All in the family

One thing that I love about the Beatles that I never really thought would happen, is how all of the kids and family members are super supportive of one another.    Zak Starkey's new band, SSHH, had a gathering last night in London for the release of their album and for the Teenage Cancer Trust and look who came out to support him.   No surprises that little sis Lee Starkey was there and step-sister  Francesca Gregorin.   Dad Ringo and step-mom Barbara ended their beach vacation for the event.   Mary and James McCartney also came out for "cousin" Zaks party.       It warms my heart to see the Starkey's and the McCartney's supporting one another at events like this.     They seem to  be a lot closer than some families that I know.

10 Reasons why you should not miss out on Beatles at the Ridge this year!

September is here and that means one thing for me--it is almost time for Beatles at the Ridge in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas!       If you have been following this blog for the past few years, you will know that the 2-day Beatles festival is one that I just love to attend.    And here are 10 reasons why you should make your way down to Walnut Ridge, Arkansas yourself and see what the excitement is all about.


10.   It is FREE!   Unlike most other Beatles festivals around the globe, the Beatles at the Ridge festival is completely FREE.   It is free to park, it is free to get autographs from the guests, it is free to hear the bands.    No one can complain about the price of the tickets, because there isn't a price!   Of course you will want to bring along some money because you will want to eat something while you are there (I recommend the Dark Side for sandwiches and ice cream or the dinner that serves 'Beatles burgers and onion Ring-o's) and you will want to spend money on the Beatles goodies and other vendors.

9.   Liverpool Legends.    On Saturday night the Beatles tribute band, Liverpool Legends will perform.  I am not big on Beatles tribute bands, but I do admit that Liverpool Legends are one of the best ones I have heard.      They take you through all of the Beatles periods in music and costumes.   These are the guys that were picked by Louise Harrison herself and they have a permanent gig down in Branson, MO.      The Liverpool Legends aren't the only band.  There are 2 stages with live music being played through the day and night.     There is also a talent contest with all sorts of great talent.   If you like live music, Beatles at the Ridge has got it covered!

8.   Beatles-themed town.     Everything in Walnut Ridge is all done up for the event in Beatles theme for a contest called "Tye-dye the town."    From large cut-outs of the cartoon Beatles, to a big yellow submarine, and every store front painted in Beatles, peace and love---you will want to make sure your camera is working and ready to go!


7.   Good Ole' Freda.    I sure hope that many of you have seen the amazing Beatles documentary, "Good Ole' Freda" about Freda Kelly, the Beatles fan club secretary.    There will be a showing of the film at this festival this year.   There is nothing better than watching a Beatles film in an air conditioned building with other fans.    And afterwards Cameron Hicks will be leading a Beatles sing along!  Fun Beatles times!

6.  Aaron Krerowicz.    Aaron is a Beatles music expert and has a great amount of knowledge about the guys.  He is doing a "lunch and learn"  (bring your lunch and learn something new) about the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.    Come learn more about the music of these two British rockers!

5.  Me!    Yes, I will be at Beatles at the Ridge this year with my book "Happiness is Seeing the Beatles."    There is going to be a book release party for the book, which means that there will be cake!   I love cake!    After the party, I am going to have a presentation about what is in the book that will have audio and a short video.    I am holding a raffle for a 1966 Beatles tour book for anyone that buys the book during the festival.    

4.  Lanea Stagg.    Lanea will have McCartney tea with scones and lemon curd during her "a Day in the life of a Beatle!" presentation.   Lanea is the Beatles food gal and makes great treats that everyone always enjoys.   

3.  Jude Southerland Kessler.    You know that I just love Jude!  She has became a great friend over the years.   She is a true Beatles fans and her love of John Lennon makes me like her even more.    She gives some of the BEST presentations of anyone out there!    This year she is talking on Friday night about John Lennon's Liverpool.    She has traveled to Liverpool many times and her talks takes you right back to the streets of Penny Lane and Lime Street.   I am really excited to hear her again!

2.   Ivor Davis.  Ivor knew the Beatles.   He traveled with them during the 1964 North American tour and was with them in 1965 when they met Elvis.   Ivor wrote as "George Harrison" for a newspaper.     His memories of that time are funny, insightful and makes you want to hear more.    Ivor is speaking on Friday night and you will fall in love with this amazing man. 

1.  Beatle friends!   This will always be my #1 reason to any Beatles event!   Nothing is better than Beatle friends!   I am excited to get together with the friends I met last year and at the Paul McCartney concert in Little Rock.   I am anxious to talk Beatles with others who love the Fab 4 and are just as excited about the new Beatles CD as I am.    If you have never been to a Beatles event and are shy, it is alright.   You automatically have friends when you come to Beatles at the Ridge.   Beatle fans are amazing and we aren't the type of group that doesn't welcome new people.   The more the merrier!    So even if you don't want to buy a book, don't be scared to come up and chat with one of the authors.   We all are just Beatle fans like you and want to talk about John, Paul, George and Ringo because that is the reason we are there!


I hope to see you at Beatles at the Ridge on September 16-17, 2016.  For more information, go to www.beatlesattheridge.com

10 years of Love

Paul meet up on stage

Paul has been inviting someone (or a group of someones) on stage during almost every performance on this tour.   No one really seems to know the magic formula to get up on stage besides being creative and clever.     So far this tour we have seem many marriage proposals, a gender reveal, a cast signing, a few tattoos and a Dad in a Sgt. Pepper suit.         I like to think that Paul enjoys these brief encounters with his fans because he always seems so happy talking to them.

I will be seeing Paul in St. Louis on August 13th.   If he wanted to bring me up, I wouldn't complain.

The boys in blue

Claypool Lennon Delirium --- A concert Review

This past Sunday I saw The Claypool Lennon Delirium in concert at the Pageant in St. Louis.    I am not going to lie, the only reason I wanted to see the concert was because I wanted to see one of John Lennon's children in person.      And while I am sure some music purists out there think that is a terrible thing, I am willing to bet that I am not the only person that goes to see Sean Lennon for the exact same reason.       I didn't have any idea who Les Claypool (who is perform along with Sean) actually was by name.     Come to find out, he is the bass player for the 1990's band, Primus.   My college roommate loved Primus and I became familiar and enjoy the music with the funky bass lines.

As my mom and I stood in line to enter the Pageant, it became apparent that this wasn't a "Beatles" crowd.   Most of the people in the line were 30-something guys with bushy beards, hair in a bun, glasses and a Primus t-shirt.    And during the concert, Les Claypool got a LOT more cheers than Sean Lennon.    I don't know why I found that surprising, but it was somewhat unexpected.

The opening act was a group called Chicano Batman.   There are a Latino alternative band that has a lot of energy and they are very animated.     They sang a lot of their songs in Spanish but there were also some in English.    While they put on a great performance, I personally didn't care for their style of music.

Then it was time for the Claypool Lennon Delrium.    Sean Lennon came out first.  He was wearing a black Sgt. Pepper style hat, a black shirt with a vest and dark pants.    His hair is long and he has a full beard and wears glasses.       Les Claypool came out next and everyone went wild.  

Before I went to the concert, I had read that they played "psychedelic" music.   I am not sure if that is really what I would consider it to be, but it was a different style of music.     It was sort of funky with the strong bass line.    Sean was an amazing lead guitar player.    Both Sean and Les sang, but I would say that Sean did more of the singing than Les.    There were times when Sean's voice sounded a lot like his Dad, and then at other times it didn't.        I think this is because they would put different filters on the microphones to get a variety of vocal sounds.   I should also mention that besides Sean and Les, there was also a keyboard and drum player.

As a devoted fan of John Lennon, it was extremely awesome to see the child of John and Yoko in person.    There were times, especially when Sean was standing back in the shadows with his head down, that you would have swore it was John Lennon up there on stage during the concert at Lyceum in 1969.   Sean showed a lot of talent in not just singing and guitar playing but in his stage presence and how he handled himself on stage.   He seemed comfortable up there and enjoyed joking back and forth with Les during the show.

A lot of the songs had really long instrumentals in the middle of them.    I know a LOT of people love this, but at any concert where there are long instrumentals, I tend to zone out.    I was really enjoying one of their songs called "Oxycontin girl"  but then found myself spacing out and not paying attention during the extended instrumental.   I enjoyed it for a while, but those things just don't interest me.   Jam sessions are fun to participate in, but I just don't want to listen to them.     I did especially enjoyed the performance of Sean's song "Xanadu," because I had heard it before.

However, the highlight of the entire concert came at the end of the set, before the encore.    They performed the Beatles song, "Tomorrow Never Knows."    I have heard this song performed by countless bands over the years and no one ever does it justice.    But let me say that the Claypool Lennon Delirium nailed it.    It was amazing to witness this performance with Sean Lennon singing his Dad's part.    And while we know the song is 50 years old, it sounded fresh and fit in seamlessly into the rest of the set.     I couldn't help but think that John Lennon was smiling down on his son saying, "You did good with my song....I am proud of you son."

I enjoyed the concert, but I am not going to purchase the CD of the Claypool Delirium.   It was fun to hear live, but just doesn't interest me enough to listen to outside of the concert.    Should you go check them out?  Sure!   If for no other reason than to hear "Tomorrow Never Knows."  

*As always all photos were taken by Sara Schmidt and copyright belongs to Sara.  Please ask before using any photos (although who would want to---I am terrible at concert photography!)

The Wings Girl

I don't know about all of you, but I get tired of the same old same old when it comes to who gets picked to go up on stage to meet Paul.      I am tried of seeing the same people up there.  I am tried of seeing pretty girls that want tattoos.   I am tried of engagements.   And I am tried of young girls who "picked between a new car and Paul".   (Really?   Paul concert and a new car should never cost the same amount).  

What I love to see is new and fresh ideas make it onto the stage.    The guys a few years ago that had the Abbey Road and asked Paul to join them---that was awesome.    But this lady's costume is the best yet!    In Paris during the One on One Tour, a beautiful fan created the costume of the "Wings Girl."    She is seen predominately on the "Wings Greatest Hits" LP, but you also see her in the background of "Back to the Egg."    Cosplay isn't usually a "thing" in Beatle fandom, but maybe it needs to be, because this is just amazing!   I am so glad that she got her chance to show off her costume to everyone and to meet Paul in the process.  

James McCartney at the Bootleg in St. Louis -- concert review

I have always liked James McCartney.    From way back, when he was young and I would see photos of him with his parents, I always had a tiny crush on him.     And of all of the "Beatle sons" James' music is my favorite.  

As you may recall, I saw James in concert in 2013 and enjoyed it.  So when I heard on facebook that he was coming back to the same venue, I bought tickets the same day.   They were only $15, which is  extremely cheap for a concert if you ask me.

So I took my own advice from the last James McCartney concert I went to.   I did not bring anything with  me that was Paul McCartney or Beatles related.    I knew that James is uncomfortable in front of crowds and I didn't expect a lot of banter between songs.  

I got to the Bootleg in St. Louis (previously known as The Demo) when the door opened.    There were only about 4 people there.    As I sat and enjoyed my Diet Coke, I was shocked to see James McCartney walk through the venue.    He was alone and was carrying a guitar and had a backpack on his back.   I was sitting there star-struck and everyone else that was there wasn't paying any attention.

James got on the stage and started setting up the amps.    I then realized that unlike the previous concert, where James had roadies and a security guy, James was there totally alone.   I tried to sneak a photo of him setting up the stage, but it didn't turn out.

A guy from St. Louis, whose name I can't remember, was the opening act.  He also was just there with a guitar and played folk-country music.    By this time only 13 people were inside of the club.  After the opening act, James came out and started right in on performing.     He was dressed in all black and took his backpack off on stage.

He played the same electric guitar all night and sang every song from his new album "Blackberry Train" as well as a few from the JaMEs McCartney album.    

James' music shows his grunge roots, which I enjoy because James is just a year younger than me and so we were teenagers at the same time and both listened to grunge bands.   He is a very talented musician, although I think for this harder music a backing band would have been a better choice than doing it alone.    James' voice has a good sound to it and I especially enjoyed it on some of the slower songs like "Ring ring a roses" and "Peace and Stillness."

If anyone knows how to brighten photos like these so they aren't grainy---let me know!

James seemed much more relaxed performing than he had before.   He interacted with the audience some.  Said how it was good to be in "St. Louie, America."    He was having some issues with the amp and the guitar and must have apologized 10 times for the issues.   He joked a bit about how it was really hot.    While stage presence is still not his strong area, he has shown improvement.   Besides---do we go to a concert to hear live music or hear someone talk?

About 30 people were there for this concert, which is unfortunate because it really was a good show.  But those of us were there had a great time.  


After the concert, James came out to sell Cds and books.  I had waited until the concert to buy "Blackberry Train" and bought it directly from James and asked him to sign it.   But, just like at the last concert the CD wasn't opened and what did I do once again???  Handed it to James to open for me!

He couldn't get it opened and so I told him that I would come back for him to sign it.  Then I asked if I could get a photo with him, to which he said "of course!  Come around the table!"    I can't stress enough that James was very kind and polite and just a nice guy.    You can tell that he had good parents that raised him well (wink wink).  

So I sat down and worked on getting my CD open and went back into the short line for him to sign it.  The ladies ahead of me in line were getting photos taken with him and they asked him if he would smile for the photos.   He said "I can fake a smile if you want.  Maybe that is a bit nicer than the plain face I usually have."  

I told him that I got the CD opened and asked if he could sign it.   I told him that I look forward to hearing the CD because I enjoy his music.   He looked up at me and said, "thank you."   I know there is a big controversy right now about James writing his name as just a squiggle mark.   I wasn't sure what type of signature I would get.    I don't know why sometimes he only makes a squiggle mark.  I am sorry for those of you that bought CDs online and didn't get a full signature.   If you look at the signature I got, he made the squiggle mark and then signed his name.

When I left the club, he was still at the table.  I called out "Bye James!"  He he looked up and sort of smiled and waved goodbye to me.

I know James gets a lot of bad press from Beatle fans and that I a lot of fans don't really like him.   I still  believe that he is working through personal issues of anxiety and depression.   And as someone that has been going through a lot of those issues the past year, I have empathy for that.     James is not his Dad.    Sure he looks a LOT like him, but they aren't the same.     James will never put on a show even close to what his Dad does.  

Even if you have no desire to see James in concert (which is too bad), you really should get his new album "Blackberry Train."  Dhani Harrison plays guitar on it and it is a great album.  

*all photos (even the bad ones) were taken by Sara or Coral Schmidt. Please ask before posting any of them on your blog or page.

More photos of Paul and the little fan

Some more photos of Paul and that young fan from over the weekend.   It looks like security tried to stop him from getting his autograph!

Meeting a young fan

There was a large crowd to see Paul yesterday and he took a bit of time to sign an autograph for a young fan.  

"Little Rock 'n Roll"--- concert review of Paul's show in Little Rock

Seeing one of the Beatles in person has to be one of the most exciting things that we as Beatle fans are able to do.     We spend so much of our personal time focused on the four guys from Liverpool, listening to their music and studying their lives that when the opportunity arises to actually see one of them in the flesh, it is a time full of joy.   There is an electric feeling in the air and you have a big adrenaline rush.

That is exactly what it felt like for me on April 30, 2016 when I saw Paul McCartney in concert in Little Rock, Arkansas.     Of course as a fan, going to a Paul concert isn't simply just going to a concert---it is an event and a chance to be around like-minded fans.    I had a wonderful time at the meet-up before the Paul concert.   I talked to a lot of Beatle friends old and new and it was great.


After the meet up, we went to the Limo Watch.    Paul drove by with the window down and gave a wave and a thumbs up and it was the most exciting 8 seconds ever.   If you have time on the day of a Paul concert to do a limo watch, I highly recommend it.    It is just a lot of fun and a great time with other fans.

The concert started with the slideshow.   This was a different slideshow than what was shown during the "Out There" tour,   Instead of scrolling up and down, this one moved side to side.   Honestly, I didn't like this one very much.    The slideshows are always a highlight for me because they often show rare photographs.   This one was difficult to see all the photos and I didn't notice anything new or different.  

Paul came out and the first song he sang was "A Hard Day's Night."   That is an interesting choice, but I didn't care of it.    As I have mentioned many times before, I do not like Paul singing songs that are thought of as "John" songs.     "A Hard Day's Night" is not in Paul's register and he was struggling to sing the high notes.  

All of the songs that Paul sang that were in his upper register did not sound great, especially "Maybe I'm Amazed."   I know that this is the song he sings in memory of Linda, but I really wish he would drop it from his setlist and pick another song he wrote for her.    At this point, it is getting painful to hear and I am concerned that he is damaging his voice chords singing it so often.     However, the songs Paul sang in a lower register sounded really great.     "Lady Madonna" "We Can Work it out,"  etc all sounded spot on and were extremely enjoyable to hear.

Songs I could have done without were "Letting Go,"  "Temporary Secretary" and "(Being for the Benefit of) Mr. Kite."   My favorite part of the show was the acoustic set where Paul and the band came down front and played "In Spite of all the Danger,"  "You won't see me" and "Love me Do".   The entire band sounded great on these songs and I had never heard any of them in concert before.  

The most emotional song of the night was "Here Today."    I was amazed by the huge standing ovation John got when Paul said, "Let's hear it for John."    It was well over a minute of people whistling and applauding for John and you could see that Paul was touched by this.    While Paul was singing the song in memory of his friend and he sang the line, "I love you..."  the whole place erupted in applause again.    I am not sure if this is common during this song, but it was very touching to me and put a lump in my throat.    Paul's voice sounded a bit emotional as well as he continued on with the song.  

Paul called up two groups of fans in Little Rock.   The first group was four ladies that had a sign that lit up, asking Paul to have them come up on stage.    They seemed nervous and they were cute as could be.    Paul actually signed autograph photos (not tatoos) for them, which I didn't think he did.

The next group was a guy and a girl who had traveled from Japan to see Paul.    The guy wanted to ask the girl to marry him and Paul made him get down on one knee and propose.    The timid girl said "yes" and automatically turned and hugged Paul!   It was so funny!      What a great engagement story for them!

Overall---the experience of the concert and the excitement of it all made it well worth the money spent to go.    Paul always puts on an amazing 3 hour show without any breaks (except for one short encore).    Paul's voice might not be as strong as it once was, but he still sounds like "Paul" on the majority of songs.      I hope you get a chance to see Paul One on One in the near future!  


*All photos taken and belong to Sara Schmidt.   Please ask before sharing.

Why did Paul write "Blackbird?"

I spent this past Saturday night with Paul McCartney.   Alright---myself and an arena full of others in Little Rock, Arkansas, spent three hours with him while he performed.    And, of course, one of the songs he sang was the always beautiful "Blackbird."  

Before he performed the number, he told the crowd that the "Little Rock Nine"  introduced him to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.  He went on to state, "It's a really important place for us because this is, to me, where civil rights started.  We would see what was going on and sympathize with the people going through those struggles, and it made me want to write a song that, if it ever got back to the people going through those struggles, it might just help them a little."

Paul also met backstage with the two living members of the "Little Rock Nine" either before or after the concert.    He tweeted, ""Incredible to meet two of the Little Rock Nine — pioneers of the civil rights movement and inspiration for 'Blackbird,"

Paul with two ladies from the Little Rock Nine

All of this is nice and very emotion-filled, but while he was talking, I couldn't help but think, "what---this can't be right..."   That afternoon, before the concert, I went to the museum for the Little Rock Nine.     I learned that on September 4, 1957, nine African-American children between the age of 14-17 attempted to go to what had been an all-white school, Central High.   They were stopped by the Arkansas National Guard, who had been called in by the state's governor to stop the children from attending school.   Three weeks later, in the middle of hate and death threats, the U.S. President called for the army to escort these brave students to school so that they could get an education that was equal to white students their own age.  Not only does the city of Little Rock honor them with a museum but also with a bronze statue on the grounds of the Capitol building. 

Little Rock Nine Statue.  Photo by Sara Schmidt 

So what was Paul McCartney doing in September of 1957?    The 15-year-old McCartney was a student in Liverpool.    Two months prior, he met John Lennon and agreed to join the Quarrymen.   He was learning more about playing the guitar and starting to write a few tunes of his own.   He was NOT writing the song "Blackbird" at that time.   While there is no doubt that he saw the news about what was happening in Little Rock on the telly in England, as it was spread Internationally, he did not write a song to encourage those nine students during the time it was going on. 

When did Paul write "Blackbird?"    He might have written it during his time in India between February-March 1968.   One story states that he was sitting with his acoustic guitar while in India and heard a blackbird singing, and he began to write the song.   This is the story Paul told in the early days.     Another story states that he wrote it during the Spring of 1968 while on his farm in Scotland after hearing about all of the racial strife in the United States that Spring.  This makes sense because Martin Luther King was murdered on April 4, 1968, and racial riots and turmoil were happening in the following weeks.   This is the story Paul started to tell in 2002 after his book, Blackbird Singing, was released.    Of course, it isn't too far-fetched to believe that Paul started the song in India and it was simply about a blackbird and came back to it a few weeks later in Scotland after seeing the news from America and adding more lyrics. 

To throw a wrench into things, Angie McCartney, Paul's stepmother, says he wrote the song for her mother, Edie.    Paul had gone to Angie and Jim's home, where Angie's mother had been staying, and she was elderly and not doing well.   She had told Paul that she couldn't sleep and was listening to the birds singing in "the dead of night."   Paul recorded "Blackbird" and said on one of the takes (that Angie claims to own), 'This is for Edie.'    Again---this doesn't seem to contradict things too much for me.   Maybe Edie told Paul about her sleeping problems and the birds singing while he was working on the song and made a recording for her.   

So if Paul wrote the song partially about a literal blackbird and partially about racial tension in the United States in 1968, then why did he tell us at the concert that it was about Little Rock?    I found a quote from Barry Mile's authorized biography on Paul, "Many Years From Now," that might clear that up:  

Those were the days of the civil rights movement, which all of us cared passionately about, so this was really a song from me to a black woman experiencing these problems in the States: ‘Let me encourage you to keep trying, to keep your faith, there is hope.’ As is often the case with my things, a veiling took place so, rather than say, ‘Black woman living in Little Rock and be very specific, she became a bird, became symbolic, so you could apply it to your particular problem.

So as you see, he specifically recalls thinking of the town of Little Rock as the place where a fictitious Black woman lives.  Most likely, he recalls this particular town because it was one of the first news stories of Civil Rights that he personally remembered because of the story of the Little Rock Nine.  

However---I think it is a bit of a stretch to say that Blackbird was "inspired by the Little Rock nine."  Maybe indirectly inspired.   But nonetheless---I think with most Beatles songs, it is difficult to pinpoint just one reason why it was written.    Their songs are complex and weren't always written in one sitting.

By the way, do you know the first time Paul performed "Blackbird" to an audience?   It was the day Linda moved into Cavendish.    Paul opened the window to his house and called out to the girls waiting outside the gate, asking if they were still there.    They were, and he played to them, in the darkness "Blackbird" to see what they thought of it.  

Happy Easter!

Because it is Easter, i am spending this Sunday with family and not updating the blog.   I hope you all have had a wonderful day!