BY GILLIAN G. GAAR

Nowhere Men also perform at Dick's Drive-In... "Welcome to the day when London said no and Seattle said yes!" crowed former KBSG DJ Mark Christopher as he kicked off a lunchtime concert in Seattle held on the 40^th anniversary of the Beatles' legendary impromptu show on the roof of their own Apple headquarters in London on January 30, 1969. (Christopher's comment referred to plans for the event to be recreated in London as well, by UK tribute act the Bootleg Beatles; though the show was cancelled due to safety concerns, two members of the group did manage to sneak up on the roof anyway, performing "One After 909").

Recreating the event in Seattle was tribute act Crème Tangerine (their name taken from a line in George Harrison's "Savoy Truffle"). The location was the Copacabana Café in Seattle's historic Pike Place Market, recently chosen by readers of the Seattle Weekly as having the "Best Rooftop Balcony in Seattle." Fans began gathering around 11 am, and by noon the street below was full; crowd estimates ranged from "a few hundred" to one thousand, despite the chilly temperature. The Best Rooftop Balcony was soon filled to capacity as well.

And there was even a special guest on hand: Ken Mansfield, a former NW resident, who went on to become Apple Records' US manager, and who was actually present at the original event. Mansfield read aloud a mayoral proclamation citing the day as "Beatle Rooftop Day," then answered a few questions for the audience. Asked to name his "worst moment" working for the Beatles he diplomatically replied, "There were none. It was the Beatles - they were the greatest!" then said his favorite moments were his one-on-one dealings with each Beatle. He also revealed that he can be readily spotted in footage of the event because he was wearing a white raincoat (and a white coat was provided for him to wear at the Seattle event), and that Alan Parsons was also on the rooftop for the show. He later told BLURT he was impressed by the size of the crowd: "This is amazing! To see all those people down there!"

Of Crème Tangerine, Mansfield noted, "They're not trying to be the Beatles; they respect the Beatles." The group aren't imitators, in that they don't try to look or sound exactly like the Beatles. Their sound is also a bit harder than the Fabs; they're basically a power trio (Tom Mushen on guitar/vocals, Dustin Shirley on bass/vocals, Jeff Lockhart on drums), embellished by keyboards (Chuck Dorsett) and with a powerhouse belter in lead vocalist Dan Grant. As a result, the music has a decided hard rocking edge; you'd almost think the Beatles were a blues band (for more info, check out www.cremetangerine.com).

The band's set began as the Beatles had, with "Get Back." But the group didn't follow the original setlist exactly. The Beatles had actually performed numerous takes of "Get Back," "Dig a Pony," "I've Got a Feeling," and "One After 909"; Crème Tangerine only played each of those songs once. Then, after "909," came the second guest of the day; Yes drummer Alan White (now a NW resident), who also played on solo recordings by John Lennon and George Harrison. White joined the Crème Tangerine on drums for a soulful "Imagine."

Then it was back to more Beatles, with the group turning in fine versions of "I Saw Her Standing There," "Got to get You Into My Life," and a medley of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)" and "The End." "Hey Jude" turned into a mass singalong, and the audience response brought the group back for one more number, "Twist and Shout," at the end of which Grant bawled out "I hoped we passed the audition!" as Lennon had at the end of the Beatles' rooftop show.

Afterwards, Mansfield signed copies of his memoir (The White Book), and chatted with fans. Also on hand were Don Wilson and Buck Ormsby, of legendary NW acts The Ventures and The Fabulous Wailers, respectively, promoting their joint album set for release this April (check out www.twocargaragemusic.com).

Nor was that all the Beatle activity for the day in Seattle. That evening, Beatles tribute act The Nowhere Men (www.nowheremen.com) performed at the Dick's Drive-In in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood, in honor of the burger chain's 55^th birthday. "There's nothing like a classic Dick's burger and a classic Beatles song!" said one of the group before the band went on to play a show that largely veered away from the Beatles' big hits, and included "No Reply," "If I Needed Someone," "Norwegian Wood," "Getting Better," among others. Dick's founder, Dick Spady, was on hand for the festivities, signing a commemorative poster for Dick's lovers. The drive-in also has a rock connection of its own: the Capitol Hill restaurant was featured in Sir Mix-a-Lot's first video, "Posse On Broadway."

[Photos by Gillian G. Gaar; pictured at top in Crème Tangerine group shot, L-R: Chuck Dorsett,  Tom Mushen, Alan White, Don Wilson, Dan Grant, Dustin Shirley, John Lockhart]