Back to the Beatles

When Don Bellezzo, a member of the band “Yesterday,” walks out on a concert stage these days, decked out in the costume and haircut of John Lennon circa 1967, the audience reaction is not, initially, ecstatic screaming as was the case at real Beatles concerts in the ‘60s.

But after Bellezzo performs a few Beatles tunes backed by three other modern musicians, Davey Justice, Greg Piper and Dick Cunico, all costumed and coiffed to resemble the other Beatles, they receive the traditional--noisy--audience reaction. The performance is not lip-sync stuff; these guys are real musicians who have been performing Beatles’ music live for a dozen years.

Valley families ready for an unusual cross-generational experience may want to visit Sumac Park in Agoura Hills this Sunday evening for a free performance by “Yesterday,” and a taste of good old Beatlemania.

Bellezzo reflects on the usual audience reaction during the years he and his group have been touring their show, “A Tribute to the Beatles.”

“At first, they watch,” he says. “Then it’s, ‘Oh, wow, these guys are like the Beatles.’ But people are too embarrassed to scream.” Finally, he says, “Somebody starts yelling, and it builds.”

This is pretty much what happens whether Bellezzo’s audience is American, Mexican, Canadian or Chinese. Of the various groups that put on shows like this, Los Angeles-based “Yesterday” is one of the few that tours all over the U.S. and foreign countries.

They are also the only such group that has, as Bellezzo put it, “a relationship resolved in an out-of-court resolution” with the corporation that represents the Beatles’ business interests. (Four years ago, the group’s success attracted the attention of that corporation. Both parties to the resulting negotiation are bound by their agreement not to disclose its terms.)

The Agoura Hills performance Sunday is sort of a homecoming for two musicians in the group. Bellezzo grew up in the Valley, so don’t be fooled by the Liverpool accent he uses in his role as “John.” Greg Piper, despite looking and acting like “George,” is still a Reseda lad.

In their onstage roles as the Fab Four, the group will deliver a kind of time-travel experience for boomers and a musical history lesson for kids who’ve never heard Beatles tunes played in chronological order.

During the first half of the concert, the group appears in the conservative suits and haircuts of the early Beatles era. In the second half, it’s the fantasy-full-dress-military garb of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

“Yesterday” has recorded a CD full of songs of their own--composed and performed in the style of the Beatles--which will be on sale at the concert Sunday. “We play one or another of our original songs during our concerts,” Bellezzo says. “We tell them, but some think it’s a Beatles song.”

The group usually encounters this musical misidentification after the concerts when audience members come up to talk and ask for autographs. Dutifully, and truthfully, the performers sign their real names, followed by the name of their character.

BE THERE

“A Tribute to the Beatles”--The Fab Four’s music performed live and in costume by the group “Yesterday,” Sunday, 6-8 p.m. in Sumac Park, 6000 Calmfield Ave., Agoura Hills. Free. (818) 597-7361