By: David Schultz

On October 31, 1994, Phish famously donned a musical costume at the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glen Falls, New York, and covered The Beatles’ “White Album” in its entirety. When over the next four years, they added Quadrophenia, The Talking Heads’ Remain In Light and The Velvet Underground’s Loaded to their All Hallow’s Eve resume, they gave birth to a tradition of bands reproducing famous classic rock albums as part of their Halloween sets. More than a decade after the last of Phish’s musical disguises, Leroy Justice is but one of the bands that picked up the gauntlet this past Halloween, tackling The Beatles’ Let It Be at New York City’s The Bitter End, just blocks away from the oddity known as the Halloween Parade.

Through attrition, The Bitter End, which opened in 1961 is New York City’s longest running nightclub. For Halloween, the well worn venue got into the spirit, decorating the club appropriately with ghostly webs complete with giant spider. Leroy Justice dressed the part as well with guitarist Jason Gallagher donning the Lennon specs, bassist Bradley Wegner looking like a wooly McCartney and Sloan Marshall sporting a vintage ‘fro as 5th Beatle Billy Preston.

On their debut album, Revolution’s Son, Leroy Justice showed a fine aptitude for 70s era Rolling Stones finesse and brawny, whiskey-soaked bar room rockers. In covering Let It Be and songs that The Beatles never played live anywhere but a rooftop, Gallagher, Wegner, Marshall, guitarist Brendan Cavanaugh and drummer Josh Karis pushed themselves to a high level of musicianship. On early versions of “Two Of Us” and “Dig A Pony,” they seemed a bit unsteady with the material. Once they started interpreting rather than emulating The Beatles, they hit their stride: an upbeat version of “The Long And Winding Road” led into a wonderful renovation of “For You Blue” and a rousing finale of “Get Back.”

For Justice’s main set, they offered a muscular and powerful dose of rock and roll, including an inspired version of “Revolution’s Son,” a cover of “Don’t Do It” that owed more to The Band’s version than Marvin Gaye’s and a stirring, smoky run though “Bring It On Home To Me.” Playing well into the night, Leroy Justice left to no doubt that in the future, Justice will be served.

Labels: Leroy Justice