By this point, 1964: The Tribute, the band bringing its Beatlemania show to Marion on Friday, has been performing about twice as long as the actual Beatles did.

But so far, there's been no Yoko Ono to derail the Beatles tribute band. For 21 years, the group has brought the thrill of the early Beatles' live performances to many generations of fans, from those who remember the original group's first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show to young adults and children who have discovered the Beatles' music decades later.

"The thing that really keeps us in it is that you look out in the audience and see three generations of families sitting together," said Mark Benson, who plays John Lennon in the group. "They're singing all the songs, and all the songs are really positive in nature.

"I get e-mails all the time from people who say thanks, or they're bringing their friends to another show. ... I never expected that kind of stuff, but I think it's the influence of the music."

Hopefully, the music will continue to bring people Friday night as the band performs at Marion High School's F. Ritchie Walton Performing Arts Center, sponsored by the Walton Center Arts Society.

Walton Center Society member Dave Rees said the 1,468-seat auditorium still has seats available for the show, but they are selling fast.

"We still have a few hundred tickets, but we can't guarantee their availability the day of the show," he said. "There might be some, but at this point, the best bet if people are wanting tickets is to call in now."

1964: The Tribute formed after the band's original members got close under some unusual circumstances.

"We were all in the same cell block. We got to know each other pretty well," Benson joked.

Actually, the faux Fab Four knew each other from Akron, Ohio, musical circles and started dong Beatles shows as a lark to keep money coming in while they were individually working on original projects.

Eventually, the show caught on, first on the college circuit, then to worldwide acclaim. The group has performed at all ends of the globe, including at a concert celebrating the reunification of Germany.

"There have been a million times like that that I've been pinching myself thinking, 'Why are we here?'" Benson said. "The answer is that the Beatles' music is a huge common denominator. Everyone in the world has some sort of positive vibe associated with a Beatles song."

Originally published March 31, 2005