When Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience returns to Bradshaw Performing Arts Center’s Owens Auditorium on Friday, January 16, it won’t just be another night of Beatles songs. It will be a shared story – one built in real time by the audience, shaped by memory, and rooted deeply in family.
At the center of the show is Billy McGuigan, joined on stage by his brothers Matthew and Ryan. Together, they have spent the last 20 years performing one of the most unique Beatles experiences in the country. One that doesn’t rely on costumes or impersonation, but instead hands the setlist over to the audience.
“We don’t really think of it as a tribute,” McGuigan explains. “It’s more a tribute to people’s love of the Beatles and what their music has meant in their lives.”
That philosophy traces back to the brothers’ childhood — one shaped by military life, limited resources, and a father who passed down music as both entertainment and connection.
Military Roots and a Guitar in Hand
The McGuigans grew up as military kids, moving frequently and spending time overseas. When their family was stationed in Germany, they had little money and no television. What they did have was their father’s record collection — and a guitar.
“My dad would break out his Beatles records, put a guitar in our hands, and tell us to figure it out,” McGuigan recalls. “That was our entertainment.”
One of the most enduring images from McGuigan’s memory is his father copying a borrowed Beatles chord book by hand. Given just six weeks with the book, he rewrote every song into a spiral notebook, sketching chords and finger placements as best he could.
“He wasn’t a musician,” McGuigan says. “He was just a guy who loved the Beatles and wanted to teach his kids.”
Those moments became sacred and later, essential.
The brothers lost their father to leukemia in the mid-1990s, when he was just 42 years old. In the aftermath, it was the music – the songs they had learned together – that brought him back.
“When we would sing those songs, it felt like he was with us,” McGuigan says. “We could feel his love. We knew every song. And we thought, ‘Is that something to waste?’”
From Performance to Purpose
McGuigan’s early career included a Buddy Holly show, complete with costume and character. But something felt incomplete. People kept asking what he would do next – and the answer, it turned out, had been with them all along.
“The Beatles were kind of our thing,” he says. “We knew all the songs. And I thought – what if we let the audience choose them?”
That idea became Yesterday and Today.
Instead of a fixed setlist, audience members write down their favorite Beatles song and the reason it matters to them. Those cards are collected before the show, and the night unfolds organically shaped by shared stories and spontaneous musical choices.
“It’s not about us telling people why we love the Beatles,” McGuigan explains. “It’s about weaving together why everyone loves them.”
The Moment That Changed Everything
McGuigan knew the music would work. What he didn’t know was how powerful the stories would be — until the very first show.
A woman requested “Hey Jude,” writing that when she was 12 years old, her older brother’s best friend died. After the funeral, when the adults left the gravesite, the kids held hands around the grave and sang the song together.
“She asked us to play it for him,” McGuigan says, pausing. “That’s when I knew – we don’t need costumes. People’s memories are stronger than anything we could act out.”
From that moment on, the show’s identity was locked in.
A Soundtrack Across Generations
Two decades later, McGuigan has watched the audience change — and then come full circle.
“When we started, the audience was older,” he says. “Now we’re seeing people who were kids back then bringing their own kids.”
A child might request “Yellow Submarine.” An older audience member might choose “In My Life.” Each song becomes a doorway into someone’s past — or future.
“That’s what makes the Beatles different,” McGuigan says. “When you mention them, it connects you to a parent, a grandparent, someone you lost, or a moment you didn’t realize mattered until later.”
Even for casual fans, the experience lands deeper than expected.
“If you enjoy music, I don’t know how you don’t like the Beatles,” McGuigan says with a laugh. “But if you don’t like them, this is especially the show for you. You’ll see why people are rabid about this music.”
Why Pinehurst Feels Like Home
The McGuigans are especially excited to return to Pinehurst (they last played BPAC’s Owens Auditorium in March 2024) which is a place that feels familiar in all the right ways.
“We grew up in the Columbus, Georgia area,” McGuigan says. “Being in Pinehurst feels like being home. The hospitality, the pace — we love it.”
And yes, golf is part of the plan.
“My brother Ryan and I are golfers,” he adds. “The clubs are already in the trailer.”
But it’s the BPAC audience that really shapes the night.
“They’re great listeners,” McGuigan says. “I know I can take my time here. I don’t have to rush the story.”
A Night That Belongs to the Audience
At its core, Yesterday and Today is a risk — 220+ Beatles songs, chosen on the fly, performed live.
“It’s like a magic trick,” McGuigan says. “We take one specific audience’s requests and make a show just for them. No one else will ever see that exact version again.”
And that’s the point.
When “Twist and Shout” hits, people will stand. When a quieter song surfaces, they’ll listen — and remember.
“This isn’t just a concert,” McGuigan says. “It’s your story, alongside ours.”
Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience returns to Bradshaw Performing Arts Center’s on Friday, January 16, 2026, tickets on sale now at ticketMeSandhills.com.
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Contributed.
