Peruvian rockers created a band to sing Beatles songs one day and 33 years later they haven’t stopped: This is their story

In December 1990, a decade after the death of John Lennon, under the name one day in the Life, a group of Peruvian rockers got together to pay tribute to the legendary British group The Beatles. Since then, every year, with the same excitement, dedication and fanaticism as the first time, they take the stage together to offer a tribute show that – as happened with the music of the Liverpool Four – is here to stay.

“33 years ago it occurred to me to pay tribute to Lennon 10 years after his death. He was an important number and I thought it was nice to do something. It was like an unpremeditated adventure. We got together with the musicians from We All Together, from Frágil, with Tavo Castillo, who is my friend, to form a group just for that occasion. That’s why it’s called A Day in the Life. We all had our own bands and it was hard to get back together. There was not time. However, the following year we met again, and we continued”, comments Edmundo Delgado, leader and founder of the group.

This year’s show is titled Magical Beatles Show, in reference to Magical Mystery Tour, the documentary film that starred John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1967. And unlike previous editions, it will have three installments: on December 7, 8 and 9 at the Peruvian Japanese Theater.

“In Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles travel through England, by bus, with a lot of students and show images of the cities. In our performance, we will take a tour of all his music. From ‘Beatlemania’, which was the first thing they did, to the acoustic, like ‘Michelle’. Symphonic themes like ‘Yesterday’ by Eleanor Rigby, where we will be accompanied by a string octet between violins, violas and cellos. And the end of the party with classic songs like ‘Imagine,’ “advances Delgado, who in the setlist will also include ‘Now And Then’, the new Beatles song with artificial intelligence.

“Renzo Dalí, who is our pianist, is making the string arrangement, as it appeared on the album, to play it as it should be, with all the instruments. The song is very good, the melody and the lyrics seem nice to me. When I heard it it was like a trip back in time, as if I were in that era of the Beatles listening to one of their songs.”, he assures.

A day in the life stars Edmundo, Tavo Castillo (Frágil, founder), Renzo Dalí, Carlo André Oliden, Jeremy Castillo and Alejandro Iturrizaga. Musicians such as Gerardo Manuel, Ernesto Samamé, Augusto Castro and Carlos Guerrero were also part of the history of the tribute band that in 2014 was chosen as the best in South America in The Beatle Week Festival from Liverpool, England.

“I live for this show. We only do it in December, but all year long I’m thinking about what to do. And once I design it, I give it to the kids in the group and we exchange opinions until we reach a consensus. The songs that people want to hear we never put out. Every time we get on stage the challenge increases and we feel like we have 20 or 30 more years to go (laughs). I don’t know when we’re going to stop. Suddenly the founders, like Tavo and I, will step aside, but the guys who are playing with us will continue this legacy.“, he says.

Musical heritage

Edmundo was 10 years old when he unconsciously immersed himself in the universe of the Beatles, thanks to a record that his mother gave him, and his then passion for classical music was relegated.

“After listening to ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (1964), the album that my mother gave me, I felt that I liked it and engaged it as much as classical music. Something like this had never happened to me with another rock group. And at school I rediscovered my passion for the Beatles with Abbey Road (1969). And I met my wife, Doris, precisely when she helped me do the A Day in the Life concerts. The Beatles have rounded out my existence in such a way that when I have bad moments, I simply listen to one of their albums and it goes away.“, agrees the national musician.

In 2024, the band will tour the East Coast of the United States. Also, they are preparing the launch of an album with songs from the Beatles with own arrangements and Andean instruments.