't, welcome to RAIN!"

Like The Beatles, the four onstage members of RAIN are not only supreme musicians, but electrifying performers in their own right.

SPECIAL NOTE: As part of Hub City Carnivale, following the performance, all RAIN ticket holders may show their ticket stubs for free admission to the 10pm Evening Movie Happy Hour next door at the Crossroads Theatre. The Happy Hour will be followed by an 11pm showing of A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964), a 'typical' day in the life of the Beatles, including many of their famous songs. General admission to the movie is just $5. -- www.statetheatrenj.org