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Posts from the road

Our Rainy Weekend in Montreal

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(Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Everything was in place for our trip to Montreal. The only thing we couldn’t control was the weather…and, in this case, it definitely did not want to be controlled.

Montreal’s City Hall (with the flags of Canada, Quebec and Montreal)

I travel to Montreal from time to time, but I have done only one previous blog entry on the largest city in the province of Quebec. That trip didn’t go completely according to plan either, as I forgot my camera and took only a few iffy photos using an iPod. I remembered the camera this time; fortunately, I also remembered to bring an umbrella!

Downtown Montreal, on Boulevard René-Lévesque

However, the focus of this trip wasn’t on the usual touristic sights in Montreal.  Yes, we wandered through Old Montreal once the weather cleared a bit, but we spent most of our time in various Montreal neighbourhoods that were a little more out of the way.

My main course at Fenêtre Sur Kaboul, in Montreal’s “Plateau” neighbourhood

Dinner on Friday was in an Afghan restaurant in the “Plateau-Mont-Royal” neighbourhood.  My favourite Montreal record store was nearby, and we found some interesting grocery stores where we could stock up for Saturday’s breakfast. This particular area has a lot of students and a huge number of dining options.

A rainy day in downtown Verdun, Quebec

Saturday saw us visit Verdun for the very first time.  We picked it almost at random.  It’s only a few subway stops from downtown Montreal, but when we left the subway it was as if we had completely left the big city.  It was kind of fun to feel like we were the only people who didn’t live there. As a bonus, we also had success at a clothing store that catered to tall people 

Marché Jean-Talon, in Montreal’s Little Italy neighbourhood

We also visited the Marché Jean-Talon in Little Italy, after having lunch at the Breizh Café on boulevard Saint-Laurent. This was our first time at a crêperie since enjoying them nearly every day during last summer’s trip to Normandy and Brittany (“Breizh” is the Breton word for “Brittany”).  We were very happy with our galettes and the cider from a local cidrerie was a perfect accompaniment. We felt a little nostalgic, and vowed that we would return to northern France again someday.

Tibetan Dumplings

The dodgy weather continued on Saturday night, so we stayed fairly close to our hotel and ate at a Tibetan restaurant near the bottom part of boulevard Saint-Laurent.  It was OK, and certainly inexpensive, but not a highlight. My Tibetan meal in Luxembourg, for example, was far superior.

My lunch at Liv Salades, in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood

On Sunday, we had lunch in the “Mile End” neighbourhood. I think we had probably eaten too much rich food on the first two days, as we both had strong cravings for salad!  As you can see from the salad photo above, they were  huge and appealing…both visually and tastewise.  “Mile End” is home to a number of important food sites (of course), such as St-Viateur Bagels and the Dieu du Ciel microbrewery.

Front of the horse and carriage line, in Old Montreal

So yes, there was a bit of a food emphasis on this trip.  Our trips to Montreal usually work out this way, and it seems like Montrealers truly appreciate food.  But we also tried something else on this trip for the first time:  buying a weekend transit pass for the Metro and buses.

Narrow streets of Old Montreal

That was probably the best thing we could have done.  In addition to saving a LOT of money (the cost per ride ended up being less than $1.00), we found ourselves in some truly unique neighbourhoods that we would never have walked to from our downtown hotel.  It also made the rainy weather easier to handle: we could quickly get back to the hotel and dry off, unload our purchases (mostly food, naturally), and/or get more appropriate clothes.  The pass was valid from late Friday afternoon until early Monday morning, and we will definitely consider it again for a future weekend trip.

Posts from the road

Road trip to Perth

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(Perth, Ontario, Canada)

In “real time”, I’ve been back from Alberta for almost two months.  During that time, I was very busy with sports…lots of hockey and curling, with a couple of out-of-town bonspiels too.   However, on April 13, we decided to visit Perth for Record Store Day!

We had lunch here

Perth is a community of about 6,000 people that seems to have resisted the commercial decline of many other small Ontario towns.  It has a lot of unique small businesses, including the quirky barber shop below that doubles as a “Husband Day Care” and lists Elvis as one of its offerings.   

An unusual barbershop in downtown Perth

Our main destination was a combination bookstore/record shop called “Backbeat”.  I have always received good service there and I stop by from time to time whenever I’m in the area.  They always have special events for Record Store Day and this year was no exception.

Backbeat Books and Music in Perth

After picking up some interesting music, we wandered the streets of Perth and found some other treats to take home…including Italian nougat (with chocolate), a nice Grapefruit Radler (from the Perth Brewery), and some tasty Basque-style cheese (made from raw ewe’s milk by the nearby Back Forty Artisan Cheese company).  You don’t have to travel to a big city to enjoy these indulgences!

An oasis right in the middle of downtown Perth

Speaking of big cities, stay tuned for my report on what used to be Canada’s largest city…and is still a fun place to visit at any time of year.

Posts from the road

Lake Louise

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(Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada)

Right before our first day of skiing, we visited the legendary Lake Louise (the village, the lake, and the hotel, but not the ski area…yet).

View of the lake, from Chateau Lake Louise

I’m sure every Canadian has seen multiple pictures of Lake Louise: the grand hotel overlooking the narrow mountain lake with snowy peaks in the background…it is an iconic Canadian sight.

Skating in front of the Chateau Lake Louise

And yet, it wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined it. I thought it would be at the bottom of a steep and narrow alpine valley.  But that would be wrong: it is actually located some distance up from the broad valley floor, on a winding mountain road.  

Only in Canada!

It actually reminds me quite a bit of St. Moritz, Switzerland…except that there is only one hotel (rather than hundreds) and it seems isolated even with hundreds of people enjoying the lake.

Hiking across Lake Louise

Anyway, it is definitely beautiful and there was plenty going on when we arrived.  There was a fully operational ice bar, a huge number of ice sculptures, multiple hockey games in progress on the lake, cross-country skiers darting to and fro, and many others just walking on and around the lake.  A horse-drawn sled was ferrying people around the coastal trail, while some fearless folks were climbing an ice waterfall. 

A climber ascending the ice falls at Lake Louise

As we were just visiting and not actually staying at the hotel, we chose to walk the length of the lake (about 2 km) and back, taking in the views and the general good cheer about winter.  It seemed like the right thing to do, given that the temperatures were more than cold enough for us to curse them.  Of course, the happiest creature we saw was a very photogenic husky.  Sadly, I didn’t take a picture!

Hiking alongside Lake Louise

Lake Louise (the lake, with the hotel) also turns out to be different from Lake Louise (the village) and Lake Louise (the ski area).  The village is on the valley floor, a couple of kilometers down from the lake, on the Trans-Canada Highway.  The ski area is even further from the lake, on the other side of the valley.  

Ice bar at the Chateau Lake Louise

The verdict:  yes, as you can see, it is definitely worth a visit.  I’m sure I haven’t seen the last of this famous lake…and hopefully, I will get back here at least once in the warmer seasons, so I can see the lake’s (apparently) mesmerizing colours for myself.  

Posts from the road

Cross-Country Skiing in Canmore

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(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

After four chilly days on the alpine slopes, the temperature dropped even further. The overnight low was around -30’C. The visibility was iffy and there was also a cold wind. It would have been miserable on the lifts, even with Hotshots! We made an executive decision to skip our planned last day of downhill skiing and try an outdoor sport that keeps you a little warmer: cross-country skiing.

Me at the Nordic Centre “stadium”

Fortunately, I was in one of the best places in the country to do this: as I mentioned a few days ago, Canmore hosted the Olympic cross- country skiing and biathlon events at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.  The facilities have been maintained and remain a competitive/training centre today.  Instead of just visiting, however, this time I was actually going to ski!

Richard races to the finish line

I haven’t done cross-country skiing regularly for about 40 years.  The equipment has changed enormously.  But the basics are still the same and it is just a little easier to ski uphill with the new “skins” skis.  

Skiing through the forest at the Canmore Nordic Centre

There was no way that we could have enjoyed skiing downhill today: the windchill was approaching -30’C, although the actual temperature was about -17’C at midday.   While cross-country skiing was also cold initially, I warmed up after about 15 minutes of work.  We decided to do a series of loops that didn’t take us too far from the base lodge, just in case .  Eventually, the main concern was not getting too hot, as the moisture could really make you freeze when you got cold again later. 

Richard overlooks the meadow

After a delicious lunch, we did another longer loop in the afternoon.  The forest trails were beautiful but my favourite spot was  a spectacular alpine meadow (see photo at the very top of this post), where you could really appreciate all of the mountains around us. The sun had graciously reappeared shortly after we started, and the wintry colours were intense.

Some of the many flags at the Canmore Nordic Centre (representing the countries that competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics)

I don’t say this often, but this was definitely a day where it was better to be off the slopes than on them.  We ended up skiing more than 20 km and fully deserved the Mexican meal we enjoyed that evening.  I certainly wasn’t expecting to drink horchata in Canmore, but there it was! 

The Canmore Nordic Centre

We made the most of our last full day in Canmore, and we could only laugh the next morning when the temperature dropped to a totally ridiculous -36’C (again, without the windchill!) on the way to the airport.

Coming up: another Alberta attraction!

 

Posts from the road

Highlights from the Banff and Lake Louise slopes

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(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

This post was supposed to be about skiing in the Banff area without a polar vortex.  Alas, I cannot do that.  There was a relative warming over the next two days of skiing, but I still needed to buy and use Hotshots (for my hands) for each of those days.  However, I was able to ski through both the morning and the afternoon without resorting to hand dryers for warmth…and I finally get a proper feel for the slopes at both Lake Louise and Sunshine Village.

Richard poses near the top of the Back Bowls piste at Lake Louise

My first impressions of skiing at Lake Louise were mixed.  The views were great, but most of the pistes near the main gondola were “used up” by mid-morning.  We then made our way to the “Back Bowls”, a large area on the backside of the main mountain (see photo at the very top of this post).  

The Back Bowls pistes are not really defined…they are more “areas” than formal pistes, so it is sometimes difficult to figure out which piste you are actually on. There are three distinct Back Bowl sections, each with a fairly easy piste running through the middle, and exclusively black diamond-rated (or double black diamond-rated) slopes branching off.  Sometimes a hike is required to reach these pistes. 

Some of the mogul fields on the Lake Louise Back Bowls can get pretty gnarly

The farthest of the three Back Bowls was accessible only by a “platter” lift.  This is almost prehistoric technology that should have been retired long ago.  It is similar to a T-Bar: you ride it alone, and you are dragged uphill by a “disc” that you place between your legs.  It can be quite difficult to ride, especially on steep inclines, and the resort even ranked the lift itself as a black diamond!! 

Close-up of the mogul fields – compare the moguls to the size of the skier!

We cursed this wretched lift each time we used it.  The steepest section makes you fight the lift; it feels like a fall is imminent as you try to squeeze your thighs around the disc. But we then realized that this horrible lift was actually keeping people away from the third Back Bowl.  It was really our friend!

While it had been several days since the last snowfall, we managed to find a hidden piste that checked all the right boxes: barely used, a decent amount of powder, and a steep pitch that made you work but didn’t seem to have any hidden rocks or icy surprises. 

Another view from the top of the Back Bowls (Lake Louise)

We returned to this “Traumpiste” (“Dream Run”) several times, each time enjoying the sun, snow, solitude, and attainable challenge.  We then had a late lunch and decided to figure out the name of our great discovery.  Perhaps it would have a lyrical name, to match the internal melodies we heard while skiing it.  Or maybe it would have a rugged name, to reflect the worthy challenge it was.  I could have lived with either option.

The Alberta/British Columbia border, at Sunshine Village ski resort

But no.  This piste turned out to have the worst name I have ever encountered: it was called “Brown Shirt”.  I kid you not. What on earth were they thinking?  To compound their sin, they included “Brown Shirt” in the name of two other nearby pistes.   I’m shocked and stunned.  I’ve decided to call it “Hidden Valley” instead.

Random photo from the top of the Goat’s Eye region of the Sunshine Village ski area

Anyway, we also enjoyed skiing the long pistes located on Goat’s Eye Mountain at Sunshine Village.  These weren’t as remote as Lake Louise’s Back Bowls, but they were still off the beaten path for many of the skiers at Sunshine Village.  We were largely free to roam the wide open pistes in search of untouched snow. 

Temperatures are supposed to drop again tomorrow for our last day of skiing.  After a brief respite from the polar vortex, will we be able to handle it?

 

Posts from the road

My Coldest Skiing Ever?

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(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

I have now been skiing for two days in the Canadian Rockies.  Winter is ending in a few weeks, and it was reasonable to assume that temperatures would not be significantly lower than what I usually encounter during my March ski trips.  But that would be wrong.

-29’C on the car dashboard, en route to Lake Louise for skiing

Thanks to a Polar Vortex situation, the temperature en route to the Lake Louise ski resort (see photo at top of this post) reached an incredible -29’C.  While I know that it can often be much colder than that in Canada, it is not the kind of temperature commonly associated with sustainable ski resorts.  They even issued a frostbite warning!

Me and the distant Mt. Assiniboine (in British Columbia!), while skiing at Sunshine

Maybe it was just a one-off?  Well, it warmed up the next day to a relatively balmy -27’C on the way to the Sunshine (Banff) ski resort.  In fact, that day was probably more challenging: it felt even colder (perhaps due to the altitude) than it did at Lake Louise, and I had to return to the lodge after only two runs.  As the day progressed, I was generally able to complete three runs in a row before I had to restore some warmth to my frozen hands and face.

One of the “Back Bowls” at Lake Louise ski resort

But!  This is not a story of icy gloom!  It is, instead, a story of ingenuity and survival against the odds.  Yes, I have discovered an easy way to continue skiing, even in the most frigid temperatures.

Entering the Back Bowls at Lake Louise

Thanks to the automatic hand dryer, found in most public washrooms, you too can restore at least some temporary warmth to your hands and mitts (I don’t recommend this technique with feet, boots, or faces).  Simply find a washroom with an automatic hand dryer, and forego the unnecessary preliminaries of actually using the washroom or washing your hands.  Just let the toasty hand dryer work its magic, and you’ll be ready to face the elements once again. Trust me, it works!

Back Bowls at Lake Louise

Of course, this places some limits on your ski itinerary.  My hands also feel very dried out right now.  But desperate times call for desperate measures!

Lake Louise summit

Around 1:00 p.m. or so, on both days, the overhead sun did help out quite a bit.  And I’m certainly not complaining about the crowds: lift lines were non-existent, and we often had huge pistes all to ourselves.  But I do have to admit that unconditional alpine enjoyment took a bit of a hit over the past two days.

Empty pistes in the middle of the day at Sunshine (Banff)

Fortunately, temperatures are expected to rise for the next two days of skiing, so I hope to provide some substantive commentary on these two beautifully situated ski areas in my subsequent blog entries.  And, just in case, I will also be buying a couple of “Hot Shots” (hand warmers that I haven’t used since the 1990s) to put in my mitts on the last day of skiing…temperatures are expected to plunge once again by then.

Near the summit of Lake Louise

Canadian skiing isn’t always like this. Stay tuned to find out what it’s really like when the weather is not so much of a factor.

Posts from the road

Ready to Ski in the Canadian Rockies

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(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

I wasn’t able to cross the Atlantic for skiing this year…but when one door closes, another one opens.  I am now in the Canadian Rockies for a week of skiing in and around Banff and Lake Louise!

For a mere C$12,500.00, this samurai armour and sword can be yours from a Banff souvenir shop

It is a trip of “firsts”.  I have never been to Calgary, Banff, or Lake Louise.  I have never been skiing in Alberta.  And I have a feeling that I am also going attain some other “firsts” on the slopes…at least from a ski conditions perspective!

Bow River Waterfalls. near Banff, Alberta

I believe that Alberta is currently in the midst of a “Polar Vortex” weather system.  Whatever the reason, it is VERY cold here for late February.  We actually decided not to ski today, as the overnight low was -28’C and the windchill this morning was a nippy -30’C.  However, I still had the chance to explore this spectacular setting, in preparation for our debut on the slopes tomorrow.  

The Banff Springs Hotel, as seen from the (mostly) frozen Bow River

 We started off by visiting some hot springs and then the famous Banff Springs Hotel (see photo at the top of this post):  another one of the iconic Canadian Pacific hotels that sprang up across Canada approximately 100 years ago. I’ve been to a few of these recently: you may recall my posts on the Manoir Richelieu and the Chateau Montebello in Quebec. 

It’s -20’C outside, but they are called hot springs for a reason

The Banff Springs setting is amazing, but so is the interior.  The architect must have had a great time designing the hotel, given the disorienting maze of hallways and rooms.   The exterior also lives up to the castle motif shared by many other CP hotels.  After our dizzying self-guided tour, we came across some very unconcerned deer on our way to the Bow River waterfalls.

Wild but totally unconcerned deer near the Banff Springs Hotel

For lunch, we agreed that a huge bowl of Thai soup would be an appropriate way to recuperate from the cold.  We then visited a famous destination that will eventually get its own post, and finished up our non-skiing day by exploring some of the sights around Canmore. 

Canmore Nordic Centre, venue for biathlon and cross-country skiing events at the 1988 Winter Olympics

Canmore is a former mining town that has made the transition to a sport and resort centre.  Our first stop was the Canmore Nordic Centre, home of the cross-country skiing and biathlon events at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.  It looked much hillier than it does on TV, and the hardy warriors on the trails were emerging with incredible icicle formations on their faces. And yet, they seemed happy enough to be there.

Ha Ling Peak, near Canmore, Alberta

We finished by exploring a little bit of the hinterland that was apparently the preferred site of the Canmore Nordic Centre, but building an Olympic-standard road to that location would simply have been too difficult and expensive.  Believe me, it was quite an experience being in such rugged terrain only a few kilometres outside of Canmore.

Spray Lakes, near Canmore, Alberta

I’m now fully acclimatized and ready to hit the slopes. Stay tuned for our Polar Vortex skiing debut!

Posts from the road

Celebrities and the Jersey Shore

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(West Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.A.)

One of the interesting parts of the New Jersey conference was interacting with people whose names I knew…but whom I had never actually seen or met.

As this was an academic conference, many of the attendees and presenters were authors.  I brought along a few books for signing, as it appeared that time would be available to meet the authors.  In each case, the authors were unfailingly polite and it was abundantly clear that they were also big fans of the music.

The Jersey Shore

There was another attendee who might be a little more famous (by work, if not by name) to those outside of the Beatles’ world.  He has a very significant Beatles connection, but he has also reached the pinnacle of his profession through his work with other musicians.  However, he rarely attends events like this…and I wondered if he might not be too thrilled to meet “fans”. 

Science Hall at Monmouth University

While I did obtain his autograph and briefly speak to him, I was most struck by his keen interest in the conference.  Although he was a featured guest, he did not just zip in and out of the conference for his assigned slot.  He arrived early and stayed for several days (and these were long days)…perhaps even longer than I did!   And it was evident that he was just as polite with, and considerate of, other “fans” as he was when I met him.  

Woodrow Wilson Hall, Monmouth University, Long Branch, New Jersey

This made me ponder the whole idea of celebrity.  If I were famous and pursuing one of my interests, my patience with being approached by strangers might eventually get worn down.  Imagine  having to deal with that all of the time!  And so, given the grace with which this person was handling things, I have decided not to name him or post a picture.

Bey Hall, Monmouth University

Almost exactly four years ago, I came across a similar issue when I visited the Abbey Road recording studio in London, England.  The building (and the pedestrian crossing outside of it) are, of course, iconic in the Beatles world.  I readily accepted a stranger’s offer to take my picture while I walked across Abbey Road.  However, one of the most famous musicians of all time also lives quite close to that studio…only a few minutes’ walk away.

I had to take a look, as I was curious about the style in which this musician lived.  I thought about taking a picture and posting it on this blog.  In the end, however, I decided that posting a photograph would just contribute to the “siege” that this musician must often feel.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania…on the way back home

As a result, rather than posting “celebrity” photos, I have decided to illustrate this post with some more travel-oriented photos of the conference trip.  The final stop was a  brief visit to the nearby Jersey Shore (see photo at the very top of this post), which I had heard about but never actually seen.  After taking some final pictures and ceremonially touching the chilly Atlantic Ocean, it was time to begin the long journey back home.

Posts from the road

Return to Academia

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(West Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.A.)

After the great concert on the first night at Monmouth University’s music symposium (see my previous post – and also photo above), it was time to get a little serious.

There were roughly 50 “elective” seminars spread out over 10 time slots, so it was impossible to see everything.  I decided to challenge myself and attend something that sounded really obscure…a seminar on “irregular hypermeters”.  As I was never able to fit any music electives into my university timetable, I braced myself for the worst.  I have a good grounding in the basics of music theory, and have always been intrigued by odd time signatures, but haven’t really studied music seriously for about 35 years.  Even with the conference’s underlying Beatles theme, perhaps this was taking things too far?

The back of Woodrow Wilson Hall (Monmouth University)

My fears were groundless.  Yes, some of the language was challenging, especially when the professor also incorporated a philosophy called “aesthetic realism”.  And irregular hypermeters weren’t actually odd time signatures, as I had originally thought.  But then something very cool happened:  the professor was so enthusiastic about the material that the required intellectual gymnastics suddenly became attainable.

The “OceanFist Bank Center” at Monmouth University

The basic idea was that the musical phrases in Beatles music are often captivating because they do not comply with the “rules” for popular music.  For example, instead of the expected lengths of 4, 8 or 12 bars, the phrases would be 5 bars (“Eleanor Rigby”) or 7 bars (“Yesterday”).  This is what you call an “irregular hypermeter”.  Sure enough, if you count out the beats and bars, these songs (and many others) do not fit the expected pattern.  The predictability so often found in blues and country music, and by extension much popular music, just isn’t there.  Is this why the Beatles’ music still sounds fresh and inventive today?

Front entrance to Woodrow Wilson Hall

The professor was a gifted musician…in fact, it turns out that he has won awards as a composer.  But instead of leaving us with just an interesting theory, he actually demonstrated on the piano what “Yesterday” would sound like if it contained “standard” verse phrases of 8 bars rather than 7 bars.  It was corny, and almost painful to hear.

After showing how (via the music of Burt Bacharach) the unusual phrasing and chord changes in “Eleanor Rigby” also surprise and delight, the professor took some questions from the class.  At one point, he erupted into a vocal passage from an opera (in German!) to demonstrate his point.

Side entrance to Woodrow Wilson Hall

Before we knew it, we had run way past the scheduled end of the seminar.  In a sign that the message got through, I later enthused about this previously unknown subject to my friend…and, over the next several days, anybody else who would listen.  I also found myself counting out the lengths of melodic phrases in every piece of music I encountered (note: don’t try this when you are driving).  Sure enough, the most cliched-sounding songs rigidly follow the same old patterns.

Just in case you missed it – another view of Woodrow Wilson Hall (with previously unnoticed pink glow)

While this topic continues to fascinate me, I think the key take-aways are a lot simpler.  First of all, being passionate about what you are teaching can break down a lot of barriers.  Secondly, learning out of pure interest is far more effective than learning out of necessity.  And finally, you’re never too old to learn.  If you can find something you’re passionate about, those rusty old learning skills will come rushing back!

Posts from the road

An awesome concert in New Jersey!

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(West Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.A.)

On very short notice, I decided to join a friend on a road trip to a four-day academic music conference at Monmouth University in New Jersey.  This was purely for fun and had nothing to do with my employment.  I was free to attend whichever seminars and events caught my interest.

My previous exposure to New Jersey consisted only of passing through Newark Airport on my way to and from New York City.  Most of what I saw was concrete.  This time, however, I found myself at an idyllic college that seemed far removed from urban America.

Stop for gas in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains

The conference itself was scheduled to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ eponymous 1968 album (popularly known as the “White Album”).  While most of the seminars had some connection to that album, the topics ranged from the media in 1960s Germany to “irregular hypermeters” (more about that in a future post).

Yes. New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway passes through a place called Cheesequake!

In addition to the daytime seminars, there were “working” lunches with keynote speakers, dinners with live entertainment, evening presentations for all attendees, vast numbers of books for sale…and, on the first night, a concert by a band called “The Weeklings“.  They seemed to be fairly well known, so we decided to attend as the tickets were included with our conference fees.

I was so impressed with Cheesequake that I took another picture

I had no idea that this concert, by a band that was completely unknown to me,  would be one of the very best that I had ever attended.  The Weeklings are primarily a Beatles tribute band, meaning that they replicate the songs of the Beatles in concert.  I’ve seen plenty of these bands before, and many of them are quite good.  My brother-in-law even portrayed John Lennon in one of them. However, the Weeklings (see photo at the top of this post) don’t look anything like the Beatles, nor do they even try.

The interior of Monmouth University’s Woodrow Wilson Hall, where we ate our dinners and attended a number of presentations

The concert was a live recreation of (most of) the White Album.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with that double album, it is by far the most musically varied of any Beatles album.  The songs range from acoustic ballads to heavy metal, ska to music hall, and everything in between.  The songs are also full of musical tricks, including multiple time signature changes within the same song or even the same verse. Playing it live is an extreme test.  But the Weeklings were up to it…for this special event, they even had a 5-piece string section and a 6-piece horn section.

Descending the marble staircase into Woodrow Wilson Hall’s dining area

It was astonishing.  Even with Paul McCartney’s vast financial resources, the string and horn parts at his concerts are generally played by one guy with a fancy keyboard.  To hear these songs live, with the actual arrangements and instruments that appear on the record, was really something special.

The Weeklings on stage at Pollak Hall

But that wasn’t all – the Weeklings then proceeded to play a handful of their original compositions (with obvious Beatles influences)…and then play even more Beatles songs that are rarely performed live with full string and horn sections.  While their string-heavy and amped-up version of “I am the Walrus” was deeply impressive, it was “A Day in the Life” that really took things to the next level.

“A Day in the Life” is, in my opinion, the Beatles’ finest song.  The recording, with its unprecedented and seemingly random 24-bar orchestral crescendos, represents one of the highest points of 20th century popular music.  To hear it live, with that instrumentation, was like nothing I had ever heard.

The musicians acknowledge the crowd at the end of the show

It has been said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture:  it is very difficult to do well.  But If I haven’t conveyed it clearly enough, please just take my word for it…this was amazing, and you should definitely see these guys if you ever get the chance.  They don’t always have the strings and horns with them in concert, but even as a 4-piece band with a keyboard player on the side, they are still incredible.  What a great way to start the conference!