Liverpool Legends to celebrate The Beatles at Egyptian Theatre

It was a cold night in New York City on Feb. 7, 1964, when a band from Liverpool, England, arrived to perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Celebrate the night The Beatles first came to America on the 60th anniversary of the iconic event with a performance by Liverpool Legends on Friday, Feb. 16, at the Egyptian Theatre in downtown DeKalb.

This particular Beatles tribute band is a bit different from all the others. Louise Harrison, the late George Harrison’s older sister, hand-picked the musicians who portray Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and her brother.

Marty Scott, who portrays George Harrison, met Louise when he was performing the late guitarist’s songs at a Beatles convention in Chicago in 2005. The two struck up a friendship and created Liverpool Legends together.

“George had just passed away [in 2001], and she thought I was being brought to her, she was very spiritual,” Scott said. “We just hit it off and hung out that whole weekend. She always said we were meant to meet that day, and she just kind of became my grandmother. We were as close as we could be. She was a big part of my life, and from the day I met her, it was never the same.”

The two recruited three musicians to portray the other band members, and in 2006, began crafting their show in Branson, Missouri, where the band played five nights a week in their own theater for many years.

Scott said Louise Harrison, who lived with her then-husband in southern Illinois for many years in the 1960s, was very involved with the band until her later years. She died in Florida on Jan. 29, 2023, at 91.

“She helped us load the truck, sewed buttons on our costumes, was a part of the show and would talk to the audience and answer questions,” he said. “She was a draw, and she opened up a lot of doors for us. She was the only sister of a Beatle. Before The Beatles were famous, she tried [to help] break them in America. She would take the early Beatles records to radio stations in 1963, as a housewife in southern Illinois. She did her part in the history of The Beatles that’s not well-known.”

Now, the band’s popularity has grown so much that they’re touring across the country almost year-round. They’ve sold out shows in Europe, Mexico, Canada, South America and more, according to a news release from the band. They’ve performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, which is where The Beatles got their start in England, Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

During the live performance, Liverpool Legends will recreate the Fab Four’s entire career, from “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Hey Jude” to “Come Together.” The show is complete with five costume changes to represent the various eras of The Beatles’ career, and is narrated by Louise Harrison with video clips.

With note-perfect vocals, precise attention to every musical detail, vintage instruments and new state-of-the-art multimedia, Liverpool Legends will make you feel like you are seeing the real band.

“It’s a really fun show, we’re playing all of our favorite songs because we’re fans of [The Beatles] ourselves,” Scott said. “The Beatles are some kind of magic. There’s no other band that’s transferred down from generation to generation. The most important thing is the music, and we try to get everything down note for note, the exact parts that are on the records. We try to make it as close to what it was like to see The Beatles.”

Tickets are on sale now, and prices start at $35, with a $5 discount for students with identification.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit egyptiantheatre.org. The Egyptian Theatre is at 135 N. Second St., DeKalb.