NY Metro Fest for Beatles Fans: Day 3 Recap and Wrap-Up
If you missed them, check out our recaps of day one and day two!
Even after two full days at the Fest for Beatles Fans, there was still so much more to do!
Day three started with the exploring the Fest’s visual art exhibits. I wasn’t allowed to take photos, but take my word for it that they were showing some pretty amazing stuff. Ringo was well represented here, as his personal photographer Rob Shanahan, his ex-fiancee/photographer Nancy Lee Andrews, and Neal Glaser, who recently photographed Ringo’s tour, were all exhibiting. Shanahan is a prolific rock photographer; many Beatles fans are familiar with the famous photos of Paul and Ringo in 2009 that accompanied the release of The Beatles: Rock Band. Allan Tannenbaum’s touching photos of John and Yoko in November, 1980; Eric Cash’s gorgeous Beatles illustrations; and Yellow Submarine animator Rob Campbell rounded out the professional art exhibit. Fans also got to show off their artistic skills in an art contest, judged by their fellow Fest attendees.
The rest of the day was filled with more lectures, in-depth discussions with authors in the market place, watching virtually unseen Beatles videos, and perusing the marketplace filled with rare collectors’ items that were fascinating to see — even though they were pretty far out of my price range!
The music continued to be incredible, from Lawrence Juber’s amazing guitar work, to the Battle of the Bands contest, to the evening’s final show from the band Liverpool alongside the Fest’s guest musicians. The Battle of the Bands competition was fierce; literally every band who got up there could have played their own set at the Fest. No wonder the all-day jam sessions were so full of musical talent!
As the Fest drew to a close late Sunday night, attendees were exhausted, but already excitedly talking about meeting up again at the Chicago Fest in August. As a first-time attendee, I can’t believe this has been happening for longer than I’ve been alive and I never went before now. It was an outstanding and very special event. There were so many things to do, I could have had another two days at least without repeating activities.
It was surreal to be immersed in the Beatles for three whole days and surrounded by people who love them and were as influenced by them as I am. The events were so much fun and the musical performances were out of this world. But most importantly, the fest is is vital to bringing the fan community together. So many Beatles fans have been coming to the Fest for 30 years or more, and even if the format is similar from year to year, people never stop coming. (Yet the addition of the experimental “Faboratory” created by Michelle Joni, Mark Lapidos’s daughter, is certainly shaking things up!) The music, the old friends, and the ability to be among other Beatle People for three whole days — connecting with each other over this great music and making music of their own — is worth the price of admission again and again.
I’m grateful to Mark Lapidos for asking John Lennon if it was alright to start a fan festival 41 years ago, and to Mark, his family, and all the guests and fans for keeping this wonderful tradition alive year after year. And if you’re a Beatles fan and haven’t made it to the Fest yet, the Chicago Fest is only five months away!
Did you attend the NY Metro Fest for Beatles Fans this year? Leave your favorite moments in the comments!
