If The Beatles Existed Today and Toured The Same As Paul
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I had this thought the other day- Could you imagine if the Beatles' heyday was today's age, with the modern media situation and social media, iTunes, computers, etc. And could you imagine they toured as much as Paul does today and if they toured like other big bands today (One Direction [barely a band], or more alt bands like Dispatch) What do you think the Beatles' setlist/concert experience would be like? Of course, they wouldn't do the thirty-five minute sets. I could imagine them playing shows in Brooklyn clubs or Lower Manhattan (Irving Plaza perhaps? Gramercy Theater?). MSG would be, of course, awesome as well. What do you think? Speculate below.
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KingMacca:
I had this thought the other day- Could you imagine if the Beatles' heyday was today's age, with the modern media situation and social media, iTunes, computers, etc. And could you imagine they toured as much as Paul does today and if they toured like other big bands today (One Direction [barely a band], or more alt bands like Dispatch) What do you think the Beatles' setlist/concert experience would be like? Of course, they wouldn't do the thirty-five minute sets. I could imagine them playing shows in Brooklyn clubs or Lower Manhattan (Irving Plaza perhaps? Gramercy Theater?). MSG would be, of course, awesome as well. What do you think? Speculate below.
It would not be the same, it was just a more beautiful and innocent time back in the 60's. IMO - they would not play as long as McCartney does with his shows. I don't think Lennon or Harrison really enjoyed playing live that much even in their youth. I would think you would probably have 90 minute show with Mr. Lennon and Mr. McCartney getting about 40% of the songs each. Harrison would get the remainder with exception of maybe one Ringo song.
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Would never happen. The Beatles knew "less is more." ...but if they did tour like Paul these days the other 3 would have probably never have made it to the stage or walked out.
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IF it had happened, it would be pretty much what you see at a McCartney show today. Paul with three sidemen and a keyboard player!!
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RMartinez:
IF it had happened, it would be pretty much what you see at a McCartney show today. Paul with three sidemen and a keyboard player!!
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A very interesting question. I think you would have to assume that social conditions would be the same as they were in '63 and '64, and that kids had the same mentality they had before The Beatles changed the world. If those were the circumstances, I think the reaction would be the same. They were so different, so revolutionary. So...cool! As for their set lengths, don't forget they honed their craft in the cauldron of Hamburg where they performed for hour after hour every night for weeks and months at a stretch. Sometimes they would stretch one song out for half an hour. I don't think they would have any problem with McCartney length shows today.
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Hmmm, all the paradoxes underlying Back to the Future are playing in my head right now. If The Beatles had not been around in the 60's, and helped define that decade.... well, I just can't imagine it. It does not compute. For one, I'd be richer and have a lot more room in my entertainment cabinets. Sadly, if the Beatles were just getting started in modern times, they certainly would not have released so many albums. One every three years would suffice. And no real pressure to put out a comprehensive album. A few singles on I-tunes would suffice. I presume in this horrid bizarro world The Beatles got their big break on Idol or X-factor or racked up a shiteload of hits on You Tube to gain notice. John ends up having a fling with Susan Boyle. Oasis would've ended up a Stones rip-off band. The Be Sharps never would've risen to prominence. Thank God that John, Paul, George and Ringo were born when they were.... phew.
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They'd have been playing the same set list for the last ten years and getting a lot of complaints about it! Or, God forbid, they'd have ended up as washed up as the Beach Boys were in the mid to late 70s and had John Stamos sit in for a drunken Ringo.
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If The Beatles toured today, George might tell us himself what a really good ukulele player he is.
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If The Beatles were a modern band, some of the people on this site might call them a flash in the pan and long for the good old days when music was real music and not all this yeah, yeah, yeah nonsense.
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moptops:
If The Beatles toured today, George might tell us himself what a really good ukulele player he is.
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I think if The Beatles had existed today they would have been an Indie band and less famous. It was something about the 60s that made it possible for counter-cultural music to progress and make it big. It's not really pop music, it's pop art.
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What if they became a dancing boy band?
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Yeah, y not. they were four good looking moptops. It's difficult to see that they would progress in the same way. The moon and the stars... coincidences.
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In this day and age, in the 8 year span that they recorded, they would only have about three albums released. They would be touring 2 years for each album. Ironically in an this ADD world - they would be over saturated with how much they put out in the 60's; singles and albums. But that was the mode of the time - capitalize on the success before the well ran dry.
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But it would have been interesting to read their breakup on Twitter.
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Yes, it's different times, I like to think that they would have approached creating music if they existed today also, not dancing... Lennon went to art school, McCartney was a multi-instrumentalist already in the early days, Harrison had a particular guitar style and sound. The songwriters... The Beatles was a creative band, from a musical perspective, they weren't circus clowns.
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moptops:
Would never happen. The Beatles knew "less is more." ...but if they did tour like Paul these days the other 3 would have probably never have made it to the stage or walked out.
^^ I agree.
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MetalGod:
In this day and age, in the 8 year span that they recorded, they would only have about three albums released. They would be touring 2 years for each album. Ironically in an this ADD world - they would be over saturated with how much they put out in the 60's; singles and albums. But that was the mode of the time - capitalize on the success before the well ran dry.
Still happens somewhat with teenybopper artists like One Direction and Justin Bieber... until they either "graduate" to the mainstream or implode.
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Hendrix Ibsen:
Yes, it's different times, I like to think that they would have approached creating music if they existed today also, not dancing... Lennon went to art school, McCartney was a multi-instrumentalist already in the early days, Harrison had a particular guitar style and sound. The songwriters... The Beatles was a creative band, from a musical perspective, they weren't circus clowns.
Even John referred to their unhappy touring days as them being "performing fleas."
