The sound of “Hey Jude’s” “na na nana’s” flooded through the air of downtown Kent as Beatles superfans sang along and came together for downtown Kent’s 12th annual Beatlefest.
For the past twelve years, Kent has continued to keep the legacy of The Beatles alive by annually hosting Beatlefest. Each year, Kent invites around 20 cover bands to perform Beatle’s songs at numerous downtown locations. This has become an important event for lots of people, not just the Kent community, but people from around Ohio.
There is no doubt that The Beatles reshaped music and pop culture, in fact it is hard to go anywhere without talking about The Beatles, whenever music is brought up. In 2010, the band was ranked as the number one artist by Rolling Stone magazine, further proving just how important they remain to be.
Though, when talking about music, the one thing that will continue to prove an artist’s influence, is their devoted fanbase. Everyone at Beatlefest came from different backgrounds and cultures, but they each shared something in common — A love for The Beatles.
The fans who attended Beatlefest, had an array of memories with the band; whether it be the sounds of their music flowing through their childhood home or having the opportunity to see the band perform live in concert. In all, The Beatles shaped who these fans are today.
“They were the first group that I really wanted to watch because they were awesome.” Attendee Gina Manos said. “You know, all dressed in the same suits with the hair.”
Attendee Mary Gerak came to Beatlefest to reminisce on her time being one of the many fan-girls a part of Beatlemania, and described it to be — the best time of her life.
“Every song they ever sang you could relate to. I can still sing every word,” Gerak said. “I went to see them at the Cleveland stadium with my sister, cousin, Deb, we almost rushed the stage. It was the best time of my life.”
Laurie Roncagli was another Beatlemania fan-girl and attended the historical Beatles concert at the Cleveland Municipal Stadium, in 1966. The show only lasted roughly 30 minutes, before a crowd of Beatlemania fans broke through a four-foot security fence and invaded the field. After this, The Beatles were banned from playing in Cleveland ever again.
Despite not getting the whole concert, Roncagli still described the show to be “phenomenal” and The Beatles continued to make a lasting impact on her.
“When I was a kid, The Beatles would be blasting out of one bedroom, The Beach Boys would be blasting out of the other bedroom,” said Roncagli. “We had music at our house all the time.”
Attendee Jeff Klemm is a local musician and owes a lot of his musical knowledge and inspiration to The Beatles.
“As a songwriter, The Beatles are so foundational because they kind of rewrote the book, together as The Beatles and then separately,” Klemm said. “I find inspiration with their music in so many different ways.”
Attendee Bob Corbus shared what he admired about The Beatles was their evident advocacy for change through songs like “Revolution,” and John Lennon’s solo song “Imagine” and described them to be “socially correct.”
Both “Revolution” and “Imagine” were songs of activism, written by member of the band John Lennon. “Revolution” was written in Rishikesh, India while The Beatles were studying meditation and Imagine was written to bring peace during the Vietnam War.
“I wanted to put out what I felt about revolution. I thought it was time we f*****g spoke about it, the same as I thought it was about time we stopped not answering about the Vietnamese war,” Lennon told Rolling Stone in 1970.
As the band played “Let it Be” in the background, Corbus began to explain how The Beatles will remain a “multi-generational” talent, the type of music where everyone can literally, “Come Together.”
“Their [The Beatles] just happy go-lucky music, and their multi-generational,” Corbus said. “They’re just my favorite band. Period.”
Klemm proved Corbus’s point of the band being multi-generational by continuing to bring his kids to Beatlefest every year, to make sure they grow up musically educated, similar to how he did.
“In a world of AI music, The Beatles really changed the landscape of music and it’s really important for kids to hear real stuff that actually changed the world,” Klemm said. “And they should definitely hear that and not stuff that isn’t important.”
As music continues to alter in today’s fast-evolving music scene, one thing we do know for sure is that The Beatles will forever remain a timeless sound that society will continue to go back to. So, next time you hear the sound of Ringo’s drums, Harrison’s guitar or the melodic lyrics of Lennon-McCartney, remember that they’ve shaped generation after generation.
“I’m not going to be here forever, you guys gotta take over after that, and keep The Beatles going!” Corbus said.
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