BWW Interviews: RAIN on Tour: Ian Garcia Talks about Tour and Playing Paul McCartney

RAIN is a great tribute show to the Beatles and has begun the newest tour throughout the United States and Canada. Ian Garcia plays Paul McCartney and BWW caught up with him as the show prepared to come to San Antonio.

How did you go from Chile, to Canada and now playing a British singer touring in the United States?

I grew up influenced by my parent's albums and what they would listen to and subconsciously I was taking in a lot of Beatles. Fast forwarding to being in my 20's and being a musician, there was a band that needed a Paul McCartney. And I'm a guitar player/singer originally so I said, "Well, doesn't Paul play bass?" and they said, "You can figure it out." So I learned three songs, I auditioned and I got the part. I was hired because of my ability to sing the higher notes that Paul could so that's why they called me up. A lot of bands in a lot of cities there are a circle of musicians that are like, "Hey, do you know any singers or do you know any bass players?" So, I did that group for a while doing a tribute to the Beatles and a couple of guys from RAIN saw a video on YouTube of me performing with them so thank God for technology. I got an email from them one day from them. "Would you like to audition for RAIN?" I said, "Yeah." So, here I am touring the states now. And it will be three years February 19. I did my first show at Shay's Performing Art Center in Buffalo. Crazy how the time has gone by.

When you're onstage, do you ever have any mishaps?

Of course there are mishaps. The thing that most guitar players dread is you may break a string. And you say, "What do I do now? I'll just play the best I can with three strings." There are some funny instances where perhaps our quick change areas moved to (another) side. Our John Lennon, I'm not going to say who it was, got confused and went to his side of the stage where there was nothing there. It was pitch black and got lost. He had to go downstairs, go around, come back up. If you don't pay attention to things like that, in one day it changes. Some of the older theaters have an elevator to the only way to get to the stage. You're pressing the button saying, "Come on."

What are some of the best memories you have in portraying Paul McCartney?

I had a pretty significant moment not too long ago in fact it was a few nights ago when I saw a gentleman who was there with his younger daughter and they were watching the show and they were very attentive to what was going on as opposed to just smiling. I was thinking, "I wonder if he's enjoying the show?" And then when I started "Hey, Jude," I looked across and he was crying with his face buried in his hands. And when he looked up and I saw him crying, I almost lost it. It' things like that, "I guess we're doing the right thing and we're really touching people." That means a lot to me. It really does. Things like that make you think this music is very impactful. Everyone's got their moment. Everyone's got their song or a particular memory.

What songs do you enjoy performing the most?

The entire show is incredible. The repertoire that we do is pretty diverse. I really enjoy the middle part of the show where we're wearing more colorful clothing. I really enjoy that period of the Beatles. It's fun to sing. It's a bit more challenging, a bit more layering of vocals and instruments.

And all the young people in attendance.

That's something I can relate to having grown up listening to Beatles. Your parents are listening to the music in the background. I like that detail too. I like to see kids out there. It was just the other night; there was a family in Corpus Christi in front of me and the mom, dad and the little boy. I was looking at them and they were singing to every song so that was really neat. That's the future generation. If you don't tell them who the Beatles are, they grow up saying, "I don't know who Paul McCartney is but Kanye West is going to make him a star."

I was going to ask you that question. What was your reaction to that?

It's just a face palm moment. It's musical history. You can't blame kids. I find it a little bit of responsibility on the older folk.

What's it like to meet with fans at the stage door?

It's usually a lot of kids and have bought a t-shirt or a program and they want a signature. We like taking pictures with the fans as well. They are so happy to meet the band. A lot of times, in past tours, even in the snow like Chicago, we've had people who have waited out there for almost an hour and finally our tour manager comes out and says, "We have some people waiting for you guys." I've already changed, the make-up's off. But, they are happy to see us in the end. I'm finding being a newer guy that we have a lot of faithful fans that have travelled and come see us at different venues. That's nice.

What's the hardest part of touring for you?

It's not a hard thing but you have to rest your voice and you have to rest period. You have to find little places to have a little nap and catch up because little details like a bumpy bus ride in the middle of the night can keep you awake. For example, we have early radio and TV spots as well. Luckily, we're at a hotel today and we get a full night's rest and we are off to a show when we get back. That's the hard part, just staying rested and staying healthy. Nothing performance wise or being focused on. That gets a little easier as the tour goes on. It gets fun and familiar as the tour goes on.

RAIN plays in San Antonio Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15. There are still some tickets available by going to the Majestic Theatre website. Don't miss it. There are only three shows.

To post a comment, you must register and login.