BeatEXPO 2010 comes together with Beatle memories - an exclusive inside look

BeatEXPO 2010 organizer Charles Rosenay!!! (also our Horror Happenings Examiner) said things looked very positive after last year's convention and doing another was a good idea.

 

"After returning to the convention business last year after a 12 year hiatus, I was so pleased with the results and the warm reaction from the fans, that I once again presented BEATexpo 2010 with an array of guests, bands and attractions that, as a fan myself, I hoped other fans would enjoy immensely. Although much smaller and certainly more intimate than the larger fests which I love and attend myself, I was confident that this event certainly had something for every fan to enjoy," he said.

 

He said the pre-show soundcheck had one interesting moment. "Denny Laine looked over at Mike Miller, who plays McCartney in One Sweet Dream, and said how much he looked like Paul. 'It's just like Paul, isn't it?!.'"

 

He says the crowds for opening night was more than double last year's attendance. "We opened the doors at 7 p.m. and at 8 p.m., I had the opportunity to welcome everyone. Comedian Benjy G opened with a funny set of Beatles-related material and some hilarious impressions."

 

Connecticut tribute band One Sweet Dream opened the show."They were rocking along when all of a sudden Denny Laine joined them on stage, much to the surprise of the crowd," Rosenay said. "He rocked out with them to 'Band on The Run' and 'Live and Let Die' before Denny had to 'Go Now.'" We had hoped Denny was coming Saturday night, but that was only confirmed a week or two before the show, and we expected him to do a short solo set... this was much better than anticipated."

 

Radio personality Storm N Norman took over as emcee and then introduced Ian Lloyd of Stories ("Brother Louie") and John Ford of The Strawbs, who had been at last year's show. Rosenay says they'd requested a slot to do their own set of Beatles classics this year. "The vocals and harmonies were amazing, and their set ended with Ian Lloyd, joined by his son David, belting out a rousing version of his seventies classic 'Brother Louie.'"

 

Rosenay returned to the stage to bring back Storm N Norman to introduce Tommy Roe. "Tommy is the personification of the word 'class.' With just his guitar, voice and some interesting stories to accompany his hits, Tommy played wonderfully and the crowd certainly appreciated it! After all, Tommy came out of retirement just for this convention. He hadn't played, recorded or been on stage in several years -- but you couldn't tell by the way he masterfully entertained. It was one hit after another - pure joy for anyone who grew up on AM radio or loves their oldies." 

 

Roe performed his Buddy Holly-esque "Sheila" (which The Beatles covered in Hamburg), "Everybody," "Hooray For Hazel," "Jam Up & Jelly Tight," his mega-hit "Dizzy" and the lesser-known but hauntingly beautiful "The Winter's Day." "The fans gave him a well-deserved standing ovation and the applause continued as he walked off the stage smiling. It was one of those magical moments that you just had to be there for. It reminded me of when Richie Havens wowed the audience at one of my earlier Beatles convention in the 80s in New Haven with just his voice, guitar and personality," Rosenay says.

 

The official convention band, New York's The MerseyBeat, were up next. "These guys had played all over the world, including Liverpool, but this was their first convention with us," says Rosenay. "Their show started, suprisingly, with 'Hippy Hippy Shake' from the Cavern days, and segued into all the early Beatles classics.They dressed just like the lads and had all the right gear."

 

"But this was no run-of-the-mill set. Before we knew it, special guests were being called up to be part of the concert," he adds. 

 

Sixties singer Julie Grant, who had some stories to tell about her contact with the Beatles the next day, came on stage and sang her Mersey version of The Drifters' "Up On The Roof," which was a UK hit for her. "This was such a coup for the event. I can't get her version out of my head. I can see why she was such a star in England," he says.

 

Connecticut's Gary DeCarlo from the band Steam joined MerseyBeat for his hit "Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye." This was the song that knocked the Beatles out of the #1 spot in December of 1969. During this, Jimi Hendrix's friend and percussionist Juma Sultan was playing congos sidestage alongside the band. It was November 27, Jimi's birthday, and Hendrix would have been 68. 

 

"I thought MerseyBeat were finished bringing up surprise guests, but all of a sudden, their bass player handed over his bass chores to Gary Van Scyoc (a member of Elephant's Memory that played with John Lennon) who energized the band with his playing," Rosenay says. "This was a nice reunion for Gary and myself -- he played an Expo for us in New London back in 1981 with a John Lennon tribute show called 'Imagine,' which was fronted by Randy Clark of Beatlemania. Hard to believe this was a 30-year anniversary for Gary and the Connecticut Beatles convention!"

 

According to the itinerary, the night should have drawn to a close after The MerseyBeat took their final bows, says Rosenay. But a Beatles Expo supergroup of sorts took over the stage. Ian Lloyd, John Ford and their drummer John Ihle brought up guitarist Jimmy McElligott (also known as Jimmy Mack) and with Beatles artist Shannon on bass and Grammy-award winning Lennon engineer Dennis Ferrante on lead vocals and Sultan on percussion. It was very well received, Rosenay says.  

 

"The only downside was that I recorded everything for posterity and there was no audio track - only video. It looks great, but there's no sound (so if anyone recorded please let me know)," says Rosenay.

 

A sing-along in the hotel lobby bar with Rosenay, "Liverpool Lou" Nunez and Mike Miller from One Sweet Dream ended the even. "I had my son Harrison in my arms and it was getting late (plus Kelley and I had to greet the dealers at 6 a.m. the next day), so it was the end of the night for me, but the beginning of much more singing and partying for a lot of fans."