SOLANO BEACH, CA. ETA, James Kruk, rocked the Belly Up Tavern with the Hollywood Beetles. The event was billed Beatles vs. Elvis and if it was meant as a competition, then James Kruk wiped the floor with the Hollywood Beetles. He should have headlined the event and maybe the Friday night crowd wouldn’t have thinned out so much.
James Kruk. Lake Arrowhead Peformance. 08/03/12.
I’ve never been a fan of Beatles’s music, but I appreciate their influentual contribution to music and have always enjoyed their music played live. It’s a bit of contradiction. Years ago I stumbled upon the Fab 4 Beatles tribute band rocking the Tomorrowland Terrace Stage at Disneyland and they were fantastic. Loved it.
The Hollywood Beetles had dull personalities and lacked charisma. They didn’t engage the audience didn’t make any connection with us. However, the music was live, and the Belly Up Tavern has a great sound system, making it a rockin’ night. I would see them again as long as they have Kruk playing with them or another great ETA.
Pompadour 
Since I am an Elvis fan I pretty much enjoy all the Beatles’ songs Elvis covered except Hey Jude. It was a good effort, but Jude has a personal, poingnat message for a young Julian Lennon. Elvis misses this connection with the song and can’t deliver it like McCartney does.
Obviously, with his unique talent, Elvis had a way of taking other musician’s songs and made them sound better like Blue Suede Shoes, American Triology, and Bridge Over Troubled Water for example. I’ve never liked Simon & Garfunkel’s version. However, sometimes no matter how great the singer there are just some originals that others just cannot make better.
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