Something in the Way it Moves Us

Something in the Way it Moves Us By: Steve Ziegler Everyone on Earth knows The Beatles changed popular culture forever. Even the casual Beatles fan or music lover in general will know the words to at least a few of The Beatles top hits. Last night, I saw Rain: The Beatles Experience, at the Academy of Music with Pursuit Graphic Designer and love of my life, Alex Stokes. While she is a bigger fan of The Beatles' music than I, I thought it would be an interesting show to see. The two hour performance is a history lesson for some of us and a nostalgic experience for others.

Beginning with John, Paul, George, and Ringo’s arrival on the Ed Sullivan show, Rain chronicles The Beatles’ musical evolution throughout the 1960s, and essentially brings to mind how they’ve influenced every band in virtually every genre of music that has come after them. For not being a huge fan, I can say George is my favorite Beatle, and I literally get chills when I hear In My Life, A Day in the Life, and Let it Be. But that’s not what this article is about. This article is about something I noticed at last night’s show.

When this tribute band played Twist and Shout, the entire first floor stood up and showed off dance moves that would put a young Matthew Broderick to shame. While the crowd was diverse in age, the majority of people standing and dancing were certainly alive when The Beatles arrived in the United States. Many of them looked as though they were probably old enough to have attended a few of the Fab Four's concerts back in the day.

Nonetheless, this got me thinking. Music is a powerful form of art and thanks to my parents’ record collections and the constant presence of it in my household, a facet of life that I cannot live without. There is something about music that keeps us young.

I mentioned that all of the people dancing were older than us because I found it fascinating. The reason these people were moved by the music was much deeper than the sounds coming from the stage. For my generation, The Beatles are sometimes associated with the drugs, controversy, and unfortunately Yoko Ono. Still, we love the music and for those dancing last night, it was about remembering the past – the fashions, the progression of the 1960s, and of course the music of their high school dances and first loves.

For any generation, this is what music is about. Even if our music is not understood by another generation, putting it into context for them is what makes universal. If that doesn’t work, who cares? Keeping dancing to whatever songs you enjoy. Forty years from now, we’ll be shocking 25-year-olds with our dance moves at an off-Broadway production.