50 Years Since the British Invasion

Boston, MA—September 2014 marks 50 years since The Beatles descended upon Boston during the group’s first US tour. The Fab Four performed their only concert at the Boston Garden as part of the tour, which sparked the British Invasion and Beatlemania, setting fire to a musical love affair that endures to this day. On September 12, 13 and 14, The West End Museum will host The Beatles Invade Boston: 50th Anniversary Celebration, a full weekend of events commemorating the momentous occasion. (Media note: download related hi;res images here.)

The Beatles stayed at Boston’s Hotel Madison, adjacent to North Station and connected to the Garden. Prior to the sold-out concert on September 12, 1964, the group held a press conference at The Madison, which was infamously “crashed” by three college-age friends. Steve Small, Rich Hershenson and Charlie Kimball successfully finagled their way in, snapped photos, asked questions and even shook hands with John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Highlights of The West End Museum’s weekend with The Beatles will include:
•   reliving The Madison press conference with Small, Hershenson and Kimball; emceed by Cha-Chi Loprete, host of WZLX’s Breakfast with the Beatles
•   meet-and-greets with Ron Campbell, a director and an animator on ABC’s Saturday morning cartoon series The Beatles (1965-1969) [see one of Campbell’s episode’s here] and an animator on The Beatles film, Yellow Submarine; Campbell’s artwork will be on sale and he will create Beatles works onsite
•   exhibits featuring Campbell’s artwork, photos of The Madison press conference and Garden concert from Eat Design/Erik Taros collection, and Beatles memorabilia
•   screenings of previously unseen footage of the concert at the Garden; plus Yellow Submarine; A Hard Day’s Night and The Beatles Boston, a documentary short by Eric Green recounting the band’s history with the City
•   a Beatles ukulele sing-along with Roger Greenawalt, music producer and 80s Boston rock musician (The Dark) •   a talk by David Gallant of Suffolk University whose course—The Beatles: Here, There and Everywhere—
investigates the impact and legacy of the band
•   Larry Kane reading from his book, Ticket to Ride, which recounts his travels with the band on its 1964-65 tours
•   a performance by Beatles tribute band, Studio Two
•   a discussion with author Candy Leonard about her new book, Beatleness, the story of how the Beatles transformed American youth in the 1960s and how that “changed everything”

The Museum will offer extended hours throughout the weekend: Friday, September 12, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, September 13, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, September 14, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Keep an eye on the Museum’s website, Facebook page and Twitter feed, for updated information.

Sponsors (to date): WZLX; TD Garden; Suffolk University; The Beatles Cartoon Art Show; Eat Design; Studio Two; Dunkin’ Donuts; Gallery East; Ellis Strategies