Brad Delp is remembered, with help from his friends

ARLINGTON -- The ovation that began Wednesday night's tribute concert to Brad Delp lasted several minutes and had a tangible heft to it. It was also pretty much the only time that sorrow was the primary emotion in the sold-out Regent Theatre .

Instead the marathon performance was filled with ebullience as Delp's beloved Beatles tribute band Beatlejuice joined forces with a splendid line up of singers -- all friends of the late Boston frontman, who passed away in March -- to do what they do best: celebrate every note and feeling of the songs of Delp's biggest influence, the Fab Four.

The show, dubbed "In My Life: A Concert for Brad Delp," roamed all over the Beatles catalog from the big sing-alongs ("Hey Jude") to the rooting-tooting covers ("Rock 'n' Roll Music") to the hazy psychedelia ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds").

While each person who stepped up to the microphone must've felt doubly pressured by the voices that came before, each met the challenge.

Loose-limbed Fools frontman Mike Girard kicked things off on a high note with spirited takes on "If I Needed Someone" and "Revolution." Joe Fielding had an excellent, vintage John Lennon quality to his voice during "She Said, She Said" and the sparkplug Buddy Bernard had perfected the slight Paul McCartney gulp of "All My Loving."

Original Beatlejuice guitarist Bob Squires drew several ovations during his George Harrison-heavy set and Dave Mitchell fired up the iconic guitar solos of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

Vocal quintet Five O'Clock Shadow drew goose bumps with a dreamy "Because," an angelic and heartbreaking "She's Leaving Home," and the timeless, moody "Eleanor Rigby."

Speeches were kept to a minimum with simple reiterations about Delp's sweet, funny, and giving nature leading to top-notch playing.

As we bopped out to meet our deadline the show was 2 1/2 hours, 38 songs, and nine singers deep and betraying no sign of flagging energy as Juice in the Machine vocalist Jimmy Rogers was ripping into "A Hard Day's Night."

Early in the evening, bassist Joe Holaday self-deprecatingly called the show -- coordinated by boundlessly energetic drummer John Muzzy -- the remaining band members' "fumbling and feeble attempt" at honoring their friend. It was neither of those things.

It's easy to understand why Delp loved these people and this music, as the pleasure they took in each other, the audience, and an undeniably timeless catalog was contagious.