Paul & Ringo Steal The Show At Beatles Tribute

If there’s one thing pop learned in the last 50 years, it’s that Beatles songs never wear out their welcome. The Beatles’ original recordings have retained not only their musical brilliance but also the nearly universal good will that the band generated in its time, as well as the accumulated nostalgia that makes baby boomers conflate its music with all the pleasures of their youth. On purely musical grounds — the foundation of melodies, harmonies and lyrics — Beatles songs have thrived through half a century of remakes.

The Recording Academy was counting on both nostalgia and tunefulness with Sunday (February 9, 2014) night’s special on CBS, “The Beatles: The Night That Changed America — A Grammy Salute.” It was a Beatles tribute concert with an extensive lineup.

The show, like that Ed Sullivan show a half century ago, belonged to the Beatles themselves. Fifty years after conquering the United States, Mr. McCartney and Mr. Starr didn’t come across as self-congratulatory, or weary, or simply going through show-business motions. Somehow, they’ve held onto what they brought in 1964. They were still having fun. MORE HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE