Jon Fikes has been a dedicated fan of The Beatles since the age of 10. His admiration for the legendary band led him to portray John Lennon in The Fab Four, a Beatles tribute band.
“What do I not enjoy?” Fikes remarked during a phone interview. “I used to doodle John Lennon’s signature. I had his signature memorized. I would draw that on my textbooks in school. I learned to play guitar out of a Beatles songbook that I had. It’s been a lifelong passion of mine. I’ve watched the movies and the documentaries. It’s kind of inevitable that I would be here.”
The Fab Four travels globally, performing and sharing their love for the iconic British rock band with thousands of fans. Local enthusiasts will have an opportunity to experience their performance when they visit Midland for a concert at 7:30 p.m., August 23, at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are available online at wagnernoel.com.
The Emmy award-winning group is distinguished by its meticulous attention to detail, which sets it apart from other Beatles tribute bands.
This particular show will primarily feature songs from "Rubber Soul," The Beatles' sixth studio album released in 1965, including tracks like “Drive My Car,” “Norwegian Wood,” “You Won’t See Me,” and “In My Life.”
“This is a Rubber Soul show,” Fikes explained. “We’re giving you the entire album, all the tracks. We’ve been playing this show for a few months now. We’re really tight on it and I love ‘Rubber Soul.’ It’s sort of a left turn. There’s a lot more acoustics on it. They start getting a bit deep into it, lyrically."
For those less familiar with "Rubber Soul," the second half of the show will feature classics from later albums.
“The second half of the show, we give you all the hits from 1967 and onward,” Fikes said. “We’ll do ‘With a Little Help from My Friends.’ We’ll do ‘Let It Be.’ We’ll do stuff from ‘Abbey Road.’ We’ll do something that every Beatles fan will know.”
Fikes shared how performing feels natural due to his long-standing connection with The Beatles' music.
“When I’m performing, it feels natural,” he said. “It all comes pretty natural to me because I love it so much and it’s been a big part of my life."
Reflecting on his past experiences, Fikes recalled seeing another Beatles tribute band at age 16 in his small town.
“I saw a Beatles documentary and then a Beatles tribute band came through and did a concert in the park," he said." All these years later, I’m doing the same thing that I saw as a kid.”
Among many classic albums by The Beatles such as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "The White Album," and "Abbey Road," Fikes noted his favorite album is often changing but traditionally cites "Revolver" as his top choice due to its unique sound.
“I would give you different answer if you asked me month from now,” he said.“It’s always changing... 'Revolver' was first one sat down listened to... crazy hypnotized by it."