For music fans of a certain age, their introduction to the Beatles came through two iconic compilation albums, The Red Album (1962–1966) and The Blue Album (1967–1970). First released in 1973, they have since been reissued in several formats, each time introducing a new generation of listeners to the Beatles.
As the Beatles stopped touring in 1966 to concentrate on studio work, they never performed most of the songs featured on The Blue Album live, save for a brief rooftop appearance in 1969, but more of that later. Bringing this music to the concert hall therefore requires something rather special, and the Bootleg Beatles, joined by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Richard Balcombe, proved equal to the task.
Covering the period from 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' to 'Let It Be', the setlist offered two hours of music spanning twenty-six songs from five (abridged) albums. Between each section, video interludes explored the music that influenced the Beatles while capturing the spirit and tensions of the late 1960s, while also allowing time for the Bootlegs' inevitable costume changes.
The lights dimmed and a video opened the door to 1967 with Pink Floyd's 'See Emily Play' and Timothy Leary urging us to "turn on, tune in and drop out". The Bootlegs took to the stage in their psychedelic Sgt. Pepper uniforms and launched straight into 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', 'With a Little Help from My Friends' and 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'. Next came the double A-side single 'Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever' that, as Lennon famously bemoaned, was kept off the number one spot by Engelbert Humperdinck.
The first half closed with a magnificent performance of 'A Day in the Life'. As the monumental final E major chord reverberated around the Philharmonic Hall, the lights faded and the Bootlegs recreated the famous album cover while, behind them, members of the orchestra raised masks depicting its many iconic figures.
The video screen then transported us to 1967 with BBC footage of that year's Wimbledon, the closure of the pirate radio stations, the launch of Radio 1 and the Small Faces performing 'Itchycoo Park. The Bootlegs returned to the stage dressed in colourful kaftans.
They launched into 'Magical Mystery Tour,' 'I Am the Walrus', 'Hello, Goodbye', 'The Fool on the Hill' and 'All You Need Is Love', during which the audience were enthusiastically encouraged to sing along.
The next interlude featured a montage of American politics, particularly protests against the Vietnam War, accompanied by music from the Rolling Stones and Julie Driscoll. The Bootlegs reappeared, this time dressed for The White Album, performing 'Revolution' (the B-side of 'Hey Jude') and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', before rounding off the first half with a rousing rendition of 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da'.
It would be remiss of me not to credit the men behind the costumes who so clearly relished becoming the Beatles. Stephen Hill's George Harrison appeared completely relaxed and at home in his role, delighting in songs from the Quiet Beatle's most creative period. His quips about Eric Clapton only added to the authenticity.
Miles Frizzell, the newest member of the band, was outstanding as Paul McCartney, capturing not only McCartney's distinctive vocal style but also his unmistakable mannerisms and stage movement.
The video opening the second half featured the Clangers, a Scaffold advertisement for Watney's Ale, The Liver Birds, On the Buses, Monty Python, Easy Rider and a clever insert showing the Bootlegs appearing to walk onto the roof of Apple Corps headquarters in Savile Row. This, of course, recreated the final time the Beatles ever performed together live.
'Get Back', 'Don't Let Me Down', 'The Long and Winding Road' and a solo performance of 'Across the Universe' by John offered a flavour of what witnessing that famous rooftop concert might have been like. Paul Canning, now sporting Lennon's famous white suit and flowing beard, had both his singing and speaking voice down to a tee.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra then performed Richard Strauss's 'Also sprach Zarathustra', the instantly recognisable theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The final interlude was perhaps the evening's cleverest. The white Volkswagen Beetle from the Abbey Road cover drove through London towards Abbey Road itself to the strains of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, passing Carnaby Street, a Who concert, an anti-nuclear march and the Rolling Stones in Hyde Park. Concord flew overhead, man landed on the Moon and David Bowie sang Space Oddity.
The band, now dressed in their Abbey Road finery, played 'Come Together', 'Something' and 'Octopus's Garden', finally giving Gordon Elsmore's Ringo Starr the opportunity to take lead vocals once more.
'I Want You (She's So Heavy)', 'Here Comes the Sun' and 'Let It Be' brought the main set to a close.
The audience's standing ovation left little doubt that an encore was inevitable. Appropriately, the Bootlegs brought the story right up to date with the Beatles' final release, 2023's 'Now and Then'. The accompanying video formed a moving tribute to members of the extended Beatles family no longer with us, including Brian Epstein, George Martin, Mal Evans, Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon and George Harrison. It was an unexpectedly emotional moment before the evening concluded, as it surely had to, with 'Hey Jude' and an audience that enthusiastically took over the famous "na-na-na" refrain.
This was a triumph for which enormous credit belongs to Richard Balcombe, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bootleg Beatles and musical director Steve Earle. Rather than attempting a note-for-note recreation of performances that never existed, they created something far more imaginative: a convincing vision of how the Beatles' extraordinary studio masterpieces might have sounded had they ever taken them to the concert stage. It was a celebration not only of the music itself, but also of the creativity and ambition that made these recordings timeless.
For more dates and further information about the Bootlegs, visit their website HERE.
Reviewer: Adrian Cork
Date: 21/07/2026
