Beatles: Ones

May 4, 2025, Centre in the Square, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; written on May 12, 2025

I didn’t know much of anything about this show before I bought tickets, except that they’d played Centre in the Square before. I read the description of it, saying that the group presented video information about each song before they performed, and that seemed as though it would be interesting. And we like The Beatles. (I was going to say, “And who doesn’t like The Beatles?” Except that I know people who claim they don’t.

Even after seeing it, I had to research their website to find out the logic of the set list. I certainly noticed the many Canadian facts included in the video intros, including the fact that The Beatles were a hit in Canada before the United States, and that some of the “bed-in for peace” took place in Montreal. But in fact, the number one songs they played did not include all the ones on the famous Beatles compilation album, Ones. That album is a combination of all their UK and US hits. This show is only their Canadian #1s.

Sure, much of that is the same, but one difference is that “All My Lovin” hit number here. Another is that “Strawberry Fields” did not (though “Penny Lane” did).

And an oddity I realized was true for all of these countries: no number 1s from the very famous Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.

On with what the show was like. It was really popular, for one, but we had pretty good seats in the orchestra section. The crowd was quite enthusiastic, and based on applause, many were return attendees.

The earliest songs are performed with just the core musicians (guitarists, bass, drums), but with “Yesterday”, symphonic players join in, and as of “Eleanor Rigby”, they pretty much stick around.

Everyone was very good, even with the slight lyrical mixups later in the set, particularly during “The Ballad of John and Yoko”. (But that’s not really anyone’s karaoke song, is it?)

During the only George Harrison-penned number one, “Something”, I got caught up in the thought that this is clearly the sexiest song The Beatles ever did, and that any runner-ups would also have been composed by George Harrison (“Love You Too”, “Here Comes The Sun”, “Within You, Without You”), then briefly distracted by trying to think of what the most sexy songs would be by some of my other favourite artists (Queen: surprising hard to think of any! Not “Body Language” or “Get Down Make Love”. Maybe “Staying Power” or “Dragon Attack”? Prince: so many to choose from! But, “Little Red Corvette”? Sade—all of them! The Who? Oh dear. “Love Ain’t for Keeping”, maybe? Elvis Costello? Lord.)

But next was “Come Together”, and I was back in the present.

As an interesting addendum, they also performed the very recent #1 song by The Beatles, the AI-aided “Now and Then”.

The fun encore was #1 songs by each of the solo Beatles: “Imagine” by John Lennon, “Photograph” by Ringo Starr”, “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison, and “Silly Love Songs” by Paul McCartney (this caused some groaning by someone nearby, who clearly didn’t appreciate the musical brilliance of this song, and I’m not even being sarcastic here).

Then, just for fun, they got everyone to stand up and dance to “Twist and Shout”.