See you at the Fest!

I will be at the Fest for Beatle fans (aka Beatlefest) in Chicago (aka Rosemont), Illinois for all three days this weekend.    If you are going to be at the Fest, PLEASE say hello if you see me around.   I am always happy to talk to viewers of this blog.   Sometimes I forget that real people actually visit this blog, so it is actually pretty amazing anytime I meet someone that says they visit the blog and like it!


I am not going to the Fest this time as an author.   So I did not pay for a table to sell books.  I bought just a regular ticket and I will be around having a good time.   However, I am going to be on two panels and doing one presentation.     This is where I am will be:


Saturday:
2:30pm in the Paperback Writer Room-  Beatles Historians Panel on "Who was the 6th Beatle?"
Moderated by Susan Ryan with panelists Sara Schmidt (that's me!), Dr. Kit O'Toole, Allison Boron, Erika White & Tina Kukla

8:50pm in the A/Bbey Ballroom-   Presentation on "The Beatles in St. Louis."    I will give my audio/visual presentation based on my book, "Happiness is Seeing the Beatles:  Beatlemania in St. Louis."    As far as I am concerned, this is my last time to do this presentation.  So if you haven't ever seen it (or even if you have) PLEASE come and see it!   I am worried sick that no one will come see this presentation because I am do not have a table.    My biggest fear is giving this presentation to an empty room.      Also at the end of the presentation, I will ask a few easy trivia questions and the winners will get a set of Beatles in St. Louis  8 x 10 photos!   These photos were taken directly from the original negative of a press photographer that was up close.   So come to my presentation and hopefully you will win a photo!   I have been selling these for $8 each, so that is a $16 value!



Sunday:
3:30 in the Paperback Writer Room -  Panel discussion on "Beatles Fandom:  The Next Generation"
Moderated by Allison Boron with panelists Sara Schmidt (again--that's me!),  Erika White, Vivek Tiwary, & Tess Yarbrough.       This is a new panel discussion abot 2nd and 3rd generation Beatles fans.   It should be pretty interesting!


I also want to announce that I will have a few copies of my book "Happiness is Seeing the Beatles:  Beatlemania in St. Louis" with me in my bag.   I have marked the price down from $25 to $20.    Since you will be getting it directly from me,   you won't have to pay for taxes or shipping (I will cover the taxes out of my pocket).    So you can't beat this deal.    I only have 90 books left and when they are sold, they are gone forever.      Don't miss out!     You might think my book is just for people from St. Louis, but I have heard over and over again from people from around the world that they enjoyed it.     I also will have what is left of my stock of Beatles photos (ones you haven't seen before--I promise!) for $3 each.    



No pressure to buy anything from me---if nothing else---please just stop me and say hi.  

The Cavern Club: Rise of the Beatles and Merseybeat-- a book review

This week I am reviewing the book The Cavern Club:  Rise of the Beatles and the Merseybeat by Spencer Leigh.  This book isn't just about the Beatles (although they play a big part in the book), but about the history of the world famous Cavern Club in Liverpool.  The book tells the story of how the Cavern began on Mathew Street after the original owner went to a Jazz club in France.  From there he opened the Cavern club and only would allow Jazz and Blues music to be played.  Realizing that Skiffle also brought in customers, he would allow a little bit of Skiffle to be played but never rock n roll.  The book then tells this history about how the Cavern slowly evolved from a jazz club to a rock n roll cellar.

The book then goes into listing in diary form every single group that performed at the Cavern until 1972.  Page after page of names of different bands. Some of these bands were very familiar to those of us who know about the beat music scene in Liverpool in the 60's. Besides the Beatles,  you will recognize Billy J Kramer, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, The Big Three, the Undertakers, The Merseybeats, and many others.  You also will see plenty of names of groups that you never heard of.  It does get a little repetitive and boring at times. However, Leigh tries to lighten things up with interviews and little stories about certain performances.  I think he spoke with anyone who ever played at the Cavern or saw groups at the Cavern during that time.  Although I have to question how accurate the memories of these former rockers actually is, as one of the guys is quoted as saying that he remembers playing the Ballad of John and Yoko at the Cavern. The date was 1967.    

Of course the parts I liked the most was the parts about the Beatles performing at the Cavern.   The Cavern was truly the Beatles "home" in means of the early days. They played there around 275 times and each of those is chronicled by a funny story or memory, many that have never been shared before.    The book tries to answer the questions, "Did the Cavern Club make the Beatles or did the Beatles make the Cavern Club?"  It is an interesting topic for sure, and the Beatles section of the book doesn't truly answer the question, allowing you to decide on your own.

Once the Beatles left the scene, the Cavern kept going.  It wasn't exactly the same, as a new group of bands and fans were coming to the club. Instead of singing 50's rock n roll covers, many of the bands were singing Beatles songs, including one popular group, the Hideaways used to sing "You've got to love your Hideaways."  All good things have to come to an end, and in 1972, the original Cavern was knocked down.

Your truly at the Cavern Club this past June 

The story then continues into the re-vitalizing of Liverpool's tourist scene and the re-building of the Cavern Club.   It tells about the Cavern Mecca and the Cavern Walks and some of the crazy things that went on before things became more family-friendly.   And it takes you up to 2015 with the story of Ringo returning in 1992 and Paul playing the Cavern in 1999 included in the mix.   I had no idea that Paul McCartney returned in 2002 as a surprise during a lack-luster George Harrison tribute night and again a year later for a private party where the Cavern gave him a Cavern Club onesie for the soon to be Beatrice.  

This was a very informative and interesting book.   As I said, it was boring at times because it is name upon name of people that performed at the Cavern.   And so it isn't a book that I am going to re-read over and over again.  It also isn't a "bring along to the dentist with you" book because you have to be focused to read it.  However, it is an amazing reference book and one that is going on my bookshelf, and I am sure I will have a need to look up certain things.  

The Cavern Club turned 60 this year.  For 60 years, this little club has been used to entertain people from all around the world.  It is one of the top tourist attractions in the world and is the #1 music site for tourists in England. I am glad that Spencer Leigh had the insight and connections to write about the history of this club and talk to so many who were there from the beginning. It is a story that was worth telling and is a book that should be on a Beatle fans' bookshelf.


The link below is the affiliate link to Amazon, where you can purchase this book.  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/436aKSs

Why I love seeing Paul McCartney

Over the past year I have read numerous articles about why people refuse to see Paul McCartney in concert anymore.      And while I respect their decisions, I thought since I just saw Paul in concert this past Friday in Des Moines, Iowa, that I would share with you all the reasons why I still LOVE seeing Sir Paul in concert every chance that I get.  

The three reasons I hear most often as to why people don't go to a Paul show is 1.  It is too expensive  2.  Paul's voice sounds bad   3.  He never changes the set list.

I have to agree fully with reason #1.  It is too expensive.   There is no reason except for the fact that people (like myself) will pay the enormous prices as to why it costs so much to see a concert these days.   Paul's shows are especially expensive when you add in the cost of travel and hotel to the price of  the ticket.      And if you can't afford to see Paul in concert, then I get it.   If it is out of your budget, I feel really bad for you because Paul's shows shouldn't be so expensive that his most devoted fans cannot afford to go.    But if you CAN afford it and chose not to out of a protest that the prices are too high---well---it isn't working because his concerts are always sold out.

The second reason doesn't matter much to me.   Paul is 75 years old.    And while I think he still sounds pretty good, his voice is not as strong as it used to be.    I am okay with that.    When you are at the concert, you get what I call "tunnel ears" and he sounds good while you are there.   Then you listen back to it on youtube and think, "whoa---that wasn't what I remember it sounding like at all."   Do I wish he would drop certain songs out of the set list or lower the key?   Yes!    But the strength of Paul's voice has nothing to do with why I see him in concert.

The set list will always be a debate among fans.     Do you really think Paul is going to take out "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday?"    I think people that have never seen him in concert deserve to hear him sing the classics.     I think Paul tries to walk that thin line between performing songs that the die-hard fans want to hear, songs he wants to perform and songs he is expected to perform.     He should change things up.   He has a vast catalogue of great songs to chose from---but he mixes things up enough to please me.


So why do I go??   Here are my Top 5 reasons:

Paul leads the singing of "Hey Jude"  Photo taken by Sara Schmidt 

1.  I get to sing Beatles songs with an actual Beatle--

I am not the biggest fan of the song "Hey Jude," but you can't beat having Paul McCartney himself--the guy that wrote the song lead you in singing "Hey Jude," or "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da."   How many chances do you have in your life to sing a Beatles songs with one of the Beatles??    I don't know about you, but I am going to jump on that opportunity whenever I can.

Photo by Sara Schmidt 

2.  Someone will get acknowledged by Paul!

In Des Moines, before the show, Brian Riddle came around and read my sign.  He wrote it down in a book along with my seat number.   I was in the running for actually getting to go on stage and meet Paul!    And while I wasn't the one chosen, it was beyond exciting to know that someone, possibly someone I actually know, was going to get that opportunity.     The lucky family that went up on stage were someone that I had spoken to during the limo watch.    Plus---my friend Tammy had her sign read during the show!    Also during the song "Something" Paul noticed that during the song a guy proposed to his girl and talked to them about it.     Maybe it is because I run a blog about people having person interactions with Paul McCartney, but I love this stuff.   Seeing it happen in my presence makes it extremely worth my time.

Photo by Sara Schmidt 

3  The thrill of the first moments 

I think I experience the highest level of adrenaline in my whole life the moments a Paul McCartney concert starts.    The lights go dark and you see that image of a Hofner bass on the screen and the sounds of "The End" are playing.     And then there he is!    Not a look alike.    Not a fake.   But the real Paul McCartney.   The guy that was friends with John Lennon.    The guy that I have spent most of my adult life reading and learning about.   There he is.   In the same room that I am in.    At that moment it doesn't matter to me that there are thousands of other people also in that room.    And as the first notes to "A Hard Day's Night" start, I just can't control it any longer and I let out the most Beatlemaniac scream I can.     NOTHING else is the world compares to that feeling.    

Look closely---that is Paul and Nancy in there!

2.  The limo watch 

If you have never gone to a Paul McCartney limo watch, you really should!    It is a great FREE activity.    You don't even have to have tickets to the concert to go to the limo watch.    Limo watches are fun.   The one in Des Moines was a bit disappointing because Paul waited to roll down his window, Nancy blocked my view of Paul and we were really far away.   However, I am glad that I went.    I was able to talk to other fans from all over the world.   (Hello limo watch people!)   We saw the band leave the bus,  Paul's videographer Charlie, his photographer MJ and of course Brian Riddle.  They even had water out for us.     The local news came around and interviewed us.    It was all so much fun and we got to see Paul for about 5 seconds to boot.   For me, the limo watch is worth it because it gets me ready for the show.   I wouldn't miss it!

Photo by Sara Schmidt 

1.  The Experience 

To me this is the key point that those that refuse to see Paul in concert are missing.   For me, it is not a concert---it is an experience.     An experience that gives me a lot of happiness.     From the anxiety of ordering the tickets to collecting Paul confetti once the show is over---the whole thing is an experience that I love.  I like looking at  the Beatles t-shirts of  fans in the audience while reading signs before the show as I jam to DJ Chris' Paul mix.   I love looking at the variety of Paul pictures during the "video."   I have fun  dancing to the music of  live Paul McCartney.   I laugh as I  hear his same old tired jokes.  I like seeing the different guitars he plays during the show.    I enjoy the fire of "Live and Let Die."  I love seeing Brian, Rusty, Wix and Abe play their instruments with the passion that they have. 

   From meeting up with other fans, to seeing Paul give a thumbs up at the limo watch, to having Paul confetti fall on me---the whole experience makes me happy.      For me (and I can't stress that enough), it doesn't matter what Paul sounds like.    It really doesn't.     I am not there to hear Paul McCartney, although that is part of the experience.    I am there for the full package.   I know that Paul isn't going to be with us forever and there will come a day when I will look back without regret on the concerts I attended.    

Sara's Beatles travels in the Netherlands

Like many people, I enjoy to travel.   I just love seeing new places and experiencing the culture as well as meeting the people.    Part of my traveling experience is to track town Beatles things wherever I go.    

Last month I went to Liverpool, London and the Netherlands.    I have reported about Liverpool and London in the past, and so I am not sure if anyone wants the whole "what I did on my summer vacation" to those places again.    I can tell you that I had an amazing time.   We celebrated Paul's 75th birthday with a bus load of likeminded fans in Liverpool,  went to the Whirral,  spent time in the Cavern Club and the typical Beatles sites.    In London we crossed Abbey Road, went into the Abbey Road shop, had lunch with a Beatles friend, went on a great Beatles tour and got to go inside of 3 Savile row.   

The last part of our trip took us to Amsterdam and since it was a new experience, I thought I would share a little bit about Beatles traveling in Holland. 

The Netherlands is a very small country, especially if you are from the United States.     We stayed in Amsterdam, but I am pretty sure we saw the entire country.         It was fairly easy to get around in Amsterdam because they had a tram that you rode around the city.   As long as you knew where you were going once you got off the tram, you were all set.  

Everyone in Amsterdam rides a bike.    I have not been a bike since I was a kid.   Here in the United States, bikes are sort of thought of as a child's toy and is not a major mode of transportation for most adults.    There were bikes everywhere and they seem to have more rights than people walking.   Just something to remember if you are ever in Amsterdam.

There are a lot of museums in Amsterdam, but the only one that we went to was the Anne Franke House.    If you are ever in Holland, you must see the Anne Frank House.  It is an unforgettable experience.

 One of the first places we went was to the Amsterdam Hard Rock Cafe.    I make a point of going to the Hard Rock at any city where I am staying.      They did not have a lot of Beatles things on display, but they did have this box that John and Yoko gave out to friends for Christmas in 1980.  

If you are a Beatles fan in Amsterdam you have to go to the Amsterdam Hilton, right?     The outside of the hotel looks very much like it does in the photographs of the hotel from the 1969 Bedin.    I am told that room 702 is decorated in John and Yoko decor.    I tried to get into the room myself.   It costs over $1000 a night to stay there, so that was out of the question.    I went to the front desk and asked the woman there and she told me that they were too busy at the time to take guests up to the suite, but I could come back at 11pm.    It just wasn't possible for me to return so late.   I asked her if I could just go up to the door.   To use the life, you have to have a keycard.    She again told me no and so I left the Amsterdam Hilton with some disappointment.

Speaking of hotels, there was a record shop near ours that had a big Sgt. Pepper display in the front window.    Look what was #2 that week!   Who would have ever thought that the Beatles would be back on the charts after 50 years!

Something else we did that had a Beatles connection was go on a canal boat ride.   As I am sure you recall, the Beatles (without Ringo) did this in 1964 when they were on their world tour.    It was fun to imagine the streets and bridges filled with fans as we took our one hour boat trip around the canals. 

We also made a visit to Alkmaar.    Alkmaar is a quick train trip from Amsterdam--about 30 minutes.   Here is my advise if you want to go to Alkmaar from Amsterdam.   Don't use the ticket machines at the Central Station.   Go to a live person and purchase your ticket.    The machines are for people with the "Dutch card," which if you are from the Netherlands, you don't have. 

Why did we go to Alkmaar?   It wasn't for the cheese---it was for the Beatles museum!   There is a large Beatles museum in Alkmaar.   Once you leave the train station, look for blue signs that say "Beatles museum"  and follow them across a bridge and you are there. 

The Beatles Museum is the personal collection of the fan that runs that place.   I was impressed by how organized it was.    Everything is laid out by album.  So anything that has to do with " With the Beatles" is grouped together, etc.    There is just so much original Beatles memorabilia to look at.  If you go, plan on spending well over an hour to look at everything.    "Let it Be" was showing on a big screen in the back and there was a lot of stuff for sale, including a great selection of "Dutch imports" (which aren't imports since they are in Holland!  I got a good laugh out of that).      My only issue with the museum is that a few of the items on display there (Ringo's Abbey road jacket, Paul's Shea Stadium jacket and George's first guitar to name a few) were labeled as being the original, when I am certain that they are reproductions.    

The last day we were in the Netherlands, we spent on a tour with Guus and Gabreilla of Beatles International.     They couldn't have been nicer or more helpful.    They drove us all around Holland and we saw Beatles things along the way as well as plenty of wooden clogs and windmills.      We went to Blokker and saw where the Beatles (again without Ringo) performed in 1964.   They have a monument build to honor this occasion of the Beatles' performance. 

Another one of the really amazing sites we saw was the WWII memorial where Alan Williams took the Beatles right before they went to Hamburg as well as the store where John stole the harmonica.

The trip ended to a visit to a Beatle friend, Ed's house.   Ed is one of the co-writer of the A is for Apple series, which I contributed to.   It is great to meet Beatles people in person after knowing of them online for so long.   Ed has a great Beatles collection and it was  a real treat to see it in person.

As you can see, the Netherlands has a lot to offer Beatle fans.    I know it isn't on the top of the list like Liverpool or London, but I think it is well worth the time to go and check out these sites as well. 

60 years of John and Paul!

Today marks a wonderful day in Beatles history.    It was 60 years ago TODAY that John Lennon and his band, The Quarry Men performed at the the church fete and Paul McCartney was in the audience.  Paul met the guys inside the church, played a little "20 Flight Rock" and well--history was made!


I was lucky enough to be at St. Peter's church two weeks ago.   Here are the photos I took of the area.  The stage from the hall is no longer there---instead it is in the Liverpool Museum down on the dock area.  It is really difficult to photograph the stage, but I did see it.

Photographs on display from July 6, 1957

Since a photograph wasn't taken of John and Paul meeting artist, Eric Cash painted this amazing depiction of what it was like.  Look at the details!

Here I am standing where the stage was back in 1957

Jackie Spencer shows the Rose Queen cape that was worn by the Rose Queen of 1957.

Beatles fan club members wanted

Hello Beatle friends!

As you know, I wrote my first book, Happiness is Seeing the Beatles:  Beatlemania in St. Louis  last year and it was an amazing experience.    I had so much fun writing the book.

I decided to start in on a new book project that will take many years to complete.   It is a subject that is near and dear to my heart for obvious reasons--the Beatles fan clubs.  

My goal is to publish a two volume set of books covering the Beatles fan clubs in the UK and US.   It will be full color with beautiful photographs and stories while telling the story of the Beatles fan clubs.  

No one has ever really dug into the history of the Beatles fan clubs, and while I am sure it isn't a topic that is of interest to every fan, I think there is enough interest out there to warrant at least a limited edition book.

For this book to actually happen, I need help!    I am looking to talk to anyone that was involved in the Beatles fan club and has stories that he/she would like to share.    That would include:

• Fan club chapter presidents/presidents in the U.S.
• Fan club area secretaries for a state in the U.S.
• Fan club area secretaries in the U.K.
• Those that worked for the fan club as a job between 1962-1972
• Independent fan club presidents
• Anyone that met the Beatles due to involvement in the fan club. 
• Anyone that went to one of the Beatles fan club conventions in 1963 in England
• Anyone that attended the Magical Mystery Screening party in December 1967
• ????????

I also will need lots and lots of photographs of memorabilia.     Fan club membership cards, posters, newsletters, you name it!     

Won't you please please help me??   If you weren't involved in the original  fan club---please try to think if you know of someone that was and ask them for me.   

And before you ask---no I have not gotten in contact with Freda Kelly, but I am trying to.   If you know how I can best get in contact with her, please let me know.

Send those emails to beatlesbusch66@gmail.com    I have a list of questions for fans to fill out if they are interested, or they can just share their story on the phone or whatever is best of them.  

War is over (if you want it) Happy Christmas from Sara 2016

As this Christmas comes to an end, I hope that all of you visitors of Meet the Beatles...for Real had a wonderful time and if you celebrate this holiday, I hope you were able to spend time with family and friends.  I also hope that Santa was able to sneak a little Beatle goody into your stocking this year.


Every year at Christmas, I think about War is Over (if you want it).   I have expressed on this blog that my feelings are that for there to be peace on earth, we need to start with ourselves and end the wars that are going on in our lives.

I started to think about what wars I have going on and I began to think about my online life.   Having a somewhat popular blog has given me the opportunity to meet so many amazing people both in real life and through emails and messages.   But I also have met some not so nice people.  

I want to publicly apologize to Dirk Bock for being so rude to him for the past 10 years.   He has said some things that have deeply hurt my feelings and just plain annoyed me, but my response to him online and what I have said to others about him  has not been kind.    I hope that Dirk can accept my apology and that we can go into 2017 with a new outlook.    I hope that he will being to post nicer comments and I my responses to him will nice as well.    We are both Beatles fan and we have a lot to share.   Neither one of us knows more than the other---we just know different things.    

How about you?   Have you been kind to everyone in your life both off and on line?    Something to think about as we begin this new year.

I wish each and every one of you a very happy Christmas.  

Peace and Love,

Sara S.

Happiness is Seeing the Beatles: Beatlemania in St. Louis: All about my book

Hello friends!   Tonight for "Wednesday Reviews" and I going to tell you all about my new book, "Happiness is Seeing the Beatles:  Beatlemania in St. Louis."     No...I am not reviewing my book, (that would be strange), but I did want to give you, the visitors of the blog the inside scoop.

A short background first.   When I was in the 4th grade, I decided that when I grew up I was going to be an author.      When I was 17 I went to my first Beatlefest and went to a discussion where a Beatles author was talking about his book.    I remember looking at him and thinking, "I know as much about the Beatle as that guy.  I should write a book."   And so every year after Beatlefest, I would start to write a Beatles book but would fizzle out until the next Fest.    In 2014, after the big 50th anniversary celebrations, I decided that I was going to make my dream come true and write a Beatles book about the Beatles concert in St. Louis.     And I am proud that I have accomplished that dream.    I am not a writer (which one predominant figure in Beatles fandom has pointed out), but I am a fan.    I had so much fun researching and interviewing people for this book.     I hope those that read it enjoy it.

The book is 81/2 x 11 in size and has 9 chapters.   Here is a little bit about each chapter--

Chapter 1:  A Beatle in Benton
In this chapter you read all about when George Harrison came to Benton, Illinois in 1963.   The interview he gave, the guitar he bought, the performances he did with the 4 Vests, and what he did for fun.    It also has information about saving the house that Louise lived in and how Louise helped promote the Beatles in 1963.

Chapter 2:  Beatlemania Hits St. Louis
This chapter covers 1964-1965.   There is a lot of information about the top 40 radio station in St. Louis, KXOK 630am and the DJ, Johnny Rabbitt.   You will read about fans watching the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, The close circuit concert, A Hard Day's Night and Help!   There is also information about the St. Louis Beatles fan club from the 1960's.    There are a lot of great stories from fans and what they experienced.

Chapter 3:  The Beatles in the Show Me State
This chapter is  about the 1964 North American Tour.  You will read about the St. Louis fans that went to the concert in Kansas City and their memories of the press conference and the concert itself.  Then you will read about the Beatles time on Reed Pigman's ranch.

Chapter 4:  The Beatles in the Windy City
Chapter 4 covers the 1965 tour stop in Chicago.   This chapter details the winners of the Johnny Rabbitt contest that traveled up to Chicago to see the Beatles live.    You also will hear the stories of some fans that got into the Chicago press conference.    Great fan stories in this chapter!

Chapter 5:  The Stress-filled tour of '66
John's Jesus state and how the St. Louis teenagers reacted to it kick off this chapter.   Read here about the Beatles burning that took place in St. Louis.   This chapter features information about all of the opening acts for the '66 North American tour and a brief overview of the tour.   There is detailed information about the instruments and gear used on the tour.    The chapter ends with fans and insiders accounts of what happened in Cincinnati the day   before the Beatles came to St. Louis.

Chapter 6:   Meet the Beatles in St. Louie
The big chapter!   This one kicks off with information about Busch Stadium  and then goes into all about who brought the Beatles to town and ticket sales.  It details the arrival with a great story from a fan that watched the Beatles land at the St. Louis airport and more stories from fans that watched the arrival into the stadium.     Insiders gave me details about what went on backstage at the Busch Stadium.  Then you will read about the clothing the Beatles wore that rainy night in 1966.     There was a local band that opened up the show followed by a lot of rain.   Read about how the fans reacted to the rain and how the Beatles got moved up to the middle of the show.     Great details about the concert itself can be found in this chapter as well as how the guys left the stadium that night.  

Chapter 7:  Dark Horsing Around
Changes to St. Louis radio begin this chapter and onto how St. Louis radio was part of the "Paul is Dead" conspiracy.   Moving onto when John Lennon met St. Louis legend on the Mike Douglas show and John and Yoko's brief stopover in St. Louis in 1972.   Paul McCartney was interviewed on St. Louis radio in 1974.   And the chapter ends with details from fans about the George Harrison concert on the Dark Horse tour that came to the Arena.

Chapter 8:  Beatlemania Returns to St. Louis
This chapter focuses on Beatlemania in the 1990's.   All three of Ringo's concert stops from that decade (1992, 1995 and 1997) and highlighted as is Paul's concert at Busch Stadium in 1993.   The St. Louis Beatles fan club is discussed and the Anthology.   Paul and Linda came back to St. Louis in 1994 to promote Linda's frozen veggie meals.

Chapter 9:  The Beatles in the new millennium
This of course focuses on 2000-today.    Paul's concert in 2002 and 2012 are remembered and Ringo's concerts in 2001 and 2014.   Find out why Ringo didn't come back to St. Louis for 13 years!  

Here I am at the St. Louis Indie Book Fair!

If you would like to purchase a copy of "Happiness is Seeing the Beatles:  Beatlemania in St. Louis," They cost   $25.00 plus $3.25 for shipping in the United States.   Shipping to Canada is $10.00 and everywhere else is $20.00.  

If you would like to purchase an autographed copy of the book, you can send your payment through paypal to me at beatlesbusch66@gmail.com .  Or email me (using the same address) and I can send you my address to send a money order.

If you do not want an autographed book, you can purchase it from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Seeing-Beatles-Beatlemania-Louis/dp/0986153672/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463018421&sr=8-1&keywords=happiness+is+seeing+the+beatles

I also have two great photographs of the Beatles performing at Busch Stadium for sale.   One is of John and Paul and the other is Ringo, George and Paul.    The photos come in 4 x 6 ($3.00) or 8 x 10 ($8.00)

Thanks to each and every one of your for your support this past year as I have been working on the book.  

Peace and Love!
Sara

Denny Laine in concert --- a review

Tonight for Wednesday Reviews I am going to review a concert that I went to on September 4, 2015 at the Focal Point in St. Louis:  Denny Laine and the Cryers.



I have to confess that I haven't always been a Wings fan.   From 1988-2000 I was what I would consider to be a "Beatles purest" who also liked John Lennon's solo work.    For some reason I didn't give Wings a chance because I assumed that all of their music was "cheesy" and not interesting.   In 2000, at Beatlefest in Chicago I heard a band play some Wings songs and I was intrigued and decided to give them a proper listen and I really liked what I heard.  The next year Wingspan was released and I truly became a fan of Paul McCartney and Wings.     The harmonies of Denny Laine and Linda McCartney had me hooked!

I have seen Denny Laine and met him at Beatlefest in the past.  But if you have ever been to a Beatles convention, you know that you don't actually get to hear a full concert, just part of one.   So when I found out via facebook that Denny Laine was coming to my area and tickets were only $20 each, I decided it was worth my time to check it out.    How often do you get to see the only person who wasn't a McCartney that played the entire run of Wings? 

The concert was at a small venue in a suburb outside of St. Louis called the "Focal Point."   It was a located in what I consider a "trendy" part of town.  There were coffee shops, wine shops and a book shop in the same area.   The Focal Point seated about 100 people, but it wasn't a sell out show.  I would guess that about 75 people were there. 

Denny's band is called "The Cryers."   They are from New Jersey and consist of a keyboard player, a drummer, a bass player and a lead guitarist.    They opened the show and did a 20 minute set of original material.   They were a very good warm up band.   But that wasn't the last of the Cryers.    They actually are Denny Laine's band.   They came back with Mr. Laine himself and played with him the entire show.    I was especially impressed with the bass player of the band.   How intimidating it must be to play Paul McCartney's bass parts on Wings songs---but he held his own and did an outstanding job!

photo by Sara Schmidt

I wasn't sure what songs Denny Laine would be performing, but much to my enjoyment, he did a lot of songs from Wings!   Songs that I enjoyed included:   Spirits of Ancient Egypt, No Words, and  Deliver Your children.  He also sang some songs that were "Paul" Wings songs including Live and Let Die, Band on the Run and Listen to what the man said.    On these songs,  you could tell that Denny was really straining his voice to hit the high notes.   Either his voice is just not capable of singing them or his voice is strained from this tour.    It was at times painful to hear him struggling to hit the notes.    However, this set back didn't stop him from rocking!   My favorite songs he performed were Mull of Kintyre and Go Now  (which isn't a Wings song, but is a Wings cross over since it is performed on Wings Over America).

Photo by Sara Schmidt

Photo by Sara Schmidt

Denny was full of smiles and seemed to really enjoy himself.  His guitar playing was excellent and as I was watching him play, it was very obvious to me why Paul McCartney wanted him in his band.  Denny Laine is an excellent musician.    In between songs, he would tell some short stories about writing songs with Paul.    He didn't need to tell the crowd there Paul who.

Photo by Sara Schmidt

Afterwards, Denny came back out and signed autographs and posed for photographs.   Surprisingly, he wasn't selling anything at the concert.   So if you want him to sign something, you had better brought it with you.    I had him sign a photo I have of him with Paul and Linda and also a small item that I am going to be giving away as a prize on this blog this fall.  

Your blog master with Denny Laine!  Photo by Coral Schmidt

Denny's tour is still going strong and so I recommend seeing if he is coming to your area and check out this show!   You won't regret it.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Well friends, it is that time of year again----The Fest for Beatle fans in Chicago!   This year the Fest will be held August 14-16, 2015, which is pretty awesome because it will line up with the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' Shea Stadium concert.

If you haven't been to Beatlefest in awhile and are available this weekend, I encourage you seriously consider going.   There are some changes taking place at our beloved Beatles convention and I really think they are a move in the right direction.  

Having said that, this weekend is going to be fun!!   And I look forward to meeting with many of you at the Fest!   PLEASE---if you see me out and around, come and say hello!    I would really love to meet you.   Just a reminder that I  tend to be sort of shy, so I will NOT be coming up to you.   But it really makes my day to learn that real people read this blog.  

I will be speaking three times this year at the Fest and I want you all to know about it.  

At 1:30pm on Saturday August 15th in the Fabortory I will be leading the first ever LIVE version of "Meet the Beatles...For Real!"    I can't tell you how excited I am about this.     I am going to share a little bit about the blog and a few stories and photos and then open it up to the floor for a show and tell time.   So if you have met one of the Beatles in person, please bring along a photo or something to share or just your story.    And if you don't have a story, that is fine---just come in and enjoy this time of sharing and chatting about the Beatles.   


At 2:30 on Saturday August 15 in the Fabortory I will be back again but this time Tina Kukla and I are going to be leading a mulit-media discussion about the Beatles Anthology 20 years later.    Can you believe it has been 20 years already?    Well---come and join us as we look at some video clips and advertisements on how we were exposed to the Beatles Anthology 20 years ago.

2014's "She's a Woman" panel discussion

At 4:15pm on Saturday August 15 in the Paperback Writer Room  I will be joined by a panel of amazing ladies for the She's a Woman Panel.    We will be discussing the 50th anniversary of the movie Help! or the 20th anniversary of the Anthology and what it means to the fandom.   

My mom and Deco enjoying the Fest last summer

One of the best parts of going to the Fest is the chance to hang out with friends new and old that share the same passion for the Beatles as you do.  I look forward to seeing you at the Fest this weekend and if you aren't going to be there, I will have a full report when I return with photos and stories of what happened.   

Beatles Traveling: Benton, Illinois

For today's Wednesday Review, I am not reviewing a book or album or event.    I am reviewing a town!   My boyfriend, Shawn and I drove the 2 hours south of where I live and spent Saturday in Benton, Illinois.    I wanted to take a few photos for my book.   This is the first time I had ever been there when a Beatles event was not taking place.   

When you get to the small town of Benton, Illinois you need to just park your car in the Benton square and walk everywhere.   It is much easier that way.  Just be aware that the parking on the square is 2 hour parking.   

There is a small museum in Benton called the Franklin County Jail Museum.   It is open Monday-Saturday 10:00am-3:00pm.   The cost is $4.00 a person.  It isn't located exactly on the square, but two blocks west.  Things are really well marked in Benton, so you can find it.   Most of this museum is dedicated to the last public hanging in Illinois for a bootlegging gangster.    You can see the gallows where he was hung, and go into the jail cells and read all about the 1920's and gangsters and the law in Illinois.    This museum is of interest to Beatle fans because on the second floor is the "George Harrison room."  This room is set up to look just like the radio station where Marcia Schaffer interviewed George Harrison in September 1963.    There is also the coca-cola soda machine that George used to buy drinks from on display.    While it isn't anything earth shattering, it is still neat to see vintage items from 1963 and think about what Benton was like when George Harrison was visiting.   Just about everything in the room is vintage and unfortunately is behind a large, black metal gate, so photos were hard to take.   But I did my best!

The next thing you want to make sure you see is the historical marker for George Harrison that was unveiled in 2013.    It is located outside near a bandstand.   The locals call it a "park" but it isn't what I think of when I think of a park.    It is right off of the square and very easy to find.

While you are in the square and have time, there are a bunch of little antique shops all around the square.   It is fun to go in them and look for Beatles treasures and other fun things.    I found some vintage Beatles items (out of my budget).  I also talked to a nice woman that ran one of the shops that told me that she helped clean out Louise Harrison's house and found some guitar pics, which she got to keep.   She has no way of knowing, but she is going to assume that they belonged to George.   If you are getting hungry, I highly recommend the Chinese restaurant that is located on the square.

If you have never been to Benton, then you will want to see the house where Louise Harrison once lived.   It is now a private residence and you cannot go inside.   If you want to find the house, look for the signs for the Benton High School, because it is directly across the street from the high school.  It is at 113 McCann Street.   

The last thing you might want to do is try to re-create the photo of George, Louise and Pete (along with Lousie's daughter).   The location of that photo was off the square a little bit on East Main.

Benton is a nice little town and going down there was a fun way to spend a sunny Saturday during my spring break.    If you happen to be traveling through southern Illinois, it is worth a stop.   It doesn't have the rich Beatles history that a lot of places might have, but it sure has more than anywhere else in the mid-west!