‘Bootleg Sixties’ brings ‘The Zombies’ to life at the Grand for one night only. Whether, ‘She’s not there’, or anyone remembers her being there, or being there themselves in the sixties? Sunday evening saw a revival of swinging sixties hits, one after the other being performed live by ‘The Overtures’, on stage at the Grand, Blackpool.
Many an original Beatnik, or teenager of the Beat Generation, grooved to the rhythms of the sixties vibe culture displayed on stage. ‘The Overtures’, a five piece group, (not band), as it were, performed their set to an awaiting audience of swinging sixty somethings, and some younger kids too. All cheers, laughter, and possible tripped out emotions enlivened the senses as ‘the group’ rocked and played some of the best, and most recognisable hits of the best decade – the swinging sixties.
As promised, the The Overtures, have magnificent voices, and where sometimes their clothes, or creations, failed to look as authentic as they could have, their sound was spot on. With repertoires ranging between Hawaii 5-0, to The Beach Boys, and beyond, where their rendition of Procol Harum’s Whiter shade of pale reached the dizzy heights of the Grand Theatre’s ceiling leaving only the sense of definitely ‘skipping the light fandango’, it was apparent that these boys really know how to please an audience with covers of probably the most recognised, and acclaimed pop music of the twentieth century.
‘Just walk away Renee’, had me in tears, thinking of lost love, and how it was for the sixties kids finding love, then losing it, so to speak. The film reel backdrop was as I had predicted with amazing footage of Twiggy, The Monkees, JFK, The Moon Landings, and many more iconic, images of what summed up the sixties in a single frame of still photography. Some black, and white, others in colour.
A sentimental journey through some of the more famous partnerships of the sixties, including Elvis, and Priscilla, Paul McCartney, and Jane Asher, Serge Gainsbourg, and Jane Birkin, fell as a backdrop toward the end of the show. How young they all appeared, and of course, they all were.
With pyrotechnics, (that’s fireworks to you and I), to boot, as The Who’s song Pinball Wizard, brought every zombie back into the stratosphere within the theatre, by going way back to the sixties, a definite wake up call for anyone who was getting weary.
In all Bootleg Sixties had the people in the stalls, swinging from the rafters, they totally loved it, and danced to the Beatles, The Stones, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Mammas and the Pappas. The audience clapped and laughed in memory of a youth possibly too hard to live up to, by the youth of today. It was fab and they all danced, or grooved, which is the main thing.
Shame it doesn’t happen more often.
For more information about upcoming shows at the Grand Theatre visit www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk.
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