The Gateway Theater opened in 1930 on the northwest side of Chicago. Billed as “the most acoustically perfect theater in the world,” the Gateway did not disappoint. Attempting to capitalize on the new era of “talkies” (movies with sound), the builders made acoustics a priority. Eighty years and a few changes later, the Kobelinski Theater inside the Copernicus Center still maintains fantastic acoustics along with an understated elegance.

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a unique concert at the Copernicus Center. Tributosaurus is not your average cover band. They are the most versatile and talented cover band. Formed in 2002, the band pays homage to other musical artists through exact recreations of the original music. Joined by other musicians, depending on the needs, Tributo has delighted fans with their chameleon-like performances.

A few years ago, they decided to perform every song in the Beatles catalogue. Friday night at the Copernicus Center, they performed “Let It Be,” thus concluding the long and winding road of the Beatles discography. This was a tremendous undertaking, but Tributo lived up to that challenge. The Copernicus Center was the perfect place for this show. The high ceilings, marble and overall grandeur were the perfect backdrop for this orchestral wonder, while the outstanding acoustics worked perfectly for the Phil Spector “wall of sound.”

Throughout the night, I roamed the venue and found the sound and views were awesome from every angle. Chris Neville, Curt Morrison, Dan Leali, Jon Paul and Matt Spiegel are the fab five of Tributosaurus, but my longtime friend Michael Cichowicz played a big role as the leader of the horn section. Cichowicz’s talent was prominently displayed throughout the show. It was great to see him in action.

Hearing Tributosaurus “become” the Beatles in such a classic venue was just a wonderful experience. I am now looking forward to attending more shows at the Copernicus, one of Chicago’s hidden gems.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor