Beatles come alive in ‘Bootleg’ show

MANILA, Philippines - The Bootleg Beatles made good on their promise not to disappoint a sell-out crowd with a 32-song repertoire and a moving production experience at the Resorts World Manila last Tuesday.

The show was billed as a commemoration of 50 years of Beatles music and the golden anniversary of the Fab Four’s only Philippine tour. The Bootlegs were last in Manila two years ago after trips in 1983 and 1987. They came back with a bang, delivering a performance that promoter Rajan Gidwani of Redstone Productions called the best approximation of the Beatles ever. 

The Bootlegs expanded their set list from 28 in 2014 to 32, including eight new songs Love Me Do, I’m Happy Just To Dance With You, And I Love Her, Michelle, Ticket To Ride, Strawberry Fields Forever, Eleanor Rigby and Back in the USSR. This time, they were backed by three English and six Filipino musicians who got together only for an hour before the concert without a single rehearsal.

Bootlegs founder Andre Barreau performed as George Harrison here two years ago but has retired to manage the band. He flew in from London with Steve White as Paul McCartney, Adam Hastings as John Lennon, Stephen Hill as Harrison, Gordon Elsmore as Ringo Starr, flutist and French Horn player Vanessa King, cellist Rob Woollard, keyboards player and percussionist Max Langley, sound engineer Hugh Jones and coordinating monitor David Cartwright.

Barreau said the Bootlegs are booked for shows all over the world and a highlight of next year’s agenda is a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

Langley said hooking up with Filipino musicians was a breeze. “They were sent note sheets before we arrived so when we got together, they knew what to do,” he said. “They’re unbelievable musicians.” The Filipinos recruited to back up the Bootlegs were Robert de Pano on trumpet, Michael Mark Guevara on saxophone, Ronnie Marqueses on trombone, Anna Janine Santiago on violin and Rommel Camba and Dino Akira Decena on viola.

The Bootlegs’ two-hour show was broken down into three parts. First was the British Invasion era where the Bootlegs appeared in suits, reminiscent of what the Beatles wore during their Ed Sullivan gigs. That was when they sang I Saw Her Standing There, She Loves You, All My Loving and A Hard Day’s Night. Second was the Sgt. Pepper period where they put on psychedelic costumes and sang eight songs, including Penny Lane, Magical Mystery Tour and With A Little Help From My Friends. Finally, it was the last chapter where Lennon was in a white suit and others dressed casually to sing Come Together, Get Back and Here Comes The Sun. The finale was Let It Be. What brought the house down was White’s stirring rendition of Hey Jude, accompanying himself on the keyboards.

The Bootlegs were more engaging than before, dropping Tagalog words and lines like Mabuhay, Salamat, Masaya kami dito sa Maynila, Sabayan ninyo kami kumanta, Mahal namin kayo and Paalam. The visuals on the giant monitor that served as the backdrop were eye-catching and complimentary to the stage act. 

As impersonators, the Bootlegs were on point. They not only sang like the Beatles but also looked and acted like them. White swung his bass like McCartney and even imitated his patented head movements. Hastings had the distinct nasal sound and posture so reminiscent of Lennon. Hill spoke like Harrison and his profile was nearly identical. Elsmore banged the skins like Starr used to, his mop top swaying to the beat. Barreau said their hairpieces cost the equivalent of P125,000 each and retouching was an added P25,000. The Bootlegs brought along 10 guitars, including McCartney’s Hofner and Rickenbacker bass, Harrison’s Gretsch, Gibson and Fender lead, Lennon’s Rickenbacker and Epiphone rhythm and three acoustics.

“I’ve been performing with the Bootlegs for 22 years,” said King who missed the last Manila visit but made sure she was in town this time. “I thought the Filipino audience was wonderful tonight.” Barreau said he tweaked the Bootlegs’ set list to include songs requested by Gidwani like Michelle and Eleanor Rigby.

White, 48, is the oldest of the group while Hastings, 28, is the youngest. “Steve was born in 1968 so the Beatles were still performing but the others were born way after they were done,” said Barreau. “It’s amazing how for five decades, the Beatles music is still very much alive and we couldn’t be happier keeping it alive.”

The Bootleg Beatles wind up their Philippine tour with a show at the SMX Convention Center in Davao tonight and at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu tomorrow, July 16. They return to Manila on July 17 to catch the connection to London.