Late Thursday night, legions of functioning adults donned lightning-bolt scars and wizarding school robes and flocked to the cinemas to bid a fond farewell to Harry Potter. While they watched their youth slowly fade with the end credits, I stayed home and said goodbye to a relic of my adolescence.
As a temporary resident of Liverpool, a city which plays up its Beatles-related legacy with almost religious zeal, I learned a few things very quickly. The first lesson? When you’ve seen one Beatles tribute act, you’ve seen them all. Although the Fab Four had a wildly prolific career, writing more than 300 songs (not even brushing solo material), the same 40 or so selections seem to make up the core of the regional tribute repertoire here.