The Pete Best Band @ Rochester

The German House, how appropriate for the Pete Best Band to launch their postponed Spring 2005 U.S. Tour at this venue. Pete Best had been drafted to join The Beatles as their drummer on their first tour of duty to Hamburg, Germany; in the red light district no less.

That was August 1960, an important formative period for the Liverpool lads in their musical progression as the 'Next Big Thing'. The Pete Best Band appeared in Rochester, New York, on Tuesday, May 17, 2005. The German House, erected in 1908 as a Parish Hall, was now headlining the Man who put the Beat in The Beatles.

The Pete Best Band had originally scheduled two Spring Tour legs, but their lead guitarist, Mark Hay, was found in a diabetic coma on the eve of the tour launch. The unit secured second guitarist, Tony Flynn, to regroup and conduct rescheduled U.S. dates.

The Best Brothers and company were in top notch form. This group recreates that "sound" later recognized as the 'Mersey Beat'. The guitar-driven band recalls the hard-edged performances of The Beatles from their stints both at the Cavern Club and in Hamburg. That magic continues on stage everytime the Pete Best Band performs live.

After Melia's false start on guitar, the Pete Best Band kicked off their lengthy evening set with a rhythm-drenched version of "Slow Down". Taking an early page out of the prolific Lennon-McCartney songbook, Cavanagh with Parry sang "One After 909", which rocked just like the 1963 Anthology outtake.

Flynn stood at the mike to sing a mellow intro on "My Bonnie", which abruptly ended with a quip from Chris, "That was our version, ladies and gentlemen". After asking, "Would you like to hear a bit more?", the band reprised the melody now in a hard-hitting tempo with Cavanagh on lead vocals.

"Great Balls Of Fire" underwent a make over with the Mersey treatment. The Best Brothers punched up the beat in a dual-drum duet. Melia took a turn at the mike on "Sweet Georgia Brown". Band members contributed soaring harmonies on the chorus, which is an outstanding strength of this unit.

Back-to-back Beatle numbers, "Hello Little Girl" and "Like Dreamers Do", were both auditioned at the infamous 1962 Decca recording session with Pete on the skins. These PBB renditions were power-packed romps, giving the crowd a glimmer of what made the world shake to a new beat during the embryonic phase of Beatlemania in the 1960s.

When Parry stepped forward to the microphone, nobody was prepared for the vocal assault delivered by Paul on "Long Tall Sally". Winning the MVP Award for the Rochester gig, Parry belted out an intense intro. This stunning number, aided by Melia's lead guitar solo, was a mega-highlight during the German House performance.

"Rock And Roll Music" spotlighted Flynn's vocal abilities on this stellar band jam. "Now, I want to take you back to the Cavern", introduced a song adopted by The Beatles. Their fierce version of "Some Other Guy", spiked by an original lead guitar solo from Melia, embraced the raw essence of how the Fab Four empowered that composition on stage.

Spontaneous dancing erupted once again for "I Saw Her Standing There" as fans rejoiced in abandon. Parry's bouncing bass lines energized an aroused audience during this crowd-pleasing Beatlemania anthem. This proves sound waves from the British Invasion are still in motion to modern day!

With the crowd up on their feet, a rousing "Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" brought the evening to a climatic close. A clamoring audience was greeted by Pete Best, "Do you want to hear more!", before launching into the encore "Johnny B. Goode". After announcing band introductions, the animated group cranked up the intensity on stage to leave the Fab fans hungering for more.

Laura Bianchi, a 19 year-old from neighboring Spencerport, grew up to Beatles music from her parents. She commented, "It's cool what Pete's doing now. They sounded awesome, great, good harmonies". Her friend, Sara Catlin, thought, "It's like a piece of Beatles history; familiar songs from that era".

Mike 'Stu' Capes, 41 from Irondequoit, caught the PBB for the first time. He confessed, "I felt it. I got a tingle", during both versions of "My Bonnie". He singled out "Long Tall Sally", "By far, everybody cheered the loudest. The bass player - he just ripped it right out".

The Rochester audience enthusiastically cheered in approval throughout the gig. The Pete Best Band is anchored on drums by brothers Pete and Roag Best. Lead vocalist Chris Cavanagh, lead guitarist Phil Melia, and bassist Paul Parry were supported by the talented Tony Flynn on electric guitar. Guitarist Mark Hay is recovering as well as can be expected.

Pete Best reappeared following the performance to sign autographs for the Fab fans waiting to meet this living legend. The guys in this group are all nice as can be to the fans. The unending adulation for The Beatles is now more than four decades strong, and it's fabulous to see younger fans turn out to hear the Pete Best Band live.

The Pete Best Band recently filmed a live performance at the world-renown Cavern Club in Liverpool. The group has been recording new demos in anticipation of an original studio album to be released in Spring 2006. The last PBB album was a studio CD of cover songs released in August 1999, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of The Beatles first appearance (as The Quarrymen) at the Casbah Coffee Club in Derby, Liverpool.

The Pete Best Band website

Rochester setlist: Slow Down * What I'd Say * One After 909 * Please Mister Postman * P.S. I Love You * My Bonnie - Tony then Chris * Besame Mucho * Ain't She Sweet * Cry For A Shadow * September In The Rain * Roll Over Beethoven * Great Balls Of Fire * Sweet Georgia Brown - Phil * Hello Little Girl * Like Dreamers Do * Till There Was You * Long Tall Sally - Paul * Rock And Roll Music - Tony * Some Other Guy * I Saw Her Standing There * Twist And Shout * Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey * Encore: Johnny B. Goode

RockonTour Issue #45
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Keeping the Beat Alive in 2005
The Pete Best Band rocks Rochester

by Timothy Tilghman