LIVERPOOL is planning a very special 12 months to mark the biggestpopular music phenomenon the world has ever seen.
2012 marks 50 years sinceThe Beatles came together and to celebrate the pivotal anniversary of Liverpool’s favourite sons, there’s a year worth ofevents taking place across the city.
The city council isjoining forces with organisations across Liverpoolto put together a programme of activities which pays tribute to four young ladswho changed the music scene forever.
Theprogramme so far will be launched at a special event on Friday 24 February, at the venue where it all began – The CavernClub. The announcement will come justhours after it has been launched at Carnegie Hall in New York during an event aimed at attracting American Beatlesaficionados to Liverpool.
Highlights include:
Liverpool City Council August will see the 20thMathew Street Music Festival and Fringe which will be a huge celebration of all things Merseybeat. Two of the stages will not only play host to the usual high quality tribute bands, but there will also be a special section for acts influenced by The Beatles.
The Cavern Club Saturday with The Beatles – every Saturday throughout 2012 the club’s resident Beatles tribute bands will give special performances in the venue’s Live Lounge. Beatles-mania will take over Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight on 18 August, as a musical extravaganza takes place to mark the historic day that Ringo Starr made his debut with The Beatles as their official drummer. 19 August marks the 50-year anniversary of the Fab Four’s first gig at The Cavern and the venue will be in full party-mode to celebrate the occasion. International Beatles Week (22 – 28 August) will mark the 50th anniversary in style with bands and fans from all over the world descending on the city. Gigs, guest speakers and the world’s biggest Beatles convention will all make this an unforgettable week.
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For the first time, on 25 August, Port Sunlight Summer Festival is teaming up with International Beatles Week and will see tribute bands take to the outdoor stage to give a Beatles flavour to the event.
The Beatles Story To celebrate the release of The Beatles’ first single, a special Love Me Do Weekend will take place at the Albert Dock over the weekend of 5 – 7 October. It will be a weekend of fantastic music and performances, and maybe even a record breaking attempt… On Sunday, 9 December, a John Lennon Peace Vigil will take place at the European Peace Monument in its new home near the Echo Arena, marking 32 years since his death.
The Epstein Theatre Taking to the stage of the newly refurbished Epstein Theatre (formerly The Neptune) a long awaited theatrical production celebrating the life of Brian Epstein will raise its curtain on 15 November running until 1December. Produced by Bill Elms & Jen Heyes Productions Ltd, EPSTEIN is a one-man play with live music, written by Andrew Sherlock and directed by Jen Heyes.
Liverpool Philharmonic The Two of Us: The Lennon and McCartney Songbook will see two very special evenings of songs written by the world’s greatest song writing duo performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Conducted by John Wilson, there will be performances of favourites such as All You Need Is Love, Yesterday and Strawberry Fields by the highly original singer Joe Stilgoe, award-wining jazz singer Claire Martin and Liverpool favourite, actor and vocalist Mark McGann. The show is scripted by writer/director Bob Eaton, author of the Liverpool Everyman’s 1981 hit Lennon, which made a star out of a teenage Mark McGann. Two performances take place on 22 and 23 June at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Liverpool Philharmonic Beatles Weekend will take over the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall from 7 to 9 December:
Friday 7December– Re-live the sights and sounds of the sixties with the world’s premier Beatlestribute band The Bootleg Beatles andtheir spectacular two-hour multi-media stage production featuring all theclassic Beatles hits. Using film footage of the period and ‘with a little helpfrom’ their regular brass and string ensemble, the show traces the history ofthe Fab Four from Liverpool’s Cavern Club through Sergeant Pepper toThe Apple Rooftop.
Saturday 8December– A sell-out in 2008 and 2010, The JohnLennon Songbook returns by popular demand. The Royal Liverpool PhilharmonicOrchestra will be joined once again byvocalists Joe Stilgoe, ClaireMartin and Mark McGann to perform classics such as Imagine,Woman and Ticket to Ride.
Sunday 9December- See Mark McGann return to Liverpool Philharmonic with his extraordinaryportrayal of John Lennon. Lauded by critics and audiences alike, In My Life is a show which traces Lennon’slife, using both Fab Four and solo songs and interspersed with a firstperson account of a remarkable series of events.