Imagine, a nationally-acclaimed Beatles tribute band that has toured wordwide, will take local residents back in time at Fridays on Vine this week.
The band will be one of the best-travelled acts to appear on Vine this year. The group has played in more than 1,100 venues “from Washington D.C. to Shanghai, China and everywhere in between,” said Tom Coburn, who plays the part of Beatles guitarist John Lennon.
Imagine got its start as a “bar and weddings” band in Salt Lake City in 1993, Coburn said. The band ended up playing a lot of Beatles cover songs at nightly gigs, he said, and each of the original three band members naturally gravitated to a different Beatles personality. When their audiences began commenting on the band’s uncanny resemblance to the original Beatles, Coburn said they decided to take the band in a new direction.
“We found a fourth guy to play Paul,” he said, “and decided to focus our energy on that — and boy, did it take off.”
The band soon began touring and performing full time, opening for acts such as the Beach Boys, Chicago, Jay Leno, and Carrie Underwood.
“I never thought it would get to that level, but it has been a lot of fun,” Coburn said.
But it’s also a dream come true for the current members of Imagine, who all aspired to become musicians at an early age. Two members of the band also play orchestral instruments and are accomplished, classically-trained musicians as well.
“I think all of us were playing in bands by the time we were 15 or 16,” Coburn said.
But the success of Imagine is especially serendipitous for Coburn, whose desire to become a musician stems from his memories of the Beatles’ original appearances.
“I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show,” he said. “I grew up in California and the only things I really cared about were baseball and being in the surf, but I saw that and thought ‘that’s what I want to do.’”
Coburn also had a successful career with Delta airlines, he said, but he took an early retirement option as Imagine’s popularity grew.
In addition to Coburn, Imagine is currently comprised of Richard Fazzi, who plays Paul McCartney; Brad Armstrong, who plays George Harrison; and Mark Robinette, who plays Ringo Starr. Erik Robinette assists as the band’s sound expert.
In addition to regular rehearsals, Coburn said the band has put a great deal of effort into studying the Beatles individually, to understand why and how each performed the way he did.
“It’s not garage band music,” he said. “Just holding the personality and the accent through the entire show takes a lot of concentration. We all just transform ourselves for the show.”
Fridays on Vine shows start every Friday at 7 p.m. in the Tooele City Park between Vine Street and the Pratt Aquatic Center. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Patrons are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.