By ED HOSKIN
Of The Globe-Gazette

Beatlemania gripped Mason City on Friday as a fab four band recreated some of the magic of the world’s best group.

"The songs sound exactly like the Beatles," said Diane Bahl, of Mason City. "It looks like they did a lot of studying — the mannerisms and everything."

Jerry Showalter, 16, of Britt, said he wasn’t expecting the band to be nearly as good as it was.

"It’s pretty much the same. They know what they’re doing," he said. Beatlemania the band features three original members of the Broadway hit of the same name, while two of the band also played Beatles characters in the 1981 "Beatlemania" movie. The North Iowa Community Auditorium at North Iowa Area Community College was packed to capacity Friday as the band sounded out about 30 timeless classics such as "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Let It Be" and "Hey Jude."

"It’s fun. We’ve been doing it a long time," David Leon (John Lennon) said before the show. "The songs are timeless and still as popular today."

The band is actually American — two members are Californian and two are from New York — but does bear an almost haunting resemblance to the original look and sound of the Beatles. "The hardest part is the musicianship," Leon said. "When we first started doing it we studied a lot (but) if you’re not a good player, you can’t imitate the Beatles. We do wear wigs and the appropriate costumes. We try to recreate it as best we can."

Mitch Weissman (Paul McCartney), said he knows that the three surviving Beatles are aware of the band but that he doesn’t know if any have ever come to a performance. Lennon’s son, Julian, has seen them play and was apparently full of praise, Weissman said. "There are not a lot of jobs when you walk out and everyone is screaming," he said. "The fun thing is that you to travel around the world — South Africa, Japan and China. Sometimes you really have to laugh."

Weissman said he knew John Lennon when the two men lived just blocks apart in New York City and when "Beatlemania" was on Broadway. "He was always asking how we could do so many shows," Weissman said. "He was very kind and gracious. He’d tease me and say we should do something together. Great fellow."

Prior to Friday’s performance, the band visited Clear Lake’s Surf Ballroom to pay homage to Buddy Holly. They’d headed up from Des Moines for their first time in North Iowa and Weissman said they’ll be back.