The Rock Orchestra’s six-night “All Together Now” festival offers families a rare chance to share 217 Beatles songs — and generations of musical history — together

WILMINGTON, Del. — Beatles fans have six nights beginning tonight to experience something far different from a traditional tribute concert — and perhaps introduce a child or grandchild to the music that changed popular culture.

The Rock Orchestra opens its ninth annual “All Together Now” festival Monday night at Delaware Theatre Company, launching a six-night musical journey through all 217 officially released Beatles songs in chronological order. Performances begin at 8 p.m. each night through Saturday, Aug. 15.

For longtime Beatles fans, the festival is an opportunity to hear familiar favorites alongside songs rarely performed live. For younger listeners, it offers something more: a chance to discover the Beatles the way their parents and grandparents did — as a band whose sound changed dramatically in just a few remarkable years.

That makes the festival an unusual opportunity for families to share some musical history.

Parents and grandparents who remember the Beatles can bring younger generations to hear why songs recorded more than half a century ago continue to influence the music they hear today. Instead of simply playing an old record or streaming a playlist, families can experience the music together in a live theater, performed by musicians recreating the increasingly complex arrangements that defined the Beatles’ career.

Six nights tell one musical story

“All Together Now” does not simply assemble the Beatles’ biggest hits.

Each evening picks up where the previous night ended, presenting albums, singles and deeper cuts in the order in which they were originally released. The format allows audiences to hear the transformation from the youthful rock-and-roll energy of the band’s earliest recordings to the increasingly ambitious studio experimentation of its later years.

Tonight’s opening performance features “Please Please Me” and “With The Beatles.”

Tuesday moves to “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Beatles For Sale,” followed Wednesday by “Help!” and “Rubber Soul.” Thursday features “Revolver,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Magical Mystery Tour.”

Friday brings “Yellow Submarine” and “The Beatles,” commonly known as the White Album, before the festival concludes Saturday with “Abbey Road” and “Let It Be.”

That progression is central to the experience.

“The Beatles didn’t stand still for a single album,” said Joe Trainor, co-founder and musical director of The Rock Orchestra. “When you experience every song in release order, you hear them grow from a great rock-and-roll band into fearless musical innovators.”

More than a Beatles tribute show

Recreating those recordings requires considerably more than four musicians with guitars and drums.

Over the festival’s nine-year history, more than 112 musicians playing nearly 30 instruments have participated. A seven-piece core rock band is joined throughout the production by strings, brass, woodwinds and instruments including harp, sitar, tabla, mandolin, French horn and clarinet.

The result is designed to recreate not just the songs but the expanding musical imagination behind them.

Founded in 2017 by Trainor and Matt Urban, The Rock Orchestra has produced concerts celebrating artists including Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Genesis, Chicago, Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel, Eagles and R.E.M. But “All Together Now” has become its signature summer event.

“It’s become a tradition for the musicians on stage and for the audiences who come back every summer,” Urban said.

Make it a family night

For people who grew up with the Beatles, the week offers six chances to revisit music tied to their own memories.

But taking a son, daughter or grandchild could make the experience even more memorable.

Young people may already recognize more Beatles music than they realize. “All Together Now” gives older generations an opportunity to put those songs into context — and then watch younger listeners discover for themselves how dramatically the band evolved.

With the festival beginning tonight and ending Saturday, the opportunity lasts only six nights.

Whether attending one favorite era or following the entire 217-song journey, this may be the kind of summer experience worth turning into a family tradition.

TO GO

• What: All Together Now: The Complete Beatles Festival
• When: Monday, Aug. 10, through Saturday, Aug. 15
• Time: 8 p.m. nightly
• Where: Delaware Theatre Company, 200 Water St., Wilmington
• Tonight: “Please Please Me” and “With The Beatles”
•  Single-night tickets, festival passes and VIP packages are available through Delaware Theatre Company.
• Why go: Hear all 217 officially released Beatles songs performed chronologically — and consider bringing your children or grandchildren for a night of music that connects generations.

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