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Almost The Beatles...members of tribute band "Twist & Shout"

(August 28, 2004) LAS VEGAS - Yesterday, did a show at the Imperial Palace, in the Kabuki Lounge, which seemed like a great room for magic. Holds about 60, but when I looked up about half way through the show, I saw an overflow crowd of people standing, laughing, drinking...it WAS a great room for magic, and this show was a chance for the hotel to see if they would like to have me work there on a more regular basis. Stay tuned.

THE BEATLES

Well, by now you know what a huge Beatle fan I am, and whenever I get a chance I check out the various Beatles tribute bands that visit Vegas.

August 20, was the date, to mark the date FORTY YEARS AGO when the Beatles played in Vegas, at the Convention Center...

Having seen RAIN (not bad, but not completely convincing) and THE FAB FOUR (regular performers in Vegas now, and a very good show), I was reluctant to go to The Cannery to see another one. TWIST & SHOUT really blew me and Jan away! These guys are the best I have seen. From the first song to the last, it was a thrilling recreation of The Beatles. The "Twist and Shout" show is headlined by Tony Kishman as Paul, Tom Teeley as George, Carmine Grippo as Ringo, and Jim Owen as John Lennon. In addition, the show includes multimedia clips that recall the events of the turbulent '60's and highlight America's first experience of the "Fab Four", and the hysteria that became "Beatlemania".

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The tribute show features more than thirty Beatles songs, and every stage of their career is included. It begins with a recreation of their 1964 debut on the "Ed Sullivan Show", in matching black Edwardian suits and boots, performing early hits like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You". Changing into the proper multicolored satin uniforms, the band then performs songs from the "Sergeant Pepper" era such as "A Day In The Life" and "Penny Lane". Finally, they cover the hippie days of "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be". All the vocals are performed live, and each performer plays his proper instrument superbly. The instruments, like the costumes, are authentic Beatle originals.

The outstanding member is Tony Kishman, who plays Paul so well, you'd think he was the real deal. Amazing. Tony told us after the show that he was in the orginal "Beatlemania" show on Broadway, and was one of the original members of the Legends in Concert cast. He's been doing Paul for over 20 years, and it shows. We are hoping to get these guys back to Vegas in another show we are now working on, we shall see...

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MAGIC CIRCLE ELECTIONS

Yes, it's that time of year again, and as I mentioned last week, this will be a very important election, as a number of controversial issue have been bubbling out of control. Happy to report that Alan Shaxon will not be challenged, and therefore will remain as president. We are all quite pleased with this development.

Our Predictions:

Ali Bongo will prevail as Vice-President despite heavy campaigning against him.

Rob Cox will unseat Chris Pratt in a close call contest.

The Candidates for Council who will get in:

1. Michael Alderman - been there for a long time, is most visible, and will get in again due to this fact alone.

2. Michael Bailey (the past president) - a solid front-runner after a long, successful (albeit controversial at times) run as the president. He will be the top vote getter.

Stephen Barney - will NOT get in, as he failed as head of the website development project to complete the new website after over 2 years of doing whatever it is he did. Good guy, but most will see this failure as a reason to not vote for him.

3. Janet Clare - popular and instrumental in the Young Magician of the Year Competitions.

4. Jack Devlin - probably the second most popular vote getter, he continues to work for the good of the Society, and is very popular among all factions.

5. Andrew Eborn - fairly new to the Council, one of the most vocal and is always pushing for reform, he will enjoy another term, for the betterment of the Society.

6. John Derris - another visible, and dedicated member, John will easily return to Council.

7. John Fisher - been aligned with Michael Bailey for a long time, will ride another wave of votes to another term.

8. James Fortune - would be good for all of us, not sure he can muster enough votes, though. (Hope he does).

Henry Lewis - will not get in, as he is also running for Vice-President against Ali Bongo, which could make him unpopular for another term.

9. Scott Penrose - should reach a fourth term with this election.

10. Fay Presto - we all need Fay to remain on Council, as a thorn and constant reminder to keep things fair and above board. She is the perfect candidate. Enough said.

11. Graham Reed - a truly good guy, working for unity, supports the President (as do all the others mentioned here) and it is true, he hates internal politics, and is always in the forefront of those seeking change for the good of all of us.

12. Peter Scarlett - another crusader for justic and what is right, Peter should continue as a valued Council member.

13. Derrick Speight - a crusader for justice and a dedicated member, he will return to Council.

Richard Stupple - good guy, but may have offended too many with his postings...

14. Chris Woodward - another dedicated member, Chris will round out the fourteen who will be elected.

Remember....Members can vote for up to 14, and I encourage you all to vote for ONLY those you truly believe have the best interests of The Magic Circle at heart. By voting for 14, you just might be giving valuable votes to someone who does not deserve them...in the last election too many people voted for 14, when they only really chose 8 or 9 candidates they believed in. Makes sense, right?

Again, this is only my opinion, after discussing with several members, and it is in no way my endorsement in every case, nor does it represent how I will vote...just a prediction, and a way to add even more controversy to the election process.

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We are continuing to get rave comments on the fab interview with Barbara...Blackstone's magical assistant. If you missed it, click here and check it out.

Until next week,

Magically yours,

Steve

 

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