By Dawn Hatfield

DailyAdvocate.com

VERSAILLES — On Saturday, May 20, 2023, Beatles fans filtered into BMI Event Center at 791 E. Main Street in Versailles, Ohio, ready to rock out to an evening of the next best thing—prestigious Beatles cover band, Liverpool Legends.

The evening began with local solo act, Jim McGowan of Ft. Loramie, warming up the crowd with several favorites, followed by BMI’s in-house laser light show.

By 7:30 p.m., when the lads from Liverpool took the stage, the fans were ready for some rock ‘n roll entertainment. According to bmieventcenter.com, the internationally acclaimed “Liverpool Legends are four lads who were hand-picked by Louise Harrison, sister of the late George Harrison of The Beatles.” In addition to touring all over the world, the band has headlined at the Rose Bowl four times and also been nominated for a Grammy for their Beatles songs on “Fab Fan Memories.”

“Liverpool Legends have headlined their own production in Branson Missouri since 2005. They have been awarded Best Show, Best Band, and received the prestigious Visitors’ Choice Award for Entertainer of The Year,” boasted the website, “and are currently performing at Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri.”

The show began at the start of the Beatles’ American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show February 9, 1964, and took the audience through the many eras of the Beatles’ musical creativity. From tunes on earlier albums, such as “Beatles for Sale” (1965), the Beatles’ fourth UK studio album, and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1967), which was released in both the UK and US, to the later melodies on “Yellow Submarine” (1969) and “Abbey Road” (1969), the last album the Beatles started recording before their 1970 break-up although “Let It Be” (1970) was the final work to be completed, Liverpool Legends successfully transported the audience back in time. Video footage of screaming fans and young John, Paul, George, and Ringo were peppered throughout the show, evoking memories of days long passed but certainly not forgotten.

With such an amazing array of work, no one concert could encompass all the Beatles had to offer, but Liverpool Legends came close. After an initial farewell, the audience demanded an encore that eventually truly ended with the entire event center joining along to “Hey Jude.”

In this small but spacious venue that can seat up to 1,200 guests, there is truly not a bad seat in the house, and with reasonable ticket prices of $30 each for general admission and only $10 more for a premium pass to allow for Front of Stage seating, guests’ money and time are well-spent seeing shows in “the middle of nowhere” Versailles, as Liverpool Legends put it.

Upcoming BMI events include Immortal Rock Festival – Part 1 on July 22 and 23 and Part 2 on Sept. 2 and 3; The Kentucky Headhunters and Confederate Railroad Sept. 16; Quiet Riot with special guest Saint Sept. 30; Stephen Pearcy (The Voice of Ratt) with Whitecross Oct. 7; Queensryche with Sacred Warrior Oct. 21; and E5C4P3 with Hot Blooded Oct. 28.

Visit bmieventcenter.com for a full listing of upcoming shows.