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ROCKOLA with the Magical Symphony Orchestra
Friday, October 31st, 2003 / Spreckels Theatre / San Diego, CA

Bob Tedde here. Keep those responses coming! Also check back soon as we plan to present the inside story (and or stories) from all the peoples involved.

Sgt. Pepper's Live was GOOD. The White Album Live was even BETTER. Abbey Road LIVE...???

Pete

Hey there,
Just wanted to congratulate you on the White Album endeavor. Musically you guys sounded very much like the original (despite the sound problems). With the undertaking being as ambitious as it was and the natural disaster issues involved I thought you did remarkably well.

The White Album show was my first Rockola experience. Then I saw your R-Rated Show at Blind Melon's last night. <<YIKES!>>.You used to do that every week? Now I've got to see the "regular" show. One thing and you may not have even noticed this, but for all the troubles, er I mean "fun" you were having, oh you know, like standing up at the end of the night, you went into Back In The USSR / Dear Prudence and it was like you became completely sober for just those two songs. It was like you had them so drilled into your bodies that you couldn't mess them up if you tried. It was actually very funny, and my friend and I kept looking at each other in amazement and laughing. The "owner" (really?) bought everyone a shot for the bar's anniversary. The waitress had a giant tattoo of a tree that covered her entire back. It was like being in The Twilight Zone. What ever is next, we'll be there.

Peace,

John Diapolito

The Beatles were great as a live group (if one could hear them over the screams)! I saw them at JFK in DC
It would have been difficult for them to have performed any better than ROCKOLA did that night.
The music was respectful, tasteful and full of mirth, just the way the Beatles would have performed it.
The symphony backup was especially superb in Honey Pie and good night.
I wish it were videotaped for future enjoyment.
Please keep up your good work (without attitude)

michael (Beatles guitar collector)
Come together Beatles Club member
San Diego

{transcriped from The Rockola Hotline}

Hi Bob it's Terri, from Terri and Jason. Just a quick message to say thanks for The White Album Show. That's all, just thanks and it was great. See ya.

{transcriped from The Rockola Hotline}

Hi Rockola. I was at your White Album Show last week, or on Halloween, two weeks ago was it? and first of all, ...I mean it was just terrific. Just great, and I hope you do it again. The other reason I'm calling is that... is to see that is, if you have any of the programs left over? I know it was a limited number, and you probably sold out of them, but can you let me know either way? ...

Great show. Question: What's the name of the 2 headed horn from Bungalow Bill? It looked like something from Dr. Seuss

Kim

[It's a double-belled euphonium, courtesey of our conductor/ double belled euphoniumist: Ron Hess --Bob]

{Forward from Sandy Hammond-ROCKOLA admin.}

Hi, Sandy....
Damn, damn damn!!!! I have to be in Santa Barbara for
work. I'm leaving Thursday right after lunch,
returning the following Thursday.

But I'm glad you wrote, because I wanted to tell you
(and ask you to pass on to the band) that the White
Album show was magnificent, and absolutely totally
fun, and I was even more impressed because they put on
such an incredible performance even in the face of the
problems caused by the fires.
Let's stay in touch.... I look forward to catching
Rockola again soon (in between out of town trips).
Take care
Gale

{transcribed from The Rockola Hotline}

[Woman with a serious 'open A' mid-west accent] -- "Hey Rockola, my husband and I have been seeing you for years and years and you just keep getting better and better. We just wanted to say the White concert ... that The White Album concert ... was absolutely fabulous and easily the most satisfying musical review we've EVER seen."

{transcribed from The Rockola Hotline}

[First message -Male SoCal "surf style" voice --"Baaaawb Tedde ... hey Bob check it out ..." ]

[low -fi distorted sound of "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" for about 15 seconds]
"Hey man, whaddaya think? Not bad for an answering machine, yeah? So am I busted or what? You guys rocked and I'll be at The Unplugged Show on Thursday and I'll bring you a copy ... I've got ... oh ... wait ..." *click*

[next message: low-fi distorted sound of "Birthday" for about 20 seconds.]

[next message: low-fi less-distorted sound of "Mother Nature's Son" for about 30 seconds followed by low-fi distorted audience applause.]

[next message: low-fi distorted sound of "Savoy Truffle" for about 20 seconds.]

[next message: low-fi less-distorted sounds of "Revolution #9" -- solo piano and voice: "number 9, number 9, number 9" which fades into the background as Male SoCal "surf style" voice says: "turn me on Ted-man, turn me on Ted-man"]

You guys were awesome! right up to the smallest detail. When I closed my eyes I could see the Beatles. That really looked & sounded like you really put a lot of time in it. I thought it was a big hit, and the right place & setting for it. The acoustics where great. I couldn't say anything more that could it done it better.

I can't wait for your next theme! I know it's hard to do Sgt Peppers & Magical, due to the studio sound effects, but what about Abbey Road? that would work!

I know it's easier said than done....just wanted to say Thanks you ! and look forward to your next gig.

Miguel Petro

Thank you, Rockola, for such a memorable evening. You put so much heart and talent into every song. Continued success following your dreams.

Mary Arana

Wow, you guys really pulled it off.

As diversified as The White Album is, it was amazing how you guys paid attention to the details as well as the sound. From Bob's daughter on Birthday to the toe tap on Blackbird. To the guitar work on Bungalow Bill to the voice effect on Honey Pie. All was appreciated and thoroughly enjoyable. It was like watching The Beatles LIVE. But could
they have even pulled it off?

Bob, you sounded like John and Mark, you sounded like Paul. Even Larry and Doug got in the mix and were successful. I think the best part that made it such a fun evening is that you guys looked like you were having a blast too. Awesome job.

And Mark, what were you thinking trying to sing "Why Don't We Do It" and "I Will" back to back. Oh yeah, that's how it is on the album. So you went for it. Awesome job again.

Anyway, thanks for the great time and keeping The Beatles music alive. Can't wait until the next one. By the way, the word on the street is "When is Rockola doing The White Album LIVE again?" I certainly would go again. But now people want Abbey Road. We just want it all.

See ya soon.
Keep rockin'
Lee

Thanks for a wonderful time. I took my girl friend to see you for the first time. You now have a fan and I think I've won her heart forever; might even get married. That's something.

Again Thanks,
eng'r.bob

The show reminded me of just how talented Rockola is and how true to the music they remain. A good time was had by all…

Malcolm E. Gettmann
President, NTEU Chapter 92

{transcribed from a hand written card}

Hey Rockstars,

I suppose getting you back up here to the desert is a no-go now that you've pulled off the impossible dream. Who was on what medication when you decided to perform Revolution # 9. Nothing short of brilliant, and i'll come to expect nothing but that for over 8 years now.

Keep up the good warped,

Ashleigh

{transcribed from a hand written card}

Hi Bobby, and Ellen, and Doug, Mark and Larry!

I just wanted to extend here a little love & gratitude from one of your big fans!

The White Album--brought to life with all of Rockola's characteristic wit and charm and extravagance--was a sizzling thing to behold!!! We had such a great time sitting among all of your fellow devotees (and a few Beatle's maniacs) absorbing the artful scene. Another piece of San Diego history!

Thanks, guys, for all the magic! We love ya.

Suzy (& the Mart-man)

P.S. Loved Celia too!! AMAZING!

We procured front row seats to your White Cover Album performance at the Spreckles Theatre in San Diego on Halloween night. As we sat down in front of the stage, my girlfriend said, "Gee, I hope we're not sitting too close."
"Too close to the f**king Beatles!?! What are you thinking?"
"Oh, yeah. You're right."
Because your sound level was not over-amplified, I am glad that we were close.

The mix of the sounds was spot-on. As the lead singer said, "I'll bet this is the best live performance of the White Album that you've ever seen." You're right. It was. In the end it didn't matter that you had missed a few opportunities to rehearse because of the week of wild fires. It was better than we had ever expected, and it was a great finish to a flaming week.

I enjoy sitting close at concerts whenever I can because I love to watch the physical production of the music, the mechanics, the variety of instruments, etc. It was fun watching the show because you had the symphonic accompaniment and you guys frequently switched instruments. I got a huge kick out of seeing your drummer, who is as thick as a gorilla, step out from behind his trap set to sing falsetto for "Why don't we do it in the road?" And what the Hell kind of tuba was that guy playing at the end of "Bungalow Bill," that had two bells?

We know you had some set-backs getting that show together, but it all worked out fine. Your fiddle player backed out on you. However, the symphony violinist, who you recruited at the last minute to sight read the hillbilly hoe-down fiddle part did her very best to saw through the myriad notes. Man, that must have been hard to do. But, she did a great job. And, what good stage theatrics to roll her away in a wagon, sitting on a bale of hay. Ha! Great fun.

Very impressive how you produced all the sounds in one take that the Beatles laid down layer-upon-layer-upon layer, one track at a time in a studio. The mix was perfect, and what a treat for us all to enjoy it live, even if none of the Rockola band looked even remotely like the original Beatles.

Thanks for including us all in the "Number Nine" production. Wow. I never had that much fun in the '70s while playing the album in the dark with a lone candle burning in its hanging macramé holder with the tie-died sheet draped from the ceiling.

Very much fun. Thanks to you all for entertaining us on Halloween. And we know you enjoyed yourselves too; just as much as we did. I know you did. I was sitting right there in the front row watching you.

Hey guys..

Really, really enjoyed your White Album performance. I am old enough to (barely) remember the Beatles on Ed Sullivan but much to young to have ever actually seen them live (I was 7 years old when they stopped live performances). I found it very entertaining and interesting though to hear music that was never really intended to be performed live done with such faithfulness. I don't know your band member's names but the long haired gentleman doing the Lennon tunes sounds amazingly like John a lot of the time. My wife said she could close her eyes and "imagine" (pun intended..)

I have recordings of the band Phish doing the White Album (also a Halloween gig) and though I admit to being a huge fan of theirs, I thought you guys nailed it much better. "Dear Prudence" gave me goose bumps.

Now if you ever get a notion to do the same with Abbey Road (the album that really introduced me to rock music when I was just 10 or so) I will be there!

Joe Brooks
District Warehouse Operator
Cuyamaca College

We thought it was absolutely terrific and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't think of any other group that could produce a live show of this material with such attention to detail and commitment to detail. It payed off, it sounded great! We're glad you decided to push on with the show rather than reschedule or cancel. It wasn't at all evident (to us) that any rehearsals were missed and hope additional cost didn't create a hardship or jeopardize future projects like this.

Take care,
Jim

Guys,

Awesome show. Long time Beatle fan and love your Bside show. The WA show was incredible - Helter Skelter, Martha, Goodnight (wow), Honey Pie (fantastic)..... Even Rev 9 was brilliant! I knew you guys were more than the basic cover band when I first heard you do Hey Bulldog and do all the background voices ("don't ask me , I don't even have grandchildren.."). Anyway, your hard work was appreciated. I found your show nearly as enjoyable as seeing Sir Paul himself!

Are you going to do it again? How about a Let It Be show? Do the bootleg version!

Can't wait for next year. Hope you do another.

Gary

Bob,

First, I want to say I am so glad you and all your extended band family are okay and were not too affected by the fires. I called Ellen shortly after they started and she let me know you all were okay.

Now -

Wow - what a show! You all were absolutely fantastic and the evening was magical. We could not get over how true you all were to the album and how well you and Mark harmonize together, to hit Paul and John dead on. Incredible. And the stage support was equally as impressive - the support and love among the entire team, from Ellen to the little girls who sang, was tangible and overflowed to the crowd. And your FANS - wow! This was the first time we saw you in your home town, and these people LOVE you! It seems as though you treat your fans as family - or at least that it how it felt - How lucky we are! I cannot say enough good things about the entire evening.

Your showmanship, your love of music and sheer talent (you all play everything!!) were all simply hypnotizing. And, to pull it off so well amidst all the obstacles... hats off to all of you and those involved in putting Friday night together. We will never listen to the White album in the same way...

Thank you for a truly magical evening.

We now, more than ever, cannot wait until April.

Best wishes, and rest up!
Sonia Sethi

"LARRY ROCKS"

Yeah, it was me who yelled that. It was the cleverest thing I could think of to say in the time that silent nanosecond prior to 'Blackbird' allowed.

Anyway, damn! I can only hint at in writing how profoundly proud I was of you guys. Doing anything by the Beatles is to invite the strongest scrutiny, but you went so much further than anyone has ever dared to (I mean, "Revolution #9?" Come ON!). And you NAILED it! Huzzah!

And what a great stage support team! I hope people realize just how difficult blocking & executing all those synchronized instrument changes must have been. Just wonderful teamwork from all involved.

I also thought you did an incredible job of recasting the tunes in a way that highlighted your strengths. I have actually said a few times since that I'm not sure that even the Beatles could have done as good a job. No s**t!

Hearing Mark DeCerbo on this night just cracked my heart wide open. Looking at the stage and realizing that 5 of the 6 of you were friends of mine made me a very proud dude! I made sure I bought a shirt with your faces on it, but it got lost or ripped off shortly thereafter. Oh well, at least I have the memory of a fantastic evening that was worth every penny. Thanks SO much.

Great show...enjoyed every second of it. When are you going to recreate Abbey Road??

Jeff

I often listened to McCartney’s live albums and I always found myself thinking, “Here is one of the wealthiest, most influential people on earth – his were the most orchestrated of the Beatles tunes – how come he can’t spend a dime to get a real horn section for “Got to Get you Into My Life” or a real string quartet to accompany “Yesterday??” Suffice to say, his live projects never measure up to what he could be doing. A string quartet on an expensive keyboard does not a satisfying aural experience make…

You, oh Bob and the rest of the merry band of Rockoliers, have made a dream of mine come true – to hear a live performance as it was meant to be performed! I took my two sons and this was their first concert in their young lives and they were blown away. As a pianist/synthesist myself I was simply amazed at the level of accuracy achieved for the show and I appreciated the daunting sound engineering done for the show. Also, Ron Hess rules!!

Again – thank you from the bottom of this music lovers heart. Will this be an annual event? I sincerely hope so!

Bravo!!

Was at the White show (my first Rockola exposure): Will never, ever listen to the White Album the same way I did pre Rockola: guitar, vocals, rhythm, the little things all just exploded during your show. You guys are simply unbelievable. I'll be a Rockola fan till my dying day (and I'm 55 years old now, so still got a few more shows in me). God bless, take care, stay well, and see you again, Ron Fields.

Bob,

My name is Doug Robinson, and I'm a recently returned SD native and multi-instrumentalist. I want to tell you that I'm incredibly happy with your performance the other night--just terrific. As with most live performances I've seen in the last three decades or so, the sound could have been better--but rest assured that it was good enough to leave us all feeling well-rocked and warm and fuzzy.

My wife and I listened to the White Album on the way to the concert, and on the way back home as well. As much as we loved the concert, it wasn't quite as glorious as your SGt Pepper's concert last year--truly a peak experience for me--but then neither was the original music imo. Still, enough of their best songs ended up on that album to make it a sprawling masterpiece. And what an outstanding opportunity, to see it all recreated live for the first time.

I want to make an offer--if, when preparing for Abbey Road or Revolver, you are ever in need of a fifth or sixth wheel, I'm your man. I'm a dynamite keyboard player who knows Paul's and Preston's parts by heart, as I know the Beatles' music inside and out--it's a large part of my musical DNA. I'm also a very good drummer who can do Ringo with love and respect; a decent rhythm guitarist and bassist; and a fine background vocalist. Mike K has all of these bases covered and more, but should you ever need another utility player, please keep my name in mind. You never know.

Thanks for creating something so special, year after year. Rockola is a key cultural element of San Diego.

All the best,
Doug Robinson

Missed the Halloween show - when are you going to perform this oneagain?

BTW: I heard the show was amazing. I hope I get to see it someday.

-Justin

ORGASMIC!!!!! Need I say more?????????

I heard nothing but rave reviews.......once again, Mr. Tedde, Rockola has risen to the top!

Thank You,

Karen

Great show! Sound was great! It was great hearing the white album tunes down to the finest detail...

--Kevin

Kevin Alan Krown, Ph.D.
Dept. of Biology
San Diego State University

Hey guys, we loved your show on Halloween. You did a fantastic job. We went to see you the Sat. before at the Catamaran hotel because we had decided to go to the White Album show and didn't know who you were. We had so much fun dancing. We're telling everyone we know about how good you are and decided we wanted to make you're shows whenever we can. Thanks so much for playing all of the music we love so much.
Sherri and Russ Brown

Howdy,

A friend emailed me and asked me how I liked the show. Below is the email I wrote back to him.

Begin quote.

Adam,

Rockola was good. Many of the songs were excellent - the rest just plain good. They did have some sound troubles though - their main keyboard kept malfunctioning, and the miking of certain instruments didn't always work (e.g., accordion, fiddle solo on "Don't Pass Me By). I got really frustrated with the guys running the sound - I got the impression that they had never heard the White Album, and didn't know what level certain instruments should be. For example, on "Glass Onion" there is a cool electric guitar rhythm part which was barely audible on the live performance. I kept waiting for the guy to push up the fader on the guitar but it never happened. Things like that kept happening throughout the show.

The only other criticism I have is that on certain songs the singer didn't always capture the "feel" of the song (i.e., "Blackbird" should never be "belted out"). I guess I'm being nit-picky, but those are my only 2 complaints. I was really impressed with some of the instrumentation. They had Mike Keneally backing them up and playing certain instruments. The guy is an amazing musician. If you don't know who he is (I didn't) check out his credentials here:

http://www.keneally.com/

I thought Revolution 9 was going to suck - it was one of the best songs they did!! If you know the track well, and are familiar with all the nuances and sounds, you really would have gotten a kick out of it. Keneally did great with the piano bits, and the orchestra did great with the "backward" symphonic bits. There was even audience participation as they held out cue cards for us to yell and laugh at the appropriate moments. A lot of fun really. I think my favorite song of the night was "Savoy Truffle". When I was younger I wasn't crazy about that song, now it's one of my favorites - the horns just rock on that track.

Anyway, hope things are good with your band - I'll have to get out and see you guys again one of these days.

End quote.

People of Rockola,

Thanks for putting on a great show - you guys did good! I'm a huge Beatles fan and a multi-instrumentalist myself, and was glad to see the attention to detail given on each and every track. I look forward to your next show (Abbey Road?!? - hint, hint...)!

Best,
Tony

I caught your show on Friday and I must say I didn't want the evening to end! I could've listened to you guys play forever and ever! You put your complete heart and soul into the music each time you play! Even when Bob Tedde was feeling ill at Beatlefair you guys still made it happen. Not only do you perform the music, you live, breathe, and feel the music! And considering that I was born in the 80s, you guys are the closest thing I have to watching a live Beatle performance. Thanks for making the dream real!

"Penny McLennon" aka Vanessa

P.S. I have never wanted to play the bass as much as I do now! Thanks for the inspiration! J

(From the mike keneally newsgroup:)

I was there. It was an absolute joy. They really played the whole friggin'
album. They really played "Revolution #9." To be honest, there seemed to
be a problem with the mix on many of the tunes. Bob Tedde's vocals (and his
guitar) seemed to be a little low throughout the night. It didn't matter.
It was a remarkable achievement. The only real problem with it was that
when the mix was just right the delivery was so much more impressive it kind
of made you realize how much better it would have been if they had been as
well balanced on the other songs. But c'mon! The whole friggin "White
Album" for 'chrissakes!

Lessee, I was sitting in the orchestra off to the right so my view of Mikey
was mostly obscured by some amps throughout the night. They played side one
and two, had an intermission and then played sides 3 & 4. There were a
*lot* of highlights: Bungalow Bill, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Birthday
(wherein they had a couple of young girls with birthday hats and those
whistles that roll out when you blow into them fooling around and singing
the "Bi-i-rth-d-a-a-a-y" harmony parts.), Savoy Truffle was *really* good.
The orchestra really made it's presence felt there. Both revolutons (1 and
9) where especially good and crowd favorites. I'll bet you're wondering
whether or not they pulled off #9. How the hell should I know? I think
I've only listened to that song all the way through once....and that was
backwards. Anyway, it was one of the highlights of the night. They got the
crowd into it by holding up signs that said, "Laugh," "Scream," etc. So that
the audience could provide some of the sound effects. I think MK had a lot
to do with the delivery of that one. He spent a lot of time pointing his
finger at people (from behind a keyboard that he was playing) when it was
their turn to do something. They played two songs for an encore: "Twist and
Shout" and "I Saw Her Standing There." They nailed them.

Also, I can now die happy. I saw MK play the harmonica and the accordion.

Also Also, one of the most impressive things about the night was the quality
of the material. I think we have a tendency to take a lot of music for
granted. Oh, The Beatles. Yeah, they were good...blah, blah, blah. But
when you actually see it live, somehow it's more real. I found myself just
lost in the music. I think this show might even have convinced Scott
Lurowist that the Beatles were something special.
Tim "ABBEY ROAD! ABBEY ROAD! ABBEY ROAD!" McCormley
********************************************************

What a fun evening that was!!

Yes, the sound varied at times. I wished MK's guitar was turned on
while he wailed away during Helter Skelter. The overall sound was
great from my vantage point (1st row upper balconey). Unfortunately, I
could not see the projection screen at all from up there. There was so
much that went right during the performance! The vocals were very
clearly heard, which was a joy. The performance was top notch. The
drummer sounded like Ringo!! I loved the timbre of the drums. Very
faithful rendition/tribute to the White Album. The theater was PACKED!
Seeing those songs played live re-lit my passion for the Beatles.
Thank you, Rockola!
Revolution 9 was arranged/produced by MK. I was stunned how faithful
it was to the original version. I liked the live version
better..seriously.
davef
********************************************************

You did it again, you weird bastards. Aaaargh. You piss me off. I could reel off a list of f**k ups as tall as your egos, but I know they were bobbles, not shortcomings. $50 says you do Abbey Road next, and another $50 says it will be your Waterloo.

ste7ie

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