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Beatles vs. Stones showdown coming to Elgin's Hemmens Sept. 23

Who's better: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? Some people have a ready answer, others say it's simply impossible to say.

People will have a chance to debate that when “Beatles vs. Stones — A Musical Showdown” takes the stage Monday, Sept. 23, at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. The show has been touring since 2011 with more than 150 dates per year. The current tour features two long-standing tribute bands: Abbey Road, aka The Beatles, and Satisfaction, aka The Rolling Stones.

The Elgin show will have a special addition: the St. Charles East High School's string quartet.

The Beatles

Nate Bott, who plays John Lennon, has no problem proclaiming The Beatles's superiority, even if he admits he's “a little biased.”

“I just think that the song writing is a little more consistent,” Bott said. “I mean, if you want to just look at the numbers, they definitely had a lot more No. 1 hits than the Rolling Stones ever had. All four of them could sing, and you only have one guy who can sing in the Rolling Stones.”

Still, “In general you can say both bands are legendary and have contributed incredible amounts to the culture.”

The other members of Abbey Road are Axel Clarke (Ringo Starr), Chris Paul Overall (Paul McCartney) and Zak Schaffer (George Harrison).

The four Beatles all had big personalities, whereas with The Rolling Stones, it's all about Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Bott said.

“For Mick, you have to have the right moves,” Bott said. “But the attitude and the chemistry and the musicianship of The Beatles, I don't think it's anything you can really phone in.”

Playing Lennon is “definitely big shoes to fill,” Bott said, including the challenge of getting Lennon's English accent just right and matching his quick wit onstage.

“As a song writer you're given an opportunity to send a message to your audience and John Lennon is a master at doing that,” Bott said. “From the extremely commercial, fun songs to a thought-provoking political message, he kind of ran the whole spectrum. He was also very abstract at times.”

The Rolling Stones

Chris LeGrand, who plays Mick Jagger, has a more nuanced answer about which band is superior.

The Beatles were great pop rock songwriters and “phenomenal” in the music studio, he said. “They reeled off years of hits that probably won't be matched by any band.” However, The Beatles broke up in 1969, when The Rolling Stones were still finding their way as a live act. The Stones ended up having a nearly six-decade career at the top of the charts, with their latest tour this summer.

“The Rolling Stones had a wealth of hits and became more of a live act,” LeGrand said. “They turned into a powerful touring entity. They have produced great albums and their longevity is well-written, well-documented. They are still around.”

Jagger — who turned 76 this year — has evolved as a character and a performer over time, LeGrand said. So Legrand constantly watches videos and refines his own performance, which of course includes “moving like Jagger.”

“It's a lot of study. It's like casting yourself for a role in a movie. Luckily, there's a wealth of material,” he said. “It's never going to be perfection, but if you work pretty hard at it, you can get excellent.”

The others members of Satisfaction are Trey Garitty (Keith Richards), Ron Nelson (Ronnie Wood), Dom Lanzo (Bill Wyman) and John Wade (Charlie Watts).

So who was the better singer?

“John Lennon is the better singer and Mick Jagger is the better vocalist,” LeGrand said. “John Lennon certainly sang a lot of great songs, but Mick Jagger was more of a vocalist. He worked his voice in different ways for different kinds of music — country, dance, R&B, blues, rock, ballads.”

St. Charles East quartet

St. Charles East High School seniors Ayu Seiya, Lasey Emmerich, Storey Childs and Trudie Childs will join the two bands for the songs “Eleanor Rigby,” “A Day in the Life,” “Yesterday,” “Hello Goodbye,” “Hey Jude,” “As Tears Go By” and “Ruby Tuesday.”

School orchestra director Daniel Beder said it's a really cool opportunity for the students.

“It's a different style of music from what they usually play, and playing gigs of different music styles is really part of the life of a musician,” he said. “Orchestra musicians are unfortunately not often treated like rock stars, so this might give them a taste of that life.”

Performing pop songs with live bands on stage will be totally different from performing classical and orchestral music, violinist Seiya said. Classical music and instruments aren't very popular, particularly among teens, so a show like this also is a great way to bridge that gap, he said.

“What's nice is the parts aren't too technically difficult, so instead of worrying too much about our parts, we'll be able to focus more on really crafting the music, musically engaging with everyone, and just taking in the experience,” he said.

As for which band is better, both Beder and Seiya called it for The Beatles.

“I grew up listening to them on my parents' LPs,” Beder said.

“Their music captures this heartfelt nostalgia that just speaks to your soul and moves you in a certain way,” Seiya said.

• • •

“Beatles vs. Stones — A Musical Showdown”

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23

Where: Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin, (847) 931-5900 or hemmens.org

Tickets: $35-$75

"Beatles vs. Stones - A Musical Showdown" comes to the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin on Monday, Sept. 23. The Rolling Stones tribute band Satisfaction includes Chris LeGrand (Mick Jagger), Trey Garitty (Keith Richards), Ron Nelson (Ronnie Wood), Dom Lanzo (Bill Wyman) and John Wade (Charlie Watts). courtesy of Michelle Fairless
St. Charles East High School's string quartet - Lasey Emmerich, left, Storey Childs, Trudie Childs and Ayu Seiya - will perform on stage with "Beatles vs. Stones - A Musical Showdown" Monday, Sept. 23, at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. courtesy of daniel beder
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