BeatleBlog

A few footnotes from the trip:

1) I am a freak. No, really. If you haven't figured it out already from all the entries filed under this category this will do it for you. Read on.

2) I bought a bootleg CD of unreleased material and I cried....yes, CRIED...over the stereo version of "I Should've Known Better" the first time I listened to it. In my defense, it really sounds so much better than the mono version, which is the only version I'd heard up till now. John's voice is so vibrant on this version I almost feel like I could reach out and touch it. And I can hear his little intake of breath before he sings each line which, for some reason, rips my heart out. With it being in stereo the vocal track is dead center when I listen to it on the headphones and it's like his voice is inside my head instead of just going in my ears from the sides. (I know that sounds weird but anyone who has listened to a really good stereo mix of a song on headphones will know what I'm talking about.)

3) 50 bands/artists performed at Abbey Road on the River this year. I did not see all of them but I saw/heard a good many of them. And, after all of that, my absolute favorite is STILL 1964: the Tribute -- whom I had seen three times already before seeing them at AROTR. They are just superior to anyone else I've seen so far. I look forward to seeing them again when they come back to OU (as they do every year).

4) On the subject of 1964: I am fascinated by the "John" in the group. It's not so much that he looks like John as he acts like John. He has John's mannerisms and speech patterns down pat. The other guys in the other tribute bands that I've seen come across as trying too hard. It's them doing a John Lennon impression. The 1964 guy seems natural when he's doing it. I usually end up spending 3/4 of the concert just staring at him because he seems like he's channeling John.

5) When one is traveling and is tempted into buying two new (enormous and hard-bound) atlases from Borders' markdown shelves, one should also take into consideration the considerable weight of said atlases and whether or not this will put one's luggage over the checked-baggage weight limit when returning home. Because, you know, it would totally nullify any savings one had secured if one had to pay an extra $25 to get the frigging bag on the plane. I'm just saying.

6) Ooh, just checked 1964's website and they'll be playing in Tulsa at the end of July and Ft. Worth at the beginning of August. Also they already have their dates for Norman scheduled for January '06 -- three nights in a row! Robert had better be prepared to come up with quite a bit of ticket money.

Posted by Mary at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

When the wheels of the plane touched down in Tulsa this evening, it wasn't just my physical body that was returning to earth. At that same moment my mind -- my entire consciousness -- fell out of the Land of Beatles and back into the real world with an audible thud.

The reentry into reality has, as of the time of this writing, been a bit bumpy. I have just spent the better part of five days surrounded by nothing but the Beatles. As soon as I set foot off the plane in Oklahoma, and then the entire drive home, I felt as one who has been startled awake, suddenly, from a deep sleep -- a bit confused and foggy-headed, wondering what happened, where I was, and if there was any possible way to crawl back into the dream I'd been having.

It was a lovely weekend and I enjoyed myself very much (obviously). I just didn't realize that transition from Beatle-world to real world would be such a considerable one. But I honestly feel as though I've just returned from another planet.

I suppose that the nexus of this sensation has its basis in the extent to which I was immersed in all things Beatle. It all started Thursday night, the day I arrived in Louisville, when I walked to the downtown area where one of the tribute groups was giving a free sneak preview of the weekend's upcoming festivities. That night, also, the other fans began converging on the hotel. Everywhere I turned there were people wearing Beatles t-shirts and talking about -- what else -- the Beatles.

The festival officially started Friday at noon. There were three outdoor stages and two indoor, all featuring some manner of Beatles tribute group, whether full-on impersonators or simply regular bands who played Beatles tunes. As I walked from one side of the festival to the other a constant barrage of Beatlesongs followed me -- and I sang along to every one. When in my room, 20 floors above (and around the corner from) the festival grounds, I could still hear the music from one of the stages -- usually well enough that I could make out which song they were playing. Of course, in case one should tire of listening to music, there were guest speakers giving talks on the Beatles, vendors hawking Beatle merchandise and a film festival, where I viewed, "A Hard Day's Night" for probably the hundredth time. I spoke to George Harrison's sister, Louise, and had my picture taken with her. I participated in a late night, impromptu singalong in the lounge area inside the hotel, which, at one point, involved upwards of 150 people. (I wussed out at 1:30 a.m. and went up to bed; I later found out it had continued until 5:30) And, just to make sure I was utterly saturated, I listened to Beatles CDs on my headphones when I was resting in my room, rather than watching television.

Yes, it's no wonder that, upon waking each morning, I had the vague sensation like I'd just spent the previous day with the actual Beatles. It was, essentially, nothing but Beatles from the time I woke up till the time I went to sleep, for nearly five full days. That would give anyone the feeling they'd been hanging out with the boys themselves. Everywhere I turned I saw their faces, heard their words and saw the indelible mark they have left on the world.

I was a bit sad this morning when it came time for me to pack up and leave Louisville. I looked out the 20th floor window and saw that the entire festival grounds had been summarily packed up. Almost no trace of the festival remained. But then I remembered that the lads aren't just there at the festival. They are everywhere. I can commune with them, in spirit, just as much in my own home as at the festival. So, perhaps, my return to real life doesn't have to be so complete and absolute. Maybe I can keep one foot in the door to the Beatle dimension. After all, no one has ever accused me of having a firm grip on reality.

Posted by Mary at 01:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)