A Musical Showdown to Rock Zionsville

August 2017

Writer / Janelle Morrison

As the summer winds down, the Zionsville Performing Arts Center (ZPAC) will host a musical showdown of some of pop and rock and roll’s greatest hits by the renowned tribute bands, Abbey Road and Satisfaction/The International Rolling Stones Show.

“Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown” performs at ZPAC on Sunday, August 20 at 7:30 p.m. Fans of the iconic bands, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, will be entertained by the tribute bands’ performances that are guaranteed to invoke the argument of who was the best band of all time.

The Beatles and the Rolling Stones crossed paths on the music charts 53 years ago, and the debate of who was the greatest has carried on over the generations. The “on-stage musical showdown” between Abbey Road and Satisfaction/The International Rolling Stones Show will feature beloved songs spanning the Beatles’ career as well as offer a faithful rendition of the music and style of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the bad boys of the British Invasion.

The genesis of the show came from the fact that the Beatles and the Rolling Stones never performed on the same night at the same venue. Members of both bands thought fans would be enthralled to see the performers portraying their favorite music gods “duel it out” on the same stage.

“Music fans never had a chance to see the Beatles and the Rolling Stones perform on the same marquee,” said Chris Legrand, who plays Mick Jagger in the show. “Now music aficionados can watch this debate play out on stage. The fans are in for an incredible night of music.”

The Zionsville show is part of a 125-stop tour of the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico and Canada and has been touring since 2011.The show also performs long-term residencies for a number of the Harrah’s Casino properties. The production includes some of the more popular songs from the two rock pioneers and covers the scope of their musical careers, although the set list for Satisfaction usually includes Rolling Stones songs up to the 1980s.

During the two-hour show, the bands perform three sets each and end the night with an all-out encore involving both bands. There’s a lot of good-natured jabbing between the bands as well.

“Without Beatlemania, the Stones might still be a cover band in London,” said Chris Overall, who plays Paul McCartney. “There’s no question that the Beatles set the standard.”

Excited to be hosting this incredible night of nostalgia and high-energy entertainment is Rachel Vining, ZPAC Director. Vining emphasized that the performing arts center is not just for the students and their families but is a place for all members of the community to come and enjoy great performances and speakers. Vining is constantly exploring ways to utilize the venue in ways to make it profitable and to bring more enrichment to the community while maintaining affordability for the patrons.

“The vision of our programming is to bring events to the community of high interest in addition to the events that showcase our students,” Vining stated. “We have in the past and are looking to continue to incorporate our students when possible at the other events that take place at our center. Over a year ago, we did an event with Vic Wooten, a renowned bass player, and multi-GRAMMY Award winner. Wooten came in and did some workshops with our band students, and afterward, they performed with him. It was a fantastic show. That’s the direction that we would like to continue moving as a school district and as a performing arts center.

“The support of these events financially is important to our department and programming. The ticket sales are how we are able to continue to bring that caliber of artists and shows like ‘Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown’ to Zionsville. I’m excited about this show for multiple reasons, but I am also excited for our technical team. We’ve got a great sound tech and front-of-house engineer for this show. There is a lot of cool stuff coming in with the backlines of the show. It is going to be really fantastic.”

Tickets are $35-$65 and may be purchased online at zvilleperformingarts.org, by phone at 317- 733-4833 or at the box office. The Zionsville Performing Arts Center is located at 1000 Mulberry St. in Zionsville. The show is appropriate for all ages. Visit the show website at Beatles-vs-Stones.com.