(Courtesy of Paul Davie)
A big batch of Syracuse musicians are gathering Saturday night at the beautiful Landmark Theatre to celebrate the wonder that is the Beatles.
A couple of players of international note, Joey Molland from Badfinger and Phil Solem from The Rembrandts, will join in the festivities, too.
It is sure to be special, a long and winding spiritual union to mark a half-century of America being in love with John, Paul, George and Ringo. (It’s one day before the actual 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ iconic performance for America on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
Tickets are still available, Central New Yorkers. They are priced at $25 and $35, plus service charges, and can be purchased at the Landmark Theatre site.
My dear wife Karen and I will be there.
I plan to write about it for my weekly blog about the Central New York community for the site of Syracuse Public Media organization WAER.
I will also post a photo and a reminder about that story come Wednesday, right here.
And here’s a little request of all your Beatles lovers out there.
Tell me why you are caught up in Beatles magic still.
Talk about your first memories of hearing Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.
Share significant Beatles tales from your life.
Please.
Something, like: I remember seeing the Beatles on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ as a kid, watching with my cousin Karen. She was a year or two older and, apparently, a whole lot smarter, because she knew the Beatles back story already while I was a dumb kid. But I got it right away.
I may indeed use interesting anecdotes in my piece for waer.org.
Here’s your chance to spread a bit from the WordPress universe!
Mark Bialczak 
Mark, what I loved about The Beatles was their upbeat music and their fun-loving nature. While my favorite was Paul, I thought they all were adorable and very talented. Their music evolved as did they, always giving their fans more pleasure. I also loved their message of peace and love. No group has captured my heart in the same way.
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They were singular and everlasting, Judy. The Syracuse musicians did the songs proud, I might add.
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We moved to New York from Sicily in 1962 and we watched the Beatles’ Landing on the news. It was so exciting. I remember in school we girls all had our favorite…mine was George.
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George was an underdog, but not as much as Ringo, as I recall my girl classmates affections. Thanks, Francesca.
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opps, two. )
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http://mrspriss.com/2009/07/10/gum-wrapper-chains-a-story/
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Holy crap! Her husband turned out to be the same height as her gum-wrapper chain. That’s … well … I don’t know what to say but wow!
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what a cool event, mark, i hope you both enjoy it and i’m happy you’ll be writing about it and sharing the experience with all of us. my beatles memory – i was a little girl, and my friend’s older sister was going to see them at olympia in detroit. we sat outside all summer and helped her make the world’s longest gum chain to present to them at the concert. i was so excited and i wasn’t even going.
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Great memory, Beth! What is a gum chain? I was such a boy, I never made such a thing.
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during that era, we used to save the gum wrappers from sticks of gum and fold and weave them together into flexible chains. kind of like a kid version of a quilting bee – we’d sit around and talk and weave them together, very relaxing and we could talk and gossip and giggle to our heart’s content. i’ll bet you could find some pictures of them online. from the 60s.
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Now I can recall the gum chain, Beth! Indeed, Long Island girls made those, too. By the way, thank you for the wonderful comment you put on my waer.org blog about Syracuse basketball. I really appreciate it. I thought I’d mention it here, because this concert will be my weekly community blog for next Wednesday. I am looking forward to magical music, Syracuse-does-Beatles style. You are up late tonight. Did you watch Opening Ceremony? I am wrapping up a column about that to post in a few …
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aha, it’s all coming back isn’t it? forgot you were supposed to make them as long as your future husband too, so funny. happy to do so with the blog comment. up late because i was with 2 of my grand babies. we played chutes and ladders, ate like sailors, swung on the freezer door, danced to beyonce, and 2 of the 3 of us were asleep by 9. it was a full night. i didn’t watch the ceremony but we had one in our class today. we made flags, a torch, a long paper chain of the olympic rings and recruited some rouge 3rd graders to play the olympic theme on their recorders and march with us, the kids had a ball.
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That is the way to get the kinders and rogue recorder players all hyped up for the Olympics. I love it. I also would like all of the above activities you accomplished with the grands, except I think I would get in trouble with the home owner for ripping the door off the freezer as I swung on it. Good night, you had, Beth.
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yes, well fortunately it is still attached. and my daughter and her hubby are pretty understanding, though i’m sure that could test their limits )
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I won’t tell if you don’t.
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thanks, and one of us has just turned too, so he’s pretty safe. the loose cannon could be the highly-verbal 3 year old.
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Bribe from GM and I don’t mean the car company …
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could tell by the spelling of my last two messages, it was clearly time to sleep. and yes, there will be a breakfast bribe involved.
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I get the sleepytime typos, totally, Beth. I hope the breakfast bribe sandwich went down like a Sausage McMuffin or Tim Horton’s donuts.
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well, it was mac ‘n cheese and chocolate cheerios. hopefully this will take care of any potential leaks within the ranks.
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I can’t imagine there ever will be another time as electric and memorable in music history than the time when the Brits came round to show us what’s worth falling in love with and fainting over, simultaneously. To be in the crowd at that very first show when the boys set foot on US soil right before lighting the whole place on fire. If only I had a time machine! Looking forward to reading your review!
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I remember, being a little kid, wondering why all the girls were screaming, screaming, screaming like they were for the Beatles. I knew that I liked the songs right off the bat, though. Back in those days, young people were ready to get into a collective voice about something they considered their very own. I’m looking forward to writing about the Syracuse show, Sandra, that’s for sure!
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Hi Mark, you and Karen are going to have a great night out! I’m too young really to have any anecdotes. I just know that somehow I know loads of their song lyrics so when they are on the radio I can sing along.
Ringo has voiced Thomas the Tank Engine so his voice is so familiar as we watched loads of Thomas videos when our kids were little. My parents were from Liverpool and got married there so my mum, who is classical music all the way, likes the Beatles!
I will have to get myself over to Abbey Road and take a picture for you of the zebra crossing.
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Thank you for sharing these memories Your parents, did they know anybody from the Beatles’ families in LIvperool, Rachel? If you could get an Abbey Road shot of the zebra crossing for me, I would forever be grateful and happy!
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I think they knew someone who knew Paul’s brother. So very tenuous!
I will most definitely get you a shot of abbey road. I can’t say when but I will plan when we can go. If you email a picture of you and karen then I have a plan of getting you both walking on the zebra crossing.
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You are very crafty, as I’ve said. I will work in getting a good shot of Karen and I for that on my end this weekend, and email it to you, Rachel. What a gas!
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They need to be two separate pics- head shots if poss. One of Ellie B too if you like.
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I will get that covered, three head shots coming your way! Thank you so much, Rachel. FYI like like your new hed shot on the blog, too!
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Thank you!
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I think this is a great addition to any city or town’s festivities celebrating the Beatles! I am looking forward to the Sunday CBS program but would have been happy to be invited out on a date to one of these tribute celebrations! Smiles, Robin
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I hope you enjoy the CBS show. I think it will be a blast, Robin! I hope you get invited out on a date to something like this in your hometown, too.
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I put forth some of my memories of that weekend (as an 8-year-old in the Valley who listened to WOLF), as well as some background on Beatles releases in the U.S. in 1963 (their lack of success in America that year had nothing to do with JFK), at http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/670082.html
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Thank you for pointing out the link to your Beatles memories and thoughts, Carole. I will click over shortly.
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I am also going to a Beatle’s tribute show tomorrow evening, Mark.
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I thought of you, Mer, as I wrote this piece. I was hoping that you would get a live tribute close enough to go. I hope to read what you think on your blog afterward, of course! Have a great time.
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This will be such a great show, and I am sad that I’m going to miss it. Enjoy this one for me, Mark!
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I’m expecting greatness at the Landmark, Chris. Have a good weekend, sir.
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I remember being a kid, singing along to The Beatles from the back seat of my dad’s car. One day, he turned to me and asked why I knew all their songs? I said, “Because you do.” I’ve always been drawn to their music. Still wear my Beatles T-shirt…matter of fact I’m wearing it in my post Moms Vs. Award Season”Who Are You Wearing? 🙂 Enjoy! You and your wife are going to have a great time! I’m a little jealous!
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That’s a great memory of telling your dad one of the great things he taught you, LMW! Good choice of wardrobe, too! Thanks for sharing.
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