Which Band is the Greatest in History: Beatles or Rolling Stones?

The question about which band is better–Beatles or Rolling Stones–has been a spirited debate for half of a century. These two legendary bands will engage in an on-stage, throw down at the on March 30 courtesy of tribute bands Abbey Road and Jumping Jack Flash.

The show, which features live music and multi-media, begins at 9 p.m. and is family-friendly. The Westlake High School String Quartet joins the Beatles and Stones musicians on stage on four songs.

“The Beatles were unquestionably the better songwriters,” said Abbey Road manager Tom Maher. “In fact, Lennon and McCartney gave the Stones their first original single, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man.'

"When it comes to coolness, the Stones win hands down,” said Young Hutchison who plays Keith Richards in Jumping Jack Flash. “The Stones were a better live performance band as well."

While the Stones consciously positioned themselves as sneering bad-boys, the individual Beatles actually had rougher upbringings. Mick Jagger was from a middle-class London family and Brian Jones was even better off, a grammar-school boy from the London provinces.

The Beatles were lower-class kids from the working-class environs of Liverpool and learned their chops at underworld clubs in Hamburg. The early Beatles had as much leering attitude as the Stones. Beatles manager Brian Epstein smoothed this out of the Beatles, while the Stones manager, Andrew Oldham, pushed the Stones to be bad boys.   

“The Beatles records of the mid-1960s were far superior to Stones recordings largely because of producer George Martin,” said Maher. “By the early 70’s, the Stones were just hitting their stride while the Beatles were breaking up.” 

With their tight harmonies, flawless note for note renditions of Beatles hits, custom–tailored costumes, vintage instruments, Liverpudlian dialect and precise attention to every detail, Abbey Road has honed their show to become one of the most musically and visually satisfying Beatle tribute acts in the world.

Abbey Road recreates the magic, music, wit and charm of the Beatles, including the Fab Four’s cheeky personalities, familiar onstage banter and patter between songs.  

Three costume changes cover the full range of the Beatle experience and beyond, with authentic early black Beatle suits, Sgt. Pepper’s regalia and Abbey Road attire.

Imagine walking into your favorite 500 seat music venue and stumbling upon the Rolling Stones. They’re all there; Mick is prancing and gyrating, Keith is ripping licks, posing and prowling the stage with his trusty beat-up Telecaster.  Charlie and Bill are laying down the back-beat, and Brian Jones returns from the great beyond to round out the original line-up.     

The debate about which band is greatest in rock history is an apples-and-oranges comparison that will never be resolved. But it's still fun to try.