Beatles Tribute Festival on It's Way to the Louisville Waterfront Again
Older and Younger Fans Alike Get Ready to Get There Beatles Fix
by LeighAnn Mohr
Associated Content

For the last two years, Louisville has hosted the extremely anticipated Beatles fan-fest entitled Abbey Road on the River. The funtabulous festival that lasts for five days made Louisville it's local home two years ago when it debuted at The Galt House and on the Belvedere which is located in downtown Louisville.

Abbey Road on the River is a celebratory experience which commemorates the 40th anniversay of the Summer of Love which includes tunes from the Beatles as well as known contemporaries such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

The five day love-fest is even newly sponsered by The Courier Journal newspaper which is Louisville's main local source for up-to-date news and happenings both local and world-wide.

The Beatles tribute festival which was originally established in Cleveland, Ohio has officially made Louisville, Kentucky it's permanant home as it goes into another year of festivities.

"We think the event is reaching a critical mass in Louisville, and more and more people now know about it," festival producer Gary Jacobs told the Courier Journal.

When the event first kicked off in Louisville, it was only a three day event, two days shyer than what it is now as it continues to grow in attendance with each passing year.

Last May, the festival drew approximately 23,000 in attendance which even included approximately 3,000 attendees who came all the way from Europe, Asia and other countries overseas. The Courier Journal reported that economic wiese, the impact was estimated with a figure of approximately three million dollars. The expansion of the dates by two extra days is expected to increase the numbers overall by another twenty five percent or so.

Over more than sixty bands are expected to play classic tunes which originated and topped charts by the famous The Beatles only it will be extended to all kinds of genres rather than the one specific style that landed the originals to super stardom.

"We'll have bluegrass Beatles, blues Beatles, rhythm-and-blues Beatles, classical Beatles. We look at the Beatles' music as a gigantic art form and art force just like Shakespeare and Beethoven and Mozart. It's meant to be interpreted by different artists different ways. We think their music is going to be celebrated for 500 years, and we want to do the best we can in our time to encourage people to perform it other ways, including dance, or lyrically as a poetry slam."

Extra additions to this years Summer Love fest includes the first ever live performance of the "Love" album and a huge celebration on Memorial Day which is on May 28 that will make the Summer of Love officially kick off in style.

"In addition to Beatles music, we will also have the music of the Mamas and the Papas, the Doors, the Who, the Kinks, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix. We expect it to be an incredible day. It's going to have a real flowers-in-your-hair feel."

With all of the above said, get your bell bottoms and hippie beads love-read and kick off the summer with loving vibes, fun for the entire family and you definitely can't forget to get your Beatles fix while doing all of the already mentioned.

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