~Apologies if I have put this article up previously- let me know lol~
In January 1998 George Martin came to Australia and with an Orchestra and some of Australia's finest talent held concerts all around the country.
I managed to score a double pass for Brisbane and it was a wonderful night celebrating the lads and their music. Not copying but honouring the Beatles sound and creativity.
Glenn Shorrock produced & performed alongside the late Sir George Martin in the acclaimed, six-date 1998 production “All You Need Is Beatles”.
Below are 2 great reflections on the event by a couple of fans that attended the Sydney & Melbourne concert. Following these are some artist info and songs of theirs. I also added anything I could find on the subject (which is not much!)-People associated with, grainy newspaper ads (sorry don't have a subscription to the service!)
All You Need Is Beatles Concert
Sydney Opera House, 25 January 1998
Review by Tayler
My chance sighting of Penny Lane in our own Australian "City of Liverpool," as the signpost read, on the way to Sydney's inner city, was to bode well for the fading moments of the day, when the Opera House, perched in all its white-sailed splendour, by the edge of Sydney Harbour, came into view. Walking around Circular Quay, minutes later, on our way to collect the tickets, we passed hundreds upon hundreds of members of the 3:00 pm audience, lingering in the dwindling sunlight, and clutching their souvenir programmes, each still brimming with praise for the spectacle they had witnessed many hours before.
The three of us readied our banner made in a mammoth team-effort the previous day, when, in restless excitement, we carefully inscribed a bolt of cloth with the calligraphic words swathed in admiration and adoration -- "All We Need Is Sir George!" And then, after a colourful and spirited rendition of "Magical Mystery Tour" -- with our famed local talent Human Nature, guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, singer James Reyne, the fifty-piece Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and with Little River Band member Glenn Shorrock as tour guide -- throughout which we sobbed and bawled with the best of them...he strode onto stage.
Honestly, the ensuing ten minutes will forever be classed amongst the most overwhelming of my days -- imagine, to be seated in the iconic Sydney Opera House, bathed in live Beatles music, and in the presence of the one and only Sir George Martin, long-time producer and friend of the Fab Four...only if the Beatles themselves had followed him on stage could I have been any more ecstatic. So, through a veil of joyful tears, and with my heart beating "She Loves You" style, it was hard to believe that there he stood -- that kindly smile, that dignified stature, that mellifluous voice -- and I had eyes only for him.
Sir George's impeccably deft selection included:
Michelle
She's Leaving Home
Got To Get You Into My Life
Eleanor Rigby
Because
Here Comes The Sun
I Am The Walrus
Day Tripper
When I'm Sixty Four
Ob-la-di Ob-la-da
Strawberry Fields Forever
Penny Lane
A Day In The Life
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
Yellow Submarine & the Pepperland Suite
Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite
Across The Universe
Yesterday
When he turned around, to address us all, cameras a-flash, and audience agog, we witnessed what Ray Coleman called Sir George's "quicksilver mind" in full flight -- his sheer eloquence, gentlemanly manner, subtle humour, and purest respect and love for "the boys" shining through, as he spoke so very fondly of his time with them. One anecdote he recounted concerned John and Paul's "roles" within the group. Paul's reputation as "the soppy one" -- though a track like "Helter Skelter" was a case in point, he observed -- meant that John's "Across The Universe shook me rigid...it was so unlike him, but I love it." During another pause, and meeting the audience with peals of laughter, he recalled the famous conversation with John, in which John revealed that, had he the opportunity, he would re-record every Beatle track. "Really?" questioned Sir George, once more "shaken rigid." "I wouldn't."
All this with electric spotlights to accentuate the current song -- providing evidence aplenty for those Beatle-colour-conspiracy theorists -- with red, aptly enough, for "Strawberry Fields Forever," followed by a pink and violet "Penny Lane," a yellow song about a submarine in Pepperland, and a magnificent "A Day In The Life" with mind-bending psychedelic rainbow lightning, as the perfect accompaniment to Sir George's classic crescendo, after which one member of the audience suggested as our George left the stage for the intermission, "Do it again."
By the time the concert reached the "Abbey Road Medley," followed by "The End," both musically and literally, the audience was worked into such a frenzy! After Ringo's drum solo, we were all clapping in time to the music so eagerly that Paul, George and John's parts could not be heard above us -- but we could see the three substitutes performing very admirably indeed, and playing off each other in the highest spirits...we all knew how it would sound, anyway. And as Ringo astutely observed in Anthology, "I never felt the audience came to hear our shows. I felt they came to see us."
Then George announced "All You Need Is Love" as the closing number, my sister and I sang along with the band, and the banner appeared. Being one who does not often go in for voluntary public humiliation, I must confess, I knew no fear -- what I knew was that these hundreds of fans agreed with us wholeheartedly -- but standing at the back of the stalls, swaying in time to the music, I was the just about the happiest I had ever been, and I could tell that humiliation would come only if we missed the opportunity to sing along to the music of the greatest band in all history, and missed the chance to show Sir George Martin (without whom it would never have been possible) how much we appreciated and loved him.
Sir George then left the stage to a standing ovation, followed by a minute or two of rapturous applause, much stamping, whistling, and screaming -- in all of which I eagerly participated. (In fact, I became a fully-fledged, practising Beatlemaniac during these moments -- screaming louder than I had ever screamed before. I was a "crazy fan" right in the midst of "the hurricane," I was the British fan tearing up her clothes, we were the fans in Shea Stadium, screaming for all they were worth...)
The first encore was answered by "Hey Jude," with Sir George on piano. After receiving unwavering applause, he met the second by telling us with the utmost sincerity, "I will always remember this...Bless you all." (I'm in tears again.) Then for the third Sir George was clearly unprepared, eventually suggesting another round of "Hey Jude...but this time, you sing." And, boy, did we sing. We sang our hearts out. By this stage, Tommy, James and Human Nature (all good performers, by the way, though none could hit the high notes) had each observed the banner -- this mattered barely a jot to me. But when lead singer Glenn leant over to Sir George himself and pointed us out, whereupon Sir George smiled at us, I thought I'd never live to see another dawn.
What more can I say? One sweet dream came true today.
All You Need Is Beatles Concert
Melbourne Concert Hall, 31 January 1998
Review by Elizabeth Warren
I was in the fourth row from the front, so I could see everything very clearly. But, before the concert started, my friend and I were waiting at the stage door for him to arrive. Human Nature arrived in the mean time and they all just walked right past us. I'm not interested in them though. When George arrived, we went up to the car and waited for him to get out. It was amazing to see this guy in the flesh who you'd never seen before except on TV. So I was the first fan to get his autograph when he arrived. That's when I got my ticket autographed. I also got a collectors card of him and three of the Beatles recording in 1963 autographed. So then we went inside and bought our programmes. During intermission, we went up to the stage and looked at the set list sticky taped to the floor. While we were doing that this guy came out the stage door and was just standing there. We didn't know who he was at the time, but at the end of the concert George thanked various people, and that unknown guy was in fact his son! Towards the end of the show, the ushers gave us streamers to through which we all did, and my friend and I nearly hit him because we were so close. Tommy Emmanuel also fell over because he slipped on the streamers.
Earlier on in the day, we had checked out all of the concert venue for escape routes. It came in handy, because we made a run for the back stage door to see if we could meet him again on the way out. Before he came out, I got Tommy Emmanuel's autograph and Glenn Shorrock's (both in the programme). Then Human Nature were trying to sneak out, even though there were relatively few fans waiting. Eventually George came out with his driver and his son and we got his and his son's autograph on the programme. Then I spoke to George and told him what a good show it was and I mentioned that my dad used to live in Abbey Road, St John Wood's (which is true, but it was a different Abbey Rd in St John's Wood.) And he said, "And do you like it?" I didn't know if he meant the street or the album, but I suppose he meant the album, so I said yes. Then off they went to the car and I gave his son the thumbs up which he responded to by doing the same. So in they were in the car and I was the last person they waved goodbye to. That's my version of seeing George Martin, but I need to add, that during the concert he spoke of his experiences with the Beatles too and it was amazing to hear it first hand instead reading it in a book or something like that. That was great!
Source: https://members.pcug.org.au/~jhenry/review2.html
Human Nature
Human Nature are an Australian pop vocal group, which formed in 1989, as a quartet featuring Toby Allen, Phil Burton and brothers, Andrew and Mike Tierney. Originally they were established as a doo-wop group, called the 4 Trax, when the members were schoolmates.
The group have toured both nationally & internationally including as a support act for Celine Dion on her Falling Into You Around the World Tour (March 1996, June 1997) & Let's Talk About Love World Tour (1998). They also opened for Michael Jackson on the HIStory World Tour (Dec'96- mid-'97).
In May 2009 they began a residency performing a Motown-themed show on the Las Vegas Strip and in April 2014 they completed their 1000th show. After that they launched a 3yr residency of Human Nature JUKEBOX Show on April 21, 2016 at the Sands Showroom, The Venetian Las Vegas. The show was heralded by critics as one of the do not miss shows in Vegas. In March 2019, HUMAN NATURE extended their residency & rebranded their show to Human Nature Sings Motown and More, celebrating 10 years of performing and 2000 shows in the coveted Las Vegas entertainment mecca!
Got to get you into my life withSydney Symphony Orchestra, 2008:
Tommy Emmanuel
Regarded as one of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, he is known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and use of percussive effects on the instrument.
Saltwater guitar only:
Beatles Medley:
James Reyne
Australian rock musician and singer-songwriter both in solo work and, until 1986, with the band Australian Crawl. Sometime actor we 'stole' from South Africa. (Actually born Lagos Nigeria ie. Paul McCartney Band on the Run country lol) (most famous Australians are actually born overseas and emigrated at a young age- Olivia Newton John, Mel Gibson are 2 such)
Boys Light Up:
Reckless:
James & James Blundell (country music singer) Way out West ❤️:
Glenn Shorrock
English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of rock bands the Twilights, Axiom, Little River Band.
Little Ray of Sunshine❤️:
Help is on its way:
Blurb/ Publicity:
Sydney Opera House.
Sir George Martin the legendary Beatles record producer & musical arranger made his Australian debut in Sydney for the 1998 Sydney Festival. Sir George, who was knighted for services to British music, led the magnificent fifty-piece Sydney Opera House Orchestra, an all star line-up of Australian rock legends and a band drawn from John Farnham's Band in a magical mystery tour of the Beatles' greatest hits, all featuring Sir George Martin's own authentic arrangements as heard on the legendary albums which he produced. Performing in the concert were Glenn Shorrock, Tommy Emmanuel, James Reyne and Human Nature.
Vocal Arranger & Preformer on All you Need is Beatles: Lindsay Field is recognised not only for his skills as a vocalist and musician but has also established a strong reputation as an inspirational vocal coach, arranger, musical director and executive producer.
A long time member of the John Farnham Band, he has also toured with such artists as Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Barnes, Glenn Shorrock, Renee Geyer and Brian Cadd as well as working as a solo artist on TV shows including Hey Hey It’s Saturday, The Late Show, Good Morning Australian, Midday etc. Lindsay was also a member of The Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush Orchestra, The IMT Band and The Logies Orchestra.
Source: https://www.lindsayfield.com.au/biography/
Chong Lim AM Musical Director, Keyboard Player
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chong-lim-am-0b892720?originalSubdomain=au
Orchestra Concertmaster:
Adrian Keating
Adrian is Violinist, Arranger, Electric Violinist, Conductor.
Guest Concertmaster for the Sydney Festival 1998 performances with the Sydney Opera House Orchestra of Bernadette Peters, Al Jareau, & Sir George Martin ‘All You Need is Beatles’, and advisor to the Orchestral Manager of musician hire & placement.
S
ource: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Adrian_Keating