The sounds of one of the most successful bands of all time came to Doudna Fine Arts Center’s Dvorak Concert Hall Saturday night in the form of Beatles tribute band The Weeklings. 

Retired EIU biology professor Ann Fritz said she loved the show. 

“They did a great job, and I especially appreciated the orchestra and horns sections,” Fritz said. “This band [brought] together music that we all heard and loved, and did it live. It was awesome.”

The Weeklings mirror the Beatles with a four-piece band and divided their show into two sets.  

The first set had The Weeklings performing songs from the early catalog of The Beatles, defined by their appearances on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the first of which had 73 million viewers. 

The show opened with the group performing “A Hard Day’s Night,” the song from The Beatles’ third album of the same name from 1964.  

The set continued with other lesser-known early Beatles works as well as hit songs before The Weeklings performed some of their own songs. 

“We evolved into this group where we write some of our own songs that we put out on records along with our Beatles stuff,” bassist Glen Burtnik said to the crowd. 

Gallery • 4 Photos

Jason Coulombe

The Weeklings and their supporting band wave to the crowd after The Weeklings Beatles Bash concert in the Dvorak Concert Hall in the Doudna Fine Arts Center on Saturday.

An example of their own work came when they performed “Joy,” an instrumental melody of works by Bach, Beethoven and Queen. 

The last song of the set was “Come Together” from the 1969 album “Abbey Road.” 

The second set brought out the Classical Choice Strings and the Hoosier Horns to perform later Beatles songs that contain those instruments. 

According to guitarist Bob Burger, this was the first time the band had played with either band or with keyboardist Todd Rogers. 

“We never ever knew these guys before we showed up here today, and I think they’re doing a helluva good job,” Burger said. 

The first song of the second set was “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” from the 1967 album of the same name. 

The Weeklings performed more songs with the supporting bands and by themselves. 

They ended the set with a melody of the songs “The Inner Light,” “Carry That Weight” and “You Never Give Me Money,” 

The Weeklings got a standing ovation from the crowd and bowed before beginning their encore with “Hey Jude,” at which point the crowd began to wave around the flashlights on their phones and sing during the famous chorus of the song. 

They finished the concert with a performance of “Twist and Shout,” inviting the supporting band members to dance on stage and encouraging the audience to dance as well. 

Tina Ruth, the mother of Hoosier Horns trombonist Aiden Ruth, drove from Indianapolis to watch the performance. 

“It was amazing, lifted my spirits, made me feel good,” Tina Ruth said. “It was awesome.”  

Her favorite part was watching the musicians’ emotions. 

“Just watching the enjoyment from the musicians and then the crowd making it just build, it was alive,” Tina Ruth said. “It was great.”  

Jason Coulombe can be reached at 581-2812 or at jmcoulombe@eiu.edu.