The Beatles tribute band Rain played NJPAC yesterday afternoon. The five members of Rain can play, but the show, with its slavish impersonations and onslaught of strobes and smoke and flower-power visuals, indulges in something the Beatles had no truck with: schlock.

Comedian, liberal firebrand, Cornell grad, and River Vale native Bill Maher preached to a sold-out concert hall at NJPAC in Newark on Friday night.

There probably wasn't a Republican in the house, but there certainly were Catholics and plenty of other Christians, plus people who take prescription drugs, heterosexuals, homosexuals, Hillary-ites and Obamaphiles, and most likely some NASCAR fans.

And they all laughed. And for good reason. Maher is an equal opportunity lacerator. But more than that, he's a newshound, and very funny.