THEY'VE got your tickets to ride - they being Bermuda's 441 Productions, who will be hosting Beatles tribute band The FabFour at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess on October 17 and October 18.

The local promotions company, known for bringing tribute bands specialising in the music of such acts as The Eagles, U2 and the Rolling Stones to Bermuda, will be staging the Beatles shows at at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess' Harbourview Ballroom.

In entertainment industry jargon, a tribute band is a band that performs the music of famous bands that no longer tour or have disbanded. They differ from cover bands in that they don't attempt to put their own stylistic flourishes on the music they are playing.

On the contrary, a tribute band tries to capture the look, sound and feel of the group they are paying tribute to. Often tribute bands name their group after a song or record release of the band they are paying homage to. In the case of The FabFour, from Toronto, Canada, they took their name from a Beatles nickname popularised in British and American newspaper headlines in the early, heady days of the band's success.

The FabFour are widely considered to be one of the best Beatles tribute bands out there. They take pride in recreating an authentic Beatles experience.

From elaborate detailed costumes to authentic instruments of the time they capture the essence of The Beatles.

Arguably the most prodigiously talented musical act ever, the Beatles - Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - started out playing in small clubs in their native Liverpool before becominfg the biggest act in Britain in the early 1960s.

Based around the Lennon/McCartney songwriting partnership, The Beatles released more than 40 different singles and albums that reached number one worlwide. Their record company, EMI, estimated that by 1985 they had sold over one billion records.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, The Beatles have sold more albums in the United States than any other band. And in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked The Beatles number one on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

According to that same magazine, The Beatles' innovative music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s, and their influence on pop culture is still evident today.

The 441 Productions team this week talked to the Mid-Ocean News about their upcoming exercise in resurgent Beatlemania.

Paul Sofianos, a promoter for 441, explained the FabFour's act and what people can expect to see at the concerts.

"All the music is live with no backing tracks," he said. "They do quite an extensive show of four acts with several costume changes which will reflect the different stages in The Beatles career."

Explaining the four acts of the FabFour Mr. Sofianos said: "The first act covers all The Beatles old television appearances like the Ed Sullivan Show. So basically the period from 1963 to '65 when Beatlemania broke in the United States and their big hits were songs like I Want To Hold Your Hand and Love Me Do and Please Please Me.

"The second act covers The Beatles touring years when they were really out there working it and doing shows, honing their act and developing their songwriting skills. This is the 1965-1967 period when they recorded the albums Rubber Soul and Revolver and released such singles as A Hard Day's Night, Ticket to Ride, Help!, Day Tripper, Paperback Writer and Eleanor Rigby. In terms of musical sophistication, the songs they were recording were a far cry from the 'Yeah, yeah, yeah' singles of their early years.

"The third act is based around the Beatles psychedlic masterpiece Sergeant Pepper (pictured). They gave up touring in 1966 because they wanted to focus on creating new types of music in the studio with their equally legendary producer George Martin, music that was layered and textured and took advantage of all manner of new technological developments in the recording industry.

"Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967, has been described as a watershed in popular music history and is considered to be the best album ever made by more than a few critics. It features such tracks as With A Little Help From My Friends, Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds and A Day In The Life.

"And the fourth act has songs from the last three Beatles albums - The White Album, Let It Be and Abbey Road. The songs from this period, 1968 up to the break up of the Beatles in 1970, include Helter Skelter, All You Need Is Love, I Am the Walrus, Hey Jude, Revolution, Get Back, Something, Come Together and Let It Be.

Andrew Holmes, managing director of 441 Productions, said he formed the company to help cater to the growing market for live entertainment in Bermuda: "441 Productions was my brainchild," he said. "We started in 2004 because I wanted to bring more entertainment to Bermuda.

"People often complain there is nothing to do here and with a big international market here now we thought we would tap into that."

Mr. Holmes said because there are so many foreign workers here now there is a viable market for acts such as tribute shows.

"There is a reggae dance almost every week and a reggae show almost every two months. These draw a broad cross-section of Bermudians. But no one was catering to either the international market or the older Bermudian demographic," he said. "After all, not everyone is into hip hop and reggae and R&B.

"Some people want to hear something different."

Recalling how the outfit first started out, Mr. Holmes said: "When we began we did a reggae show and a couple of small parties and then Paul came up with the idea for doing a U2 tribute show.

"At first I laughed at him and said, 'No one is going to watch some guys pretending to be U2'. But the more I thought about it the more I realised there was a market that is untapped. And the U2 show was a big success to say the least. We've done five tribute shows since."

Mr. Holmes wants people to know a good time can be had by all at a 441 Productions event and that "Our concerts are family-friendly events."

Mr. Sofianos remembers how he came up with the idea for a tribute show:

"When we first started thinking of bringing in bands I thought of bringing in a cover band, you know a group that puts its own spin on another act's music.

"However, one morning I was watching the breakfast television programme on Toronto's City TV and they had a U2 tribute band on named Elevation that rocked.

"A few months later I was in Vancouver on vacation and Elevation were playing at the Commodore Ballroom, a 75-year old ballroom synonymous with Vancouver's entertainment and nightime scenes. I went to see them and they were unbelievable.

"The next thing I know we had booked them and brought them in to Bermuda in 2006 to do a show here which was a huge success. For that show we had 1,500 people over two nights and it was very well received."

Mr. Sofianos said the idea to bring in a Beatles tribute band originated on the social networking website www.facebook.com. "About a year ago we did a poll on Facebook where everybody who signed up for our U2 tribute show was sent out a survey asking what band they would like to see for the next tribute show.

"When the results were tallied up The Beatles were number one, the next top bands were U2 and The Rolling Stones and The Police.

"The Beatles, however, had three times as many votes as the number two band so we knew we had to find a Beatles band."

Mr. Sofianos added: "Obviously it's impossible to see The Beatles live ever again. But with the FabFour, we are providing the next best thing.

"We found the best tribute band we can with the most authentic true sound of the original band.

"There are a lot of bands out there that do Beatles stuff, but they do their interpretations of the Beatles, whereas The FabFour do an authentic replication of a Beatles show."

John Burcher, another 441 Productions associate, spoke about a special promotion the Fairmont Hamilton Princess is offering for the show. "The Princess is offering a package deal for $299 based on double occupancy as part of the Fab Four Weekend Getaway vacation package," said Mr. Burcher.

"The $299 includes dinner for two, tickets for two to the show and the hotel room for two.

"You can come and party and instead of drinking and driving you can enjoy a night at five-star hotel resort."

Mr. Sofianos wants people to know: "Great Sound is doing the sound and lights and we use them because we only want the best to do our sound.

"It's got to be a great quality production and these guys are the best.

"For the event the doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 with our opening act local band The British Invasion.

"We'll have a DJ playing from 8 to 9, from 9 to 10 British Invasion will play and from 10 to midnight The Fab Four will play. The after-hours party will be at The Beach on Front Street."

Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to Kidney Patients In Action, a local charity which benefits kidney patients at the Dr. Beresford Swan Dialysis Unit. The Dr. Beresford Swan Dialysis Unit is a specialised provider of services to patients with kidney disease, including patients suffering from chronic kidney failure.

Tickets are $50 and are available from Istore on Reid Street as well All Wrapped Up in the Washington Mall. For the Hamilton Princess tribute show package deal call 295-3000 and ask for their reservations department.