Fab Faux

Last night my wife and I attended a concert at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston featuring the "Fab Faux." Their name is taken from the Beatles' surname, "Fab Four," an unassuming tribute by a tribute band. The five members are exceptional, multi-talented musicians and vocalists. They are different from other tribute bands because they don't try to impersonate the Beatles. Their goal is to reproduce the sound of the Fab Four, especially on those tracks that were produced in a studio and never performed live (Strawberry Fields, I Am the Walrus...).

I was equally entertained by seeing their performance and witnessing older fans (a 60-something man to my right was moving every limb to the music while smiling widely) and younger ones (a 10 year-old boy behind us never stopped playing his virtual guitar while bobbing up and down in his seat). Having lived Beatlemania I was transported back to the culture of the 60's, the signature sound and the twisted path that led to faith. As a new believer I remember playing and singing Let it Be on the piano, believing at the time it was a Christian anthem ("Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom..."). It's funny how I imported so much of the popular culture into my new way of thinking.

For the record, I made my wife leave at the intermission - she didn't need much convincing - telling her, "I've got my fill." I've never been one to live in the past and believe that God is most interested in our future. All of those years, guitar in hand, listening and re-listening to tracks, scrutinizing lyrics and imagining meanings somehow opened a door to a larger world where God is King and music is a tool of praise and worship and eternity. But isn't this just what God does, taking what is His own and reclaiming it for His glory. Let it be!