There are so many highlights from the weekend, that we don’t know where to start. Actually we do. Our first time Special Guest, GARY WRIGHT world premiered, To Discover Yourself, a song he co-wrote with George Harrison in 1971. Liverpool gave it a George treatment and the result was pure joy. If you want to hear this live version, tune in to Chris Carter’s Breakfast With The Beatles, this Sunday, August 22, on KLOS in Los Angeles. The show is also heard on Little Steven’s Underground Garage on Sirius Radio, but it may not air the same weekend. For more details, go to Gary’s site – www.thedreamweaver.com. We hope to be posting the vieo version of the song in the next week. One of Gary’s appearances was with his (and our) old friend KLAUS VOORMANN. They talked about how they met and became so involved in George’s (and Ringo’s) recording sessions. They also performed two songs they played on the original hit versions of with both George and Ringo – It Don’t Come Easy and Back Off Boogaloo. We also has three former members of Wings at the FEST in Chicago for the first time – DENNY LAINE, DENNY SEIWELL, and LAURENCE JUBER. Together, they treated us to a great set of Wings songs. Laurence also premiered his 2nd volume CD of Beatles classics, LJ Plays the Beatles 2, as well as solo acoustic concerts. Fans really enjoyed listening to CHRIS O’DELL talk of here days with Apple and her unique journey through that time period. We raised over $4,000 for Charity, with the Auctioning off of Signed Bags by Yoko and some USB Apple bringing in money. The winner of this year’s Battle of the Beatles Bands was The Bugs, the same young band that won in 2009. We congratulate them on their repeat.
News
Paul Wows the White House
On June 2nd, Paul McCartney was awarded The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at The White House. The ceremony and concert aired last night on PBS (it airs again – check local listings). It was a star studded performance and Paul said it was the first time he was in The White House. Only about 200 invited guests witnessed this historic evening, headed by the entire First Family. Our Chicago FEST MC for 33 years, TERRI HEMMERT, her sister Julie and our friend Larry Kane were in attendance and the three of them were on screen from the audience. Terri will be talking all about her experience in two weeks, August 13-15. REMINDER: The first advance ticket deadline is tomorrow, Friday, July 30th. So what are you waiting for? Over 2,000 fans from over 35 states are already registered. Hope to see you there!
100,000 strong and growing
Today, July 26th, we has passed the 100,000 friends mark on The Fest Facebook. We thank our daughter Michelle Lapidos for doing such a great job on Facebook and Twitter, with all her cool comments, ideas, and giveaways. Enjoy and if you have any suggestions, they are always welcome.Celebrating the Music of Paul McCartney
“Paul McCartney: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song In Performance at the White House” taped on Tuesday, June 2 and airs on Wednesday, July 28 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide, followed by an encore presentation at 9:30 p.m. Check local listings for airing times in your area.
Paul Surprises Ringo for Finale (Video)
Ringo and his All Starr Band played at Radio City Music Hall last night and the concert was super, the band was hot, background vocals outstanding. It was virtually the same as any other night on his 2010 Tour. BUT IT WASN’T THE SAME AT ALL. This was Ringo’s 70th birthday and the sold out show was filled with luminaries and celebs in the Beatles world. The first hint at something special happening came during Photograph, when our friend Mark Rivera (who is listed in the program as the Musical Director) came out with his Sax and he and Edgar Winter shared the solo in the song. It was the start of unforgettable moments. The finale of With A Little Help From My Friends/ Give Peace a Chance saw dozens of musicians join Ringo in stage as backup singers. We cannot give you a full list of who was up there but Yoko, Peter Asher, Jeff Lynne, Joe Walsh, Little Steven, Nils Lofgren, Jim Keltner, Max Weinberg, Greg Lake, Gary Brooker, Richard Marx, Billy Squier, Gary Burr, Colin Hay, Keith Allison were singing the extended finale. Then a huge cake was wheeled out in the shape of Ringo’s drum set and the entire audience sang Happy Birthday along with some of his grandchildren who came on stage with the cake. He said goodnight and left the stage, but I noticed the tech guys moving some gear on stage and then it appeared, under a dim light – it was THAT HOFNER BASS. At that moment the fans knew what was happening. It was a total surprise for Ringo, as the All Starrs came back on stage and then PAUL jogged out to center stage and ripped into Birthday. I can’t remember hearing such a loud ovation, more like a roar when Paul appeared. Ringo ran on stage and headed for his Drums. It was an unforgettable version with Paul turning around a number of times to glance at his former band mate. After the song, Ringo bopped over to Paul and they gave each other a warm and long embrace. They each said I Love You and there wasn’t a dry eye around. We will blog the full list when we can all figure it out. Olivia was also spotted in the audience but did not join in the finale.
To the Greatest – Peace and Love Ringo!
Paul Plays Birthday for Ringo
Happy Birthday Ringo!
Ringo turns a young 70 today and we wish him the most happiest of birthdays. Today at 12 Noon, at Ringo’s request, wherever you are, stand up and say PEACE AND LOVE, PEACE AND LOVE, PEACE AND LOVE! Ringo will be at the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC in person leading the chant. Tonight is The All Starr Band Concert at Radio City Music Hall. We will be there as I am sure thousands of FEST regulars. Look forward to seeing you all there later. Tomorrow, we will have a report on the show. There is a lot of speculation of just who may show up on stage with Ringo. We will all have to wait and see! Stay tuned.
Exclusive! New “Nowhere Boy” Trailer!
There are two very cool Beatles anniversaries to celebrate this week. Tuesday July 6th is The 53rd Anniversary of The Day John Met Paul – the “Big Bang” that started the Beatles. And Wednesday is Ringo’s 70th Birthday!
To help celebrate these two landmark anniversaries, we are thrilled to bring you a real exclusive! It’s the FAB new trailer for “Nowhere Boy” – the upcoming movie about John Lennon and the beginnings of the Beatles – and we are very proud to bring it to you first! The film will be released in the US on Friday October 8th – just in time for the worldwide celebrations of the 70th anniversary of John Lennon’s birth. If we fans of John and the Beatles all band together we could give John a magnificent birthday present – a movie about John Lennon being #1 at the US Box Office! That would help signal to the world how much both John and the Beatles are still deeply cherished by fans old and young. So please share this trailer and this message with your family, friends, and colleagues – In the words of John: SPREAD THE WORD !!!!
Ringo a big hit at Bethel
It was great seeing so many familiar faces at Ringo’s first U.S. concert this time around, at Bethel Woods at the original site of Woodstock. It was a beautiful evening (only a smattering of drizzle) and we were treated to a fun show. Each of the All Starr Band members performed two of their hits. First time band member Rick Derringer was a definite highlight. He was super on lead guitar on numerous songs including Hang on Sloopy and Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo. Gary Wright performed Dream Weaver and Love is Alive. He told a very nice story about George, which Ringo had a funny response to. Of course, Gary will be telling lot’s of great Beatles related stories at the Chicago FEST in August.
Liverpool to play Geneva, IL Festival – TONIGHT, June 22
LIVERPOOL makes a triumphant return to the Midsommar Festival in Geneva, IL, TONIGHT, June 22nd at 8:00PM. It is an outdoor event and there is no admission fee. Geneva is a short 40 miles west of Chicago. We hope alot of FEST attendees get a chance to come on by and say hi to the Drew, Glen, John & Chris. Here is the link to the Festival Schedule. Have a great time. Let us know how it went if you attend.
All details and ticket information for the Chicago FEST, August 13-15 are posted on our site. We are very excited about the line up of Special guests.
Happy Birthday to Sir Paul
The Birthday Boy
Today is Paul McCartney’s 68th Birthday. Many people his age are already retired, but not only is Paul NOT retired, he is out on another big tour and BETTER THAN EVER! There is no stopping him. The magic is still fully in tact and he willingly shares it with every person who attends his shows. We wish him all the best, and many, many more happy birthdays.
