BY KAREN BOSSICK

Billy McGuigan and his brothers have gotten requests for every Beatles’ song under the sun. But at a recent concert in the Deep South they got a request for one they’d never heard before.

“Someone asked us to play ‘Dr. Pepper,’ ” McGuigan said. “I think they meant Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but we thought it was kind of funny.”

McGuigan and his brothers—Matthew and Ryan—will be taking requests when they return to The Argyros for a second helping of their innovative show “Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience.”

And Billy can’t wait: “I remember how beautiful the town was, how great it was, when we were there a little over a year ago. And the energy in the theater felt so great it felt like we were moving, we were rocking so hard.”

The brothers will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13, at The Argyros. Tickets are available at https://www.theargyros.org/calendar/yesterday-and-today-the-interactive-beatles-experience.

So many people were up out of their seats and dancing last time that The Argyros is opening up a dance floor this time.

It’s the audience that will decide what Billy and his brothers play. Before each performance, audience members fill out request cards with their favorite Beatles song, adding an explanation of why they chose that song. The McGuigan brothers then perform those songs, sharing the audience’s personal stories with their own stories of growing up listening to The Beatles.

One concertgoer named Nanci requested “Hey Jude” in honor of her father who would put the stereo speakers in the front windows so the whole neighborhood could hear “ Madam Butterfly.” Until “Hey Jude” came along, that is.

Janet recalled being 5 and holding hands under the living room table with her sister as she listened to “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” the first Beatles song she’d ever heard.

And Paula recounted how she pretended to be George as she and her sister’s best friend put on a Beatles concert singing “Help!”

One of the most poignant came from a Florida man who asked for “Hey Jude.”

He wrote that his brother died when he was 14, and recounted how all the adults and kids stood around his gravesite and sang, “Hey Jude.”

“Even as little kids, they understood the greatness of that song,” said McGuigan. “And, because it had such an impact on them, it was our honor to play it. When someone makes a request, you put your heart into it a little more.”

This is the 20th year the McGuigan brothers have taken their show on tour.

Their story started when their Dad bought a guitar and began singing Beatles songs to them since the family didn’t own a TV during the four years they were stationed at a military base in Germany.

“Dad owned every Beatles album there was, and he shared his love of that music with us,” said McGuigan. “We had a Beatles room in our house with pictures of the Beatles on the wall next to family pictures. My dad would praise the Beatles as if they were our uncles.”

Their show is about the love of the Beatles’ music.

“If you take all other cool things about them away, their music is just really good because it was so influenced by every genre--country, rock, R&B, white music, black music, Indian music--it didn’t matter. They took everything that everybody likes. They were a sponge, and Mcartney’s lyrics were very personal.”

When McGuigan first left his home in Omaha, Neb., to take his newly conceived show on the road, it was difficult getting any dates because there were 20 other Beatles shows touring the country at the same time.

“We were the only ones who didn’t dress up as Beatles. But we were the only ones taking full requests—that kept us going. So, it’s really unique to see so many of the other groups go by the wayside while we’re still out there. Our following is growing—we’re connecting with people in a more unique way.”

The McGuigan boys have a playlist of 220 songs. The most popular is “Here Comes the Sun,” which is also the most popular Beatles song on Spotify.

“People like the warmth of that song,” McGuigan said.

One song the McGuigan boys plan to perform, regardless of whether it’s requested or not, is the recently released “Now and Then,” which won a Grammy in 2025.

“It came out on a Thursday and we played it on Friday. It was fun to learn a new Beatles song as we hadn’t done that in a long time.”

But McGuigan can’t wait to hear the requests for favorite songs when he and his brothers come to The Argyros.

“People’s stories, the depth and willingness that they are to share their personal reasons for loving music, offers a level of emotion and heart,” he said. “I’ve seen Paul McCartney 13 times. I know that feeling when you’re in the same room and get to hold hands with the stranger next to you and sing, ‘Hey, Jude.’ ”