The Marshmallow Maiden Tour - A concert review

If you are a frequent reader of this blog, then you will know that I am a fan of James McCartney.  Not just because he is the son of Paul and Linda (although that does play into it), but because I genuinely like his music.    I have seen him in concert twice and this past Easter, April 16, 2017 I saw him perform for the 3rd time as part of the "Marshmallow Maiden" tour at a coffee house/bar called Foam in St. Louis, Missouri.

My mom and I were early for the concert and they weren't opening the doors quite yet, and so we waited with a few others outside of the door.    It wasn't long before the door opened up and out walked James McCartney!    He said "hello" to all of us and I said "Hi James."  He and a woman walked around the area together.    Meanwhile there were many panhandlers out on the street and I saw at least one of them approach James, asking for money.


I didn't see James get back into the venue because the door opened and we went inside.   I decided to use the restroom.   It is a very small place and there is only one uni-sex toliet.    There was already someone in the restroom, so I waited outside the door.   Guess who comes behind me to use the restroom?   James McCartney!!   I am waiting in line for the loo with James McCartney.    I tell him that I follow him on Twitter and that I enjoyed the video he posted that showed him making the tour posters.   He thanked me.   Then the door opened and whoever was in there came out.   I said to James, "You can go ahead and go if you want."   And he said to me, "No, you can go."    Very surreal!

Onto the actually concert.    It started with an opening act.   I have no idea who these guys were because they never said their name.   I wonder if James has any clue who will be opening for him.   Whoever these guys were, they were pretty entertaining.   Their music wasn't bad (but it was super loud for a small venue).   The lead singer took off his shirt and was literally jumping all around and climbing onto the amps.    At this point, about 50 or so people were in the room.

This is the third concert I have seen of Jame McCartney over the past four years.   This one was by far the best concert of the three.   James has always been extremely talented, however his interaction with the audience has been lacking.    Things were much different this time around and it has been really neat to see Jame grow as a performer.

One big difference on this tour is that James has another musician playing with him, Steve.   Steve made a WORLD of difference!   He played the bass guitar and sang backup.   Not only that, but Steve would talk a little between songs and get James into talking as well by asking him a question or saying, "why don't you introduce this one."    This made James MUCH more relaxed and he seemed to open up a lot more than he had before.     He would ask how we were doing and chat a bit between songs.   It was a nice change.

James sang songs from his Blackberry Train album and a few from his EP set and JaMEs McCartney.  I am glad that he brought back his cover of "Old Man."   He opened with "Too Hard" which is a great song!    Other favorites that he performed included "Ring a roses,"   "Peace and Stillness,"  and "Alice."    He performed two songs sitting at the piano.    

Here is something funny that happened during the concert.    James played the piano that was at the venue.   It was up against the wall and my mom was sitting in a church pew that was up against that piano.    So she was right next to hm why he sang at the piano.   He was singing a great song, "Prayer," and gets to this point in the song that goes "makin' love to you..."    He looks over at my mom and she makes a "who me?" type of gesture and he laughs in the middle of the song!   And people say he never smiles or laughs!  

My mom trying not to make James laugh any more

After the concert James and Steve went out to sell merchandise and meet people.   I bought a print of one of James' artwork and both of the guys were happy to pose for a picture with me.

I told James that we see him anytime he comes to St. Louis and we hope he comes back again soon.
It was a great night!

The Marshmallow Maiden Tour will continue for another month throughout the United States.   James is a great musician who has came a long way from his first tours several years ago.   You can't help but think of both Paul and Linda when you look at him.        Take the time to see if he is coming to your area and go see James-- you won't regret it!

*all photos but the top photo belong to me, Sara Schmidt.  Please do not post them without my permission.

Eight Days a Week- the Beatles Touring Years: A Review

I had a bigger interest in the Beatles documentary, "Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years," not just because I am a huge Beatles fan but because several years ago, I was contacted through this blog by someone who was connected to Apple asking for my assistance in the documentary.  I was in regular contact with this person until Ron Howard took over, and then my involvement ended.  I liked the way the film was heading, and I was excited to see the final product.    

I am still baffled as to why this film was only shown in select theaters around the world.   I was fortunate to locate one near my home in St. Louis, Missouri, and went to the 6:30pm showing on September 15, 2016.  One of the best parts of going to see "Eight Days a Week" was seeing it along side other fans.  While I was standing in line to go into the theater, there was that feeling in the air of excitement that you only feel when you are experiencing a new Beatles event.  Being in the theater with other fans made the whole experience special.

Personally, I enjoyed the documentary very much.  I thought it was funny at many points (especially when George uses John's head as an ashtray), and it was touching and emotional at other points.  I especially enjoyed the little snippets of material taken by fans--I spotted footage that was new to me from Vancouver 1964, London 1965 (!), and Candlestick Park, among others that I am sure I will notice the specifics once I see the film again.  Those little snippets of never-before-seen footage amazed me!    There weren't a lot of photographs that were "new" to me, but the few that I spotted took my breath away, especially the color 1966 Manila photograph!  

I loved the footage of the fans—especially the girl talking about how sexy George's eyelashes were. The fans were such a huge part of the Beatles' touring years that I am glad that some of the mania and interviews with the fans were not overlooked. Some of my favorite fans weren't included; however, George's sexy eyelash girl is now in the top five favorites for sure. We need to find her!

I thought the whole film sounded great!  The Beatles just sounded so good!  Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in everything that I don't just sit and listen to what a great band they truly are.  I was especially impressed with the "Roll Over Beethoven" performance, which I understand was taken from a soundboard recording during a concert.     

The interviews with Paul and Ringo were good.  They basically just repeated the same stories we have heard, but Ringo is just so entertaining in how he tells them.  They didn't forget to include comments from George and John, although most of George's were taken directly from the Anthology film.  All of the other interviews were interesting as well, including Whoopi Goldberg.  Who would have thought she would say such interesting things about the Beatles?   I would have liked a few interviews with just some common folk fans who aren't celebrities, but I think that is going to be included in the bonus features on the DVD/Blu-ray.

So what didn't I like?  I think for me, the biggest thing I didn't like was the colorization of what was originally black and white film. The Washington D.C. concert being colorized really bothered me because it just didn't look good.  The Beatles' hair looked red (and not just John's but all of them), and their suits didn't look right.   And while I am highly against colorizing black and white Beatles footage, I tried to have an open mind (like I did with the colorized All You Need is Love on Anthology), but I just think it was poorly done. When you look at the original color footage from Help! or Shea and compare it to the colorized stuff, it just looks bad.  I also didn't understand why some of the footage seemed such bad quality--and I don't mean the things shot by fans on home movie cameras.  The official Ed Sullivan Show DVD is much clearer than what was presented in the film, and the NME concert footage was embarrassing---I have seen bootlegs that looked better.

However, those complaints are small in comparison to the big picture of this amazing film. I really think the DVD/Blu-ray with the extra footage is going to be on the Christmas list of every Beatle fan in the world. It is something that you will want to have in your collection and watch over and over again.

I also have to say that the Shea Stadium concert was a really special treat.  It is too bad that Shea isn't being released with the film in November.  The color was amazing, and the sound made you almost feel like you were right there that night in August.  The Beatles looked like they were having so much fun.   And the fans were so great to see as well.  I loved the footage of the mom handing out tissues to the girls.   And the footage of the fans running onto the field while John is talking.  My all-time favorite Beatles performance is the Shea Stadium Show's "I'm Down."   To see John on the big screen playing that keyboard with his elbows and laughing along with George was just so amazing.  I know I was smiling from ear to ear.   The Shea concert was well worth the price of admission and I truly hope that the powers that be plan on releasing the entire Shea show (with the opening acts and all) in the very near future on DVD.  

After seeing the Beatles "Eight Days a Week" I gave it a thumb up!   

The link below is the affiliate link to Amazon, where you can purchase this on DVD.  I get a small percentage of anything purchased through this link.  Money made from the Amazon Afflication is used to pay the annual fee to keep this site online.  Thank you for your support.  Sara

https://amzn.to/3V9BKi1

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

Beatles Traveling: Report of my trip to Cleveland, Ohio

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame photo taken by Sara Schmidt

Last week my mom and I went to Cleveland, Ohio for a short trip.    The main purpose of the trip was to go into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame library and archives so I could do some research for my book.    However, I wanted to make sure that you all knew what Beatles stuff is currently in Cleveland if you want to take a trip of your own, or if you live too far away and would just like to know what is there.

Here I am at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame library.  Photo taken by Coral Schmidt

My first stop was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame library and archives.   This is not located where the museum is and you will need to drive there or take a cab.  (Side note do NOT use Yellow cabs of Cleveland---I know Paul used them in 1976, but they are terrible!!!).    Anyone can go inside and read the books.   There are so many Beatles books!   Shelves upon shelves.   It was really, really neat to see the books that friends such as Chuck Gunderson, Robert Rodriguez, Bruce Spizer, Candy Leonard and many others have written and are on the shelves there.     To see the archives, you have to make an appointment ahead of time.  They will issue you a library card and you have to watch a short  powerpoint about handling the materials.     The archives are awesome.   You wouldn't believe all of the Beatles' news clippings, never before seen photos (I saw some from Detroit 1966 that I just LOVED!), Bob Bonis' paper archives, Rolling Stone's archives...all about the Beatles.    What is sad to me, is that many of the newspaper clipping are deteriorating and are in bad shape.   They aren't organized or anything.  Just a bunch of clippings in a manilla folder.    I wish I could have a job organizing these documents.   Wouldn't that be awesome?

Yellow Sub things at the Cleveland Hard Rock Cafe  Photo taken by Sara Schmidt

After spending the afternoon as the library, we had diner at my favorite vacation restaurant, the Hard Rock Cafe.    There isn't a whole lot of Beatles stuff in this Hard Rock.  Just some Yellow Submarine things on one wall.   But the food was good, as always.


The next day was a full day for us.   The first thing we did was go see the "Christmas Story" house and museum.   Since that isn't Beatles related in any way, I won't go into details about it.  But if you like the movie "The Christmas Story," then you really need to go to the house and museum.  It was fun!

The it was straight to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame museum.   I had been there in 2001, but things have changed since then.  #1 being Ringo has been inducted into the Hall of Fame just this year!  That made it pretty exciting!    After getting our tickets, we went down to find Ringo Starr's suit from "Goodnight Vienna."   Now that was amazing!!!

My mom, (Ringo's #1 fan) next to the Ringo display.   Photo taken by Sara Schmidt

We quickly realized that we just wanted to see the Beatles things and we weren't going to focus on any of the other displays until we saw the Beatles stuff.  So we went off and found it.   I was really amazed by all of the items on display.    And it really hit me---I spend a lot of my time doing Beatles things, and I would guess that the readers of this blog do as well.   The Beatles are just part of my life.  But here was their stuff preserved under glass and being stared at by all of these people.   The Beatles aren't just MY thing---they are everyone's thing!   To me seeing John Lennon's Sgt. Pepper suit in person is incredibly cool because I have seen all of the photos, but there it was under glass because it has historical importance.   I don't know, it just struck me.   Here are some of the amazing Beatles things on display currently at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

John's guitar from 1965 with setlist still taped on it.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

John's All you need is love jacket.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

John's Sgt. Pepper suit.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

John's "You are Here" t-shirt from 1972.   Photo by Sara Schmidt

The mellotron used on Strawberry Fields Forever.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

My mom with Ringo's drums.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

Ringo's jacket worn in the Strawberry Fields promo.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

John's "Rock n Roll" jacket.  Photo by Coral Schmidt

John's "rooftop" guitar.  Photo by Coral Schmidt

The orange suit George wore to the Yellow Submarine premiere.  Photo by Coral Schmidt

As you see---lots of Beatles stuff on display.   But which Beatle was missing?   Yes....where's the Paul clothing?   The only Paul item on display was a Grammy award given to Wings.  I understand that Paul still uses his guitars, but really---can't he find one of those knitted sweater vests to give to the museum?   It just stood out to me that Paul doesn't have really anything there.


Of course there is much more to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum than the Beatles.  There are several films that you can watch about the induction and who is in the rock hall.   However, these are older films.  You do see clips of Paul, George and Ringo.   The one that goes year by year does not have 2015 in it yet.    But in the room as the video, there is a wall of "signatures" of everyone who is inducted.  This is the only place where I found anything about Brian Epstein.

photo taken by Sara Schmidt

I enjoyed the display about radio and was happy to listen to the MC of Beatlefest, Terri Hemmert on the headphones.   I also got a kick out of the Murrary the K shirt.  The Rolling Stone magazine exhibit was really neat as well.

photo taken  by Sara Schmidt

If you have a chance to see the things in the Rock n Roll hall of fame, it is well worth it for Beatle fans.   They have some great Beatles items available at the gift shop as well.   Speaking of the gift shop, be on the looking out soon for a contest where you can win some souvenirs I picked up at the gift shop just for this blog!  

Happy Birthday to Ringo's #1 fan!

I want to take the time to wish my mom, Coral Schmidt a very happy 64th birthday!    No this photo isn't of my mom's birthday cake, but I think it is a fun photo.    And Ringo if you are reading this---my mom is your #1 fan!

Seeing Ringo on home turf -- Sara's concert review

 

There is just something special about seeing a Beatle in your town.   Something special about hearing him say the name of your town on the stage.    It just is a neat experience and was something I got to do this past Friday night when Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band came to St. Louis, Missouri and performed at the Fox Theater.   

The last time Ringo Starr came to St. Louis was in the summer of 2001.   He had played at the Fox Theatre that time as well and I did not go to that concert.   I had seen him the summer before, at Riverport Amphitheater from the 4th row.    I was in a tough place financially in 2001 and thought I could skip the concert that year and make it the next time he was in town.   I had no clue that it was take him 13 years to return to St. Louis!    

Before I knew that he was coming to St. Louis, I had already bought VIP  tickets for the show in Mississippi in July.   This concert was the same band and the exact same set list as the show I had seen in Mississippi.   My feelings towards the band members and the song list did not change at all.  So I will not get a whole lot into the songs this time.  But here was my experience.

My mom and I got down to the Fox Theater in St. Louis and walked past the City Diner, which is next to the Fox.  Who do we see?  None other than our Beatle friend, Lanea Staggs and her daughter and niece.   We squeezed past the crowd at the door and got into the booth with them and had a meal.  If you are in St. Louis, I would recommend this restaurant because it is a fun place.  It is decorated in 50's and 60's kitchen decor, with lava lamps on the tables.  They were playing Beatles music while we ate.   It was a fun way to get even more excited about seeing Ringo!

The Fox is a beautiful theater.   I have seen tons of Broadway plays there, but very few concerts.  There was a table of Ringo merchandise for sale and only one guy running the table.   It was packed!  There were tons of people with credit cards and they were having issues.   Word of wisdom:  if you go to a concert and plan on buying merchandise, always bring cash.  It is much easier for everyone.   There is a funny story about me throwing money at the guy and running up the stairs, trying not to push any old people with canes as I went to my seat.  

My mom decided to see if the Fox had free wifi, and she found Ringo's wifi listed!   This got us so excited!  We tried to guess his password without any luck.   Haha!

 

This time we did not sit on the floor, instead we sat in the Mezzanine, which was cheaper and we had a better view of Ringo playing the drums.   I have no problem with the location of the seats, but gosh the people around me were boring!    No one stood up the entire show.   No one!    I wanted to dance, but I couldn't because people were behind me.   Seriously!?!     But we did have an amazing shot of Ringo playing the drums (unlike in the 2nd row).

Ringo sings "Boys"  photo by Sara Schmidt

Ringo was so entertaining!   He kept laughing and joking around.  He seemed to really be in a good mood Friday night.   The thing I really like about Ringo's performance is that you can tell that he doing it because he wants to.  He is having fun.     He isn't trying to impress critics or anything like that, he is just playing because he loves to play.    I feel like that comes across in his concert and I appreciate it. 

By the time Ringo got to "Yellow Submarine" I started to feel a bit emotional.   Here was Ringo performing a song that was written by Lennon-McCartney and I am singing it along with him.   I just hit me that we don't know how much longer Ringo will be performing.   And while I hope it is for a long time to come, it won't last forever.   And I realized that there will be a time when I will cherish the moment of singing "Yellow Submarine" with Ringo in the town where I live.   I know it is silly,  but I think about that sort of thing....just how special it was for me to be there at that moment.

I about died when Todd asked if Beatle Bob was in the audience!  Beatle Bob!   He is at every single concert in St. Louis (and elsewhere because he was in Arkansas as well) and he dances this crazy dance for every. single. song.    And there they were talking about him on the stage!   

Todd and Ringo   Photo by Sara Schmidt

Ringo and the band talked several times about how they singed "the wall" backstage and how Ringo knew that he had played there before because he found his name on "the wall."    I have never been backstage at the Fox Theater, but my mom tells me that you can take a tour of the place and go backstage and see "the Wall."  It might be worth it to see what Ringo and the rest of the band wrote!  

I have to say again, like I did in about the Mississippi show, that Richard Page (from Mister Mister) is a great singer!   I can't believe how he sounds just like the guy I would hear on the radio in the 1980's.  His voice hasn't changed at all.   

Richard and Ringo.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

I really want to encourage everyone to see Ringo in concert.   I have read that Ringo's ticket sales have really gone up this summer.   That is great news!   I have heard that a lot of people, however, are skipping Ringo's concert because Ringo's show isn't as good as Paul's and because Ringo doesn't change his set list.    Paul and Ringo both put on great shows, but they are vastly different.   Ringo isn't Paul and Ringo's ticket prices show it.   But come on, guys, Ringo is so good!   You really need to see him and appreciate the greatest drummer in rock n roll.

Peace and Love!

Peace and Love Ringo!   Photo by Sara Schmidt

*All photos (except for the one of Richard and Ringo by the Wall) were taken by me, Sara Schmidt.  Please ASK ME before you post any of my photos on your facebook or blog.   I will say yes, but I just like to know it before I see my photo just out there.   Thanks for understanding!  

Beatles at the Ridge -- Festival Review

On September 19-20, 2014 my  mom and I drove down to Walnut Ridge, Arkansas for a Beatles festival called "Beatles at the Ridge."    Those of you who follow this blog and know the history of the Beatles 1964 are familiar with the reason why Walnut Ridge, Arkansas is part of Beatles history as it was the Walnut Ridge airport that the Beatles stopped at in 1964 on their way to and from Reed Pigman's ranch.   It is really just a blip in Beatles history, but the town of Walnut Ridge has decided to make the most of their small Beatles connection for the sake of improving tourism to the region.  A large metal sculpture of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road can be found in the town as well as a cute shop called "Imagine" that sells Beatles items.   There is a 115-ft-long by 40-ft-wide guitar on the ground that is a replica of John Lennon's guitar in an area called the "Guitar Walk."    All of this is well worth seeing if you are in the area.   Once a year the town throws a big city-wide festival called "Beatles at the Ridge."

Beatles at the Ridge is not completely a Beatles convention.   It is very Beatles centered and there are a lot of Beatles activities and things going on, but it is also a carnival-type fest for the town.  There are booths and tents from area groups and organizations as well as activities that have nothing at all to do with the Fab 4 (such as a duck calling contest).

But if you are a Beatles fan (and I know that you are), there is plenty of Beatles fun.   My wonderful author-friend, Jude Southerland Kessler was the chair of the first ever Beatles author symposium at this festival.   She put together some of the BEST authors and speakers to talk about their books.   There also was a Beatles photo display that was extremely good, an art display by Enoch Doyle Jeeter who drew pictures for each of the songs on the Meet the Beatles album and a display called "Meet the Covers" which showed album covers that were parodies of Beatles album.   It was really fun to see!

When I arrived on Friday afternoon, the first thing I noticed was that the entire town of decked out in 1960's and Beatles theme.   Every store-front window had things like peace signs or cartoon Beatles in the windows.   There was a large cut out of the Yellow Submarine and the Cartoon Beatles and it made for a fun photo opportunity.   It was really festive and put us in the mood for the weekend!

My mom with the cartoon Beatles cut outs

After looking around for a bit and getting our bearings, we made our way into the author's room and found our friends.   Even though I had just seen everyone just a month earlier, it was great to see Chuck Gunderson, Lanea Staggs, Kit O'Tool, Jude and Rande Kessler and  Anthony Robustelli again!

My mom and I with Jude Southerland Kessler (I know I look terrible here!  I had been driving all day and just blah!)

On Friday night we heard a GREAT talk about the events of 1964 by Jude and Chuck.   This multi-media presentation was just amazing.   Both of these two authors are amazing speakers and they know their Beatles stuff!  We stuck around and listened to a band perform for awhile, but we were super tired and decided to try to get some sleep.

The Beatles statue looked REALLY cool at night!

On Saturday, we were up bright and early for a full day of Beatles fun.   At first we walked around outside and looked at the booths and venders.    We saw that Danny Donuts, who we recognize from all of our years going to the Chicago Fest for Beatle Fans (even though he doesn't know us) was running a fun children's section.   He had a bubble machine going and kids were jumping around to Beatles music.   He had a parade later in the day, but we missed that.   It looked like fun for the kids.

We had a full day of listening to the authors in the symposium because---well that is what I like to do.  But before that, we went back into the Imagine shop and talked to Carrie Mae Snapp, who as you might recall was the girl who's father took the photos of the Beatles at the Walnut Ridge airport and she touched George's elbow.   Well, she said to us, "do you want to see the pictures?" and she proceeded to pull out all of her photos from that day and tell the story to just my mom and I with more details than what I have heard before.   It was so great!  

Lanea Stagg did a brunch based on some of the recipes in her Recipe Records Cookbook that were really tasty.  I recommend "Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey bread."  Then we heard Kit O'Tool give two talks--one about the Abbey Road medley and another about the top Beatles sounds.   Both of these were really fascinating and help me listen to Beatles music that I  have heard forever in a new way.   We also heard Anthony Robustelli's presentation where he stripped down Beatles music so that you just heard the harmonies or just the guitar.   It was really some amazing stuff.  If you like that sort of thing, I highly recommend listening to Anthony's radio program on Beatles a rama radio online on Sunday nights.

Then for something silly---we needed to eat, right?  So mom and I went to a local diner that was serving Beatle burgers and Onion Ring-o's.    We were laughing about that through the entire meal.

We came back to the site and got ready for the concert by Liverpool Legends (Louise Harrison's Beatles tribute band from Branson).   But before that we had to listen to this country band that was really boring.   I think they were called Rockabilly.   I do not like country music.  At all.    I especially do not like country music about food.   Yeah...these guys were tolerable for the first 20 minutes but then they went on and on.  And they didn't even sing one single Beatles song or even Carl Perkins or someone like that.   I was so bored!

Finally Liverpool Legends came on.  They sounded great.   As I have said before on this blog, I am not a big fan of Beatles tribute bands who like to act like they are really the Beatles.   The whole dressing up in costumes  with wigs and saying things like "this is a song from our first movie...."  it just irritates me.   So I disliked these guys trying to look and act like them, because let's face it---none of these tribute bands are guys in their 20's.  They are not the Beatles.   But I really enjoyed the music.  They sounded really good and I was there to have a good time and enjoy some Beatles music.  I do have to admit, the last costume the "George" guy wore was great!  

Check this out!  George totally wore an outfit just like that!

Next year is set to be even better than this years festival and there is hope for more Beatle fans to travel to Walnut Ridge, Arkansas  for this event.    So make plans now to be there!   Here are some tips for you if you plan to go---

1.  This is a FREE event.   People were asking how much it cost and the answer is nothing! 

2.   Bring a lawn chair with you if you plan on staying for the concerts.  

3.   Walnut Ridge is located in a dry county.   Yeah....that is a real thing in the United States in 2014.  There are places were you cannot buy alcohol and this is one of them.   So plan accordingly (whatever that means to you).

4.  There are not really any hotels in Walnut Ridge.  The closest town with hotels is Jonesboro, Arkansas.  I stayed at a place called the Fairview inn and suits.   It was cheap and clean, but old and little run down.  

Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band -- Sara's VIP concert review

Hello Beatle fans!   I just returned from seeing Ringo and His All Starr Band in concert the other night and I know you all would like to hear about it.

I have seen Ringo in concert twice before.   The first time was in 1995 and the 2nd time was in 2000.   I was long overdue to see a Ringo show.  When Ringo's tour was announced early in 2014, I decided that I was going to pick a date and go.   I decided upon the concert in Tunica, Mississippi simply because I had driven through Tunica a few times in the past few years and I knew how to get there.   Tunica, Mississippi isn't near where I live.   It is about a 6 hour drive.   I bought two VIP tickets (one for myself and one for my Ringo loving mom).   The Ringo VIP tickets are much cheaper than the Paul tickets and you do not get much extra for them.   About a week before the concert I got a package with my Ringo swag from UPS.  Here is what you get:  Ringo t-shirt, Ringo poster, laminate with tour dates on it, and canvas Ringo bag.   

 

So we drive down to Tunica, Mississippi, which is a really big gambling town.   I was able to get a hotel room in the place where the concert was held, which was the Horseshoe casino and hotel.    I am not used to staying at a casino.  I have never been to Vegas.   I sort of felt out of place.

After checking in and finding our room, we find the box office because we have to pick up our VIP tickets.   The lady behind the ticket counter has a roll of blank tickets and she takes out her green sharpie marker and writes out our tickets.   I found this to be really strange.  

Our room was on the 2nd floor of the hotel.   We heard some music coming out of one of the executive rooms.   My mom jokingly asked a man leaving the room, "Is Ringo in there?"   The man said, "Yeah---he is doing his sound check right now."   We couldn't believe our luck!   So we stood outside of the room and listened to the soundcheck.   We didn't hear a lot of songs, but we did hear "Africa" and "Boys" and then a bunch of just random jamming.    It was really neat.

I have to confess that I did not care who was playing in the All Starr Band.   I came to see Ringo.   And while I like to think that I listen to a variety of music, the real truth is that I don't.    I guess I just spent most of my time listening to the Beatles or solo music.   So when I looked at the list of who was playing with the All Starr Band, I honestly didn't know who they were.     The band was made up of Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie, Todd Rundgren, Richard Page, Warren Ham, and Gregg Bissonette.

Our seats were in the 2nd row as part of the VIP deal.   When we got there, a group of people were lined up and waiting to for the "meet and greet."    I do not know how they got that deal.   I tried to ask a few of the people in the line and they either ignored me or one person said, "we got our tickets way in advance."   When I told her that I had ordered my tickets the day they came out in March and had VIP and didn't see anything else listed, she chuckled at me.    So I know that in some select cities (New York, Chicago and L.A.) fans were meeting Ringo through the art show.    I had not heard of any other meet and greet opportunities.   And frankly I will never understand all of the secrecy that occurs in the Beatle community.   I saw the same type of behavior at the Paul concert.   If you got the "meet and greet" tickets because you know someone or whatever....why is that a secret?  

Ringo's show started promptly at 8:00pm.   I appreciate him starting on time.     He started right with "Matchbox."    It was so exciting to see Ringo in person!    He even pointed to me during this first song.    Ringo really seems at ease on stage.   And he REALLY interacts with the audience.    He is always waving and pointing and giving peace signs to his fans, even the ones in the back of the auditorium.   I love that!   I think it really makes for a special concert.  Ringo then sang two more songs (It don't come easy and Wings) before he moved to the drums and allowed the All Starrs to perform.

I loved being in the 2nd row, but on the other hand it was sort of a bad place because it was so close.  I had to look up to see everyone and my view of Ringo on the drums was terrible!   

This is what I got to see of Ringo on the drums

The All Starrs are a really good band.   They obviously have a great relationship with each other.   It is apparent that they aren't just individuals that are performing, but they have worked together to become a tight band.    Richard Page, who was the lead singer for Mister Mister has an amazing voice.  He sounds JUST like he did when I would listen to Hot 97 radio in the 1980's as a kid.   Todd Rundgren has great stage presence.   He is all over that stage, playing to the entire house.   And his song "Bang the drum all day" is just so much fun.   I am very familiar with that song, but I guess I just never knew who sang it.

Ringo sang and played "Boys" while on the drums and then moved to the keyboard and began "Don't Pass me by," which he finished out in front.   He sounded really good on this classic song from the White Album.   Then he sang everyone's favorite, "Yellow Submarine."    During this song, Ringo noticed my mom's t-shirt that said, "Ringo Rocks."   He motioned his finger over his chest and pointed and my mom and gave her a thumbs up!   He liked her shirt!  My mom was thrilled.   Her favorite Beatle for the past 50 years noticed her.  It really was a thrill. 

If I had to complain about anything it would be the long instrumentals that the band played.   I realize that most everyone in the crowd loved them, but I just don't get into long guitar riffs.   Those Santana songs are long and I think that is why I never could get into Santana.   I tend to like the typical pop song that is 3 minutes long.    I found myself sitting there while they went on and on wondering when Ringo was going to sing again.  

And Ringo did sing some more.   When he sang "Anthem" he noticed that I was making a peace sign.  I enjoy many of the songs on Ringo 2012 and I think it is one of his better albums of the past decade.   Then he went into "Honey Don't."

Ringo left the stage completely during the song "Oye Como Va."  But he returned to his drums for "I wanna be your man," which he dedicated to "All the ladies."

After a few more All Starr performances, Ringo finished the night with "Photograph." "Act Naturally," and "Help from my Friends."    He then left the stage and the band kept singing "Give Peace a Chance."   Ringo returned for a short period of time without his jacket on and sang a few choruses and then left again.   The band took a bow, and I sort of thought Ringo would have made one more appearance to bow with them, but he did not.  

Just a few more thoughts--I couldn't believe how many people were there with Beatles albums and autograph books seriously thinking that Ringo was going to sign for them.   Do these people not know Ringo?   If they want his autograph, he was selling them for $500 for the Loctus foundation.   That is the only way you can get his signature.   Like it or not---that is how it is.   There were also people walking around the front of the stage a lot.   One woman was trying to give one of the band members a beer and another guy was trying to shake Ringo's hand.   I just thought it was strange.  

If you haven't seen a Ringo concert in awhile, it is well worth going to.   He really gels with this band and they are extremely good.    I am going to see them again on October 3rd when they come to St. Louis.  


*All photos were taken by Sara or Coral Schmidt.  Please ask before you use the photos (I will say yes).