Sunday, September 18, 2011

The Family Beatle

I have a great-nephew named Hunter (eldest son of my niece, Penny) who plays in a Beatles tribute band called Help! I'd missed an opportunity to see them at a local venue a few weeks back, but yesterday he and his bandmates were performing at Beatlefest in Orillia. A month ago, did I even know that Orillia hosted a Beatlefest every September? No I did not! And yet off Vicki and I went in the early hours yesterday, arriving in Orillia around 10:00 a.m. so that we could join the family for the fun.

They did a noon show, featuring hits such as "Day Tripper", "Something", "Back in the U.S.S.R.", "Octopus's Garden" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", among several others. Hunter plays guitar (or possibly bass, I can never remember how you tell the difference!) but also did lead vocals on a trio of songs during that set. It was a total thrill to see how good they are, and how much fun someone in my family actually has showcasing his musical talents (of which I have none). Here he is, playing:


There was another performance at 3:00, down the street (literally: Beatlefest is composed of a set of outdoor stages along the main street of Orillia), and we got to hear another, mostly-similar collection of songs that somehow managed to sound even better!

And here he is, proudly nestled up beside his favourite great-uncle:


The funny look he's giving me could be the result of me telling him that that green toque he's wearing is totally bogus...

It was an amazing day, and Vicki and I were both extremely happy that we'd made the drive to take part in it. I can hardly wait for next year!!

1 comment:

Sue G said...

I can't tell yet what it is that has left me speechless. - Matt up early of his own free will? - Matt as a great-uncle of an adult-sized person? Matt enjoying the antics of extended family at a god-forbid street party?

I think it was all that early exposure to garners in large quantities that perhaps helped prepare you for this last 2 months. :)

p.s. his face in the photo is because great uncles are really old and so don't hug cool band members in public venues.