Abbey Road on the River
The long and winding road leads to Louisville for the world's biggest Beatles-inspired music festival.
“Take these broken wings and learn to fly.” — Paul McCartney
John, Paul, George and Ringo. Four names that set the bar in popular music. Most number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart? Check. Top-selling music artists of all time? Check. Only group in history to have the top five slots on the Hot 100 chart simultaneously? Yep. Most critically acclaimed band in the history of popular music? Affirmative.
Although it’s been over 50 years since they last appeared on stage together, the mop-tops from Liverpool have left a legacy that still has the power to inspire. Now Louisville, Kentucky has become home to Abbey Road on the River, the largest Beatles-inspired music festival in the world. Every Memorial Day weekend for the past 22 years, tens of thousands of fans have gathered along the banks of the Ohio River for a five-day music-filled event where it’s still possible to bask in the glow of a simpler era.
“It’s a great way to kick off summer. We discovered this two years ago and have been back every year since,” said Kevin Novinger, who drove with his wife Marijo from Michigan City, Indiana.
Fifty different Beatles tribute bands gather from as far as Sweden, Japan, Canada, Germany, Great Britain and the Czech Republic. In addition to the 250 musical performances (all 13 core Beatles albums are performed during the festival), there are Beatles films, merchandise, lectures and sing-alongs. The event takes place at the Big Four Station Park just across the river from downtown Louisville, in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Come Together
Approaching my hotel room, I noticed a guy with a bowl haircut in a Nehru suit checking into the room next door. He was just the first of many second-glance-worthy John Lennons, George Harrisons and Paul McCartneys I’d see over the weekend. (Apparently Ringo’s features are a bit harder to imitate.)
Later I saw Beatles haircuts, bags, buttons, t-shirts and even tattoos on fans of all ages. Windows of my hotel bloomed with Union Jacks and signs that said “I Love You Paul.” There was definitely a peace-and-love vibe in the air that was easy to succumb to. My first order of business was to try to understand what makes Beatles music so enduring.
“It’s so accessible. Most of the songs are about love and harmony. It’s relatable to everyone,” said Kevin Gibson of Louisville. “These four guys were so charismatic. People just loved them.”
“The music is inspiring. It’s spiritual. That’s why it’s stood the test of time,” said Marijo Novinger, of Michigan City, Indiana. “At first their stuff was just fun and then it evolved. As I grew up, the music grew up too.”
A Ticket to Ride
Part of the fun of the festival is listening to some of the international bands. The Beatrips are a Beatles cover band from Kyoto, Japan. Although they sing in English quite well, the moment they addressed the crowd between sets it became apparent that they had learned the songs phonetically.
The band made fans of Bill and Rhonda Herringdine of Wrightsville, Georgia, who come to their Abbey Road performance every year wearing custom designed Beatrips t-shirts that Rhonda gives away over the course of the weekend. “They’re our favorite. We’ve driven to Cleveland to see them, too, and we’ve become friends. Maybe someday we’ll get to Japan,” said Rhonda.
The youngest Beatles band at Abbey Road on the River was Stockwood, from Woodstock, Illinois. Although their four members average 12 years old, and two of them still wear braces, they performed like seasoned professionals and drew enthusiastic crowds. The band got its start at a talent show three years ago, then continued at a benefit appearance before becoming an ongoing effort with appearances fit around the school year.
“They all want to pursue a career in music. They’re booked just about every weekend this summer,” said band manager Rob Murphy. “It’s important to them to be a tribute band, not a cover band. They play all the correct Beatles equipment, down to the smallest detail.”
My favorite group was The Rigsbys, based in Louisville. Although none of them look like any Fab Four member, their sound is smooth and polished, and they gave well-received performances of many Beatles favorites.
“We call ourselves a celebration, not an imitation,” said Gary Metcalf, a Rigsby’s vocalist and guitar player. “This music is the Mozart, Beethoven and Bach of our era. It’s loved around the world. It’s family oriented and it stands the test of time.”
I enjoyed chatting with author and Beatles historian Bruce Spizer, who has applied his skills as a tax lawyer to tracking down the definitive story of how the band got its start. “I got into this because there was so much misinformation out there. For example, every book I read said the Beatles’ first record was released in the summer of 1963, but I was able to show that it wasn’t released in the summer because the president of the record company embezzled a couple hundred thousand dollars, so they didn’t release any records that summer,” Spizer said.
Spizer relied on documented evidence to recount the launch of the Fab Four in his book The Beatles Are Coming! The Birth of Beatlemania In America. The printed materials he found were often at odds with accepted first person accounts. “While memories change over time, original documents do not,” he said. Spizer stayed busy at Abbey Road selling books, introducing bands and talking with fans.
All You Need is Love
A highlight of the weekend was the world concert premiere of the LOVE album, which combined five bands and 31 performers in a presentation of elements from 130 Beatles recordings. The piece is also the soundtrack to the popular LOVE Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas. The audience sang along to Maxwell’s Silver Hammer and Hey Jude. Even a sudden downpour did not stop the concert or the crowd’s enthusiasm.
With such a deep body of work, Beatles music is a perfect forum for many different musical styles and interpretations. I was fascinated to learn that in Paul McCartney’s Blackbird, the guitar accompaniment was inspired by Bach’s Bouree. As kids, McCartney and George Harrison tried to learn Bouree as a “show off” piece, since it has melody and bass notes played simultaneously on the upper and lower strings. Now McCartney’s interpretation has inspired thousands of other musicians in turn.
Too young to experience the Beatles era, I was somewhat surprised that everyone I told about my trip to Abbey Road on the River had an immediate story to share: “I watched them on the Ed Sullivan Show and memorized all the words to their first album when I was a kid!” “I grew my hair like theirs!” “I listened to all their albums over and over again.”
Whatever it was about the Beatles that connects so deeply with people, the magic still lingers at Abbey Road on the River. I don’t know if it’s the familiar songs, the laid-back crowds or the opportunity to reflect on the humanistic ideals the group championed. Whatever it was, I felt it. When I came to Louisville, I didn’t have a Beatles story of my own. Now I do.
Abbey Road on the River takes place from May 23 - 27, 2024. Tickets and further information are available at www.arotr.com
Barbara Wayman is the author of Living An Extraordinary Life: 9 Transformational Strategies for Living Your Best Life Now.