Teamwork required to make Beatles festival a reality
by John R. Karman III
Business First Staff Writer

In 1967, John, Paul, George and Ringo told the world that all you need is love.

Nearly 40 years later, paying tribute to the Fab Four takes decidedly more than that.

In fact, it's taking the cooperative efforts of The Kentucky Center, Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government, local promoters and a host of corporate and media sponsors to make the Fifth Third Bank Abbey Road on the River festival a reality, according to Gary Jacob, the Cleveland-based promoter of the three-day event, which will be held in Louisville on Memorial Day weekend.

The once-a-year celebration of Beatlemania is expected to draw fans and bands from all over the world.

Louisville Metro has been actively issuing the necessary permits for the festival and promoting it as the "signature" event for the holiday weekend, Jacob said. And corporate and media sponsors are contributing close to $300,000 in a combination of financial support and in-kind donations.

Staging Louisville's first Abbey Road on the River celebration will cost about $450,000, the promoter said. That will cover paying entertainers and support crews, renting facilities and marketing the event.

Jacob's goal is to make the festival an annual Memorial Day event in Louisville.

Center bringing on additional labor for event

The May 27 to 29 event will include Beatles tribute bands, a film festival, lectures and vendors selling a variety of merchandise, collectibles and artwork.

It will create a few hard day's nights for workers and volunteers at The Kentucky Center. More than 40 bands and between 10,000 and 20,000 fans are expected for Abbey Road on the River. The bands will play on six stages -- four outdoor on the Belvedere and two indoor at The Kentucky Center's Whitney Hall and Bomhard Theater.

The center staff will handle the production at both the indoor and outdoor venues as well as marketing, ticketing and ushering, according to Joe Massey, vice president of operations.

For the occasion, 20 laborers will be added to the center's 14-person, full-time production crew, he said. Additional workers will be provided by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada Local 17.

The Kentucky Center's full cadre of volunteers and ushers also will be on hand throughout the event. "This is the first time we've done a festival of this size," Massey said. "It's a major undertaking. The city hasn't seen anything like this. Being able to manage the people getting in and out and to the right places is the key."

Abbey Road on the road

This year marks the debut for Abbey Road on the River in Louisville. For the past three years, the event has been held on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in downtown Cleveland.

Jacob, who created the festival through his Ohio-based company, GMJ Events, decided to travel the long and winding road from Cleveland to Louisville because he saw a better opportunity for it to grow here -- particularly in terms of corporate sponsorship.

He is working with two local promoters, David Dean and Eric Wiegel of Louisville-based Midnight Productions LLC, to coordinate the event.

In Cleveland, it was difficult for the festival to grow because there are "too few dollars chasing way too many entertainment opportunities," including major league sports, Jacob said.

Still, Abbey Road on the River was "very popular" in its previous home, drawing a total of 50,000 people over three years and pumping about $10 million into the Cleveland economy, according to the promoter.

The festival is expected to generate about $3 million for the Louisville economy in its first year here, according to Kathy Bernson, vice president of marketing and communications for the Greater Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"They have already exceeded their room block and are continuing to sell," she said. "So that looks very, very positive."

Massey, of The Kentucky Center, estimated that about 7,000 to 8,000 tickets, including nearly 2,000 hotel and ticket packages, already have been sold or allocated to corporate sponsors.

Ticket costs range from $12.50 for a one-day, general admission pass to $99 for a two-day, reserved "gold circle" seat on Saturday and Sunday evening on the main stage floor of Whitney Hall.

Hello Goodbye

DeAnn Hazey, communications director for the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, described Abbey Road on the River as a "fun affair" that the city was sad to lose.

"It was a very, very popular event," she said. "The crowds were fabulous. We were sorry to see it leave."

Hazey blamed poor economic conditions and limited philanthropic dollars in Cleveland's corporate community for the festival's departure. "The economy here in Cleveland is just really tough right now," she said. "People are really looking closely at their dollars and how they're spent."

Worldwide flavor

In Louisville, Jacob expects to attract the most festival patrons from a 150-mile radius around the city. But he said fans from as far away as Europe, Japan and Australia already have booked rooms and bought tickets.

The bands, too, give Abbey Road on the River an international feel. The Smithereens, a 1980s college rock band that incorporates a number of Beatles songs into its act, is the headliner, but other groups from England, Greece, Sweden, Japan, Australia, Canada, Brazil, the Czech Republic and from across the United States are on the program.

Musicians will mimic Beatles music as well as perform the Fab Four's tunes in other styles, such as classical, reggae and blues.

A Beatles fan, Massey said he's excited about the upcoming festival and believes it gives the community a marquee event for Memorial Day weekend.

"It's just something Louisville needs," he explained. "It's going to be really popular and has the potential to really grow. We're just fortunate that they came to us."

Playing a different tune

But the arrival of Abbey Road on the River doesn't have everyone singing a happy tune.

Larry Bisig, CEO of Bisig Impact Group, a Louisville communications firm, bristles at the notion that the Beatles festival is the "signature" local music event planned for Memorial Day weekend.

Bisig's company sponsors the Kentucky Reggae Festival, which will be held May 28 and 29 this year at the Louisville Water Tower. The 14th annual event, which features live music, merchandise and ethnic food, draws about 10,000 fans each year, he said.

"A signature event should have a tradition," Bisig said, pointing to the longevity of the reggae festival. He added that his event emphasizes diversity and affordability, with a top admission price of $8.

Despite the competition, Bisig predicted that the reggae festival will continue to thrive, adding that he hopes Abbey Road on the River also is a success.

"Our sense of it is that we will be beneficiaries of Abbey Road because you get that many people moving toward the water," he said. "You have an influx of people who are coming to town who are looking for entertainment. They definitely will end up helping us."

Although he said that he couldn't guess what level of success either festival might have, Jacob, the Abbey Road on the River promoter, predicted that his event wouldn't significantly hurt the reggae celebration.

"They've got a loyal customer base that will continue to support that event," he said. "There should be more than enough business for both."

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