The Fest for Beatles Fans will take place at The Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, March 28-30.
Jim McCarty of British Invasion band The Yardbirds (who opened for The Beatles in 1964 and 1965), Simon Kirke (who played drums for Bad Company, Free and Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band) and saxophonist Phil Kenzie (who played on The Beatles’ Let It Be album and several Beatles members’ solo albums) will be among the guests at this year’s edition of the annual Fest for Beatles Fans, taking place at The Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, March 28-30.
Other guests will include songwriter Gary Burr (who played guitar and sung in Ringo Starr’s band The Roundheads, and written songs with him); Colin Hanton of the pre-Beatles band The Quarrymen; and Eddie Deezen, who co-starred in the 1978 Beatles-related movie “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” And the bands Liverpool, The Weeklings, Cellophane Flowers, The Black Ties, The Taxmen and Andrew Weiss & Friends will play Beatles music and more.
Q104.3’s Ken Dashow will be master of ceremonies, with support from Tom Frangione of The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM satellite radio.
Movie screenings will include “Pre FAB!” (about the Beatles’ origins in Liverpool); and the 1978 parody film “All You Need Is Cash,” in which Eric Idle, Neil Innes, John Halsey and Ricky Fataar play The Rutles, who are kind of a goofy alternate version of The Beatles. Hanton and Colin Hall (official steward of John Lennon’s childhood home, Mendips) will introduce “Pre FAB!” Innes’ widow Yvonne Innes — author of the book “Dip My Brain In Joy: A Life With Neil Innes” — will introduce “All You Need Is Cash.”
The Fest will also offer memorabilia vendors, art and photography exhibits, auctions, fan contests, panel discussions, and opportunities for attendees to perform Beatles music in impromptu jam sessions.
For information, visit thefest.com.
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