YESTERDAY AND TODAY Comes to Marcus Center For The Performing Arts This Weekend

The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts is thrilled to present a weekend of an all request Beatles show, Yesterday and Today in Vogel Hall this weekend, February 7-9, 2014. This engagement will take place during the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Tickets go on sale this Monday, December 16 at 12:00 pm. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased in person at the Marcus Center Box Office at 929 North Water Street, Downtown Milwaukee, by phone at 414-273-7206 or online at MarcusCenter.org or Ticketmaster.com. Groups 10+ SAVE! Call 414-273-7121 ext. 210 or ext. 213.

What makes Yesterday and Today different from every other Beatles show out there? Two things; 1. No wigs, no accents. Creator Billy McGuigan says, "Once you take those elements away, you get down to this most important part, the magical music." 2. The requests. The band plays the entire Beatles catalogue note for note. The audience is encouraged to fill out a request form with their favorite Beatles song and reason why they chose the song. Those requests are organized 5 minutes before showtime. The audience's requests make the set list for the evening and their story provide the evening's narrative.

In 1996, Billy, Ryan and Matthew McGuigan were just 21, 18, and 15 years old when their father, William McGuigan passed away, after a difficult, but courageous battle with Leukemia.

William "Bill", was enlisted in the United States Air Force from 1979 to 1994. He held the position of Tech Sergeant in the United States Air Force when the boys were young. Aside from his work in the armed forces, Bill had an immense love for two things in life. Naturally, the first being his sons, but it was the music of The Beatles, that came a close second.

Bill owned every Beatles album there was...even the obscure ones. However, as a family, the McGuigans were quite poor. So, rather than going out to entertain the young ones, Bill stayed home with them and shared his love of the Beatles catalogue with his boys.

Little did any of them know, it would turn out to be one of the greatest gifts a father could pass on to his children.

Now, almost fifteen years after the passing of their father, Billy, Ryan and Matthew, all married with children of their own, have united their musical talents, charms and passion for performing to create the ultimate living tribute to the greatest man they've known. They now tour the country with the show, "Yesterday & Today", which is a unique audience interactive concert experience, born out of the idea that everyone, like themselves, has a story or particular memory attached to the legendary music of The Beatles.

What the McGuigan boys have overwhelmingly found, since debuting the show in 2007, is that not only do people have a story to tell, but they are absolutely ready and willing to tell that story when being able to tie it to their favorite Beatles song. On some level, it goes beyond sheer entertainment, and perhaps becomes a hint of music therapy.

Every night the songs change, the faces change and the stories change. But one element always remains the same between the McGuigans and their fans, a mutual respect for why they are there. Whether it's for the sheer love of the music, or to have a personal connection with it, either way, the McGuigan boys get to do what they love most - honoring the memory of a their greatest hero, and the priceless gift he gave them so many years ago.

Performances for Yesterday and Today are Friday, February 7 at 8:00 pm, Saturday, February 8 at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm and Sunday, February 9 at 2:00 pm. Tickets go on sale this Monday, December 16 at 12:00 pm. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased in person at the Marcus Center Box Office at 929 North Water Street, Downtown Milwaukee, by phone at 414-273-7206 or online at MarcusCenter.org or Ticketmaster.com. Groups 10+ SAVE! Call 414-273-7121 ext. 210 or ext. 213.

To post a comment, you must register and login.