The 20 th Edition of Beatles Fair takes place on September 7 at Queen Bee’s in North Park. The day is devoted to all things Fab Four, with sing-along, family friendly fun guaranteed. Kicking off at noon, this year’s lineup includes tribute groups The 63eatles, Come Together, cover bands Mojo Strut, The Suzanne Gladstone Trio and Acoustic Universe, and all-star combo, True Stories, featuring David Fleminger and Alicia Previn. Showing the Beatles influence in the decades after their breakup, Oasis tribute group, Oasiz, led by Scott Samuels, will also perform. Beatles Fair will be headlined by Tijuana based, The Revolution Band, who will perform three sets of costume changes during their performance, highlighting the moptop years, the Sgt. Pepper era and the Let It Be rooftop concert finale.
Beatles Fair was started in 1995 by local fan club, Come Together, taking place at venues around San Diego, until finding a home at Queen Bee’s in 2012. Now produced by Queen Bee founder Alma Rodriguez, the event is a true labor of love for all involved. “It’s a testament to the power of the Beatles music that we’ve lasted all these years,” said Rodriguez. “These days their positive message and beautiful songs are needed more than ever.” She’s particularly happy to have The Revolution Band as this year’s headliners. “They’ve been part of the event before, this year they move to the prime spot due to the reaction they’ve been getting, which is just about always with the crowd cheering for more.”
The Revolution Band
Drummer Nicolas Peters is a regular at Beatles Fair, playing with various bands at the event since 2012. He will be performing this year with the 63eatles. Peters considers that after 20 events, it’s a special day of music for many longtime attendees. “Beatlefair is a gathering; a celebration that allows us to bond, share, and communicate as one,” he said. “I mostly look forward to re-connecting with friends, making new acquaintances, and possibly, buying more Beatles items for my collection (laughs).”
For Peters the reason for Beatles Fair’s longevity is obvious. “I’d like to refer to the cross generational appeal that The Beatles have had for so many decades,” Peters said. “So many involved in music have at some point made reference to the Beatles, which shows their influence. The freshness of the
Beatles has never waned. Case in point: all the new anniversary releases still sounds as vibrant as when originally released and many are eager to hear those.
Rodriguez concurs that as much fun as the music will be on the day, seeing friends and feeling the positive spirit of the event is also something she looks forward to. “No lie, it’s a lot of hard work putting this event together,” she said. “But everyone involved gives it their all to put together a really special
experience for attendees of the show. At the end of the day, seeing all those smiling faces, singing along to “Hey Jude” or dancing to “Twist and Shout,” is enough to keep me going until the next Beatles Fair.”
