Beatles in the Park

We've attended Pumpkins in the Park and ice cream socials and even a Shakespearean play in Bird Park. A small, simple sign announced that there would be a Beatles Concert in the park this weekend. Though we weren't sure that Paul and Ringo would show up, (you just never know), Lin and I decided we'd walk over and give a listen. We're glad we did.  

The old granite bathhouse venue served as a stage for the band. People set up lawn chairs or laid blankets or just sat on the grass. Some brought picnic lunches. The Friends of Bird Park sold hot dogs, chips and soda. The atmosphere was festive and expectant.

It was a perfect June evening in New England. The temp hovered around 75F/24C. The mosquitoes kept their distance, the air smelled sweet and the music floated on the air. The band, Beatles For Sale, was good.

They were touted as “New England's award-winning Beatles tribute band” and true to their promotional hype, these five musicians did indeed pay fine tribute to the Fab Four … complete with harmony and British accents (kind of).

The concert was the proverbial “blast from the past”. Penny Lane, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Back in the USSR, Michelle, Daytripper, Yesterday, She Loves You (yeah, yeah, yeah), Please Please Me … Everyone, young and old, knew the lyrics and the crowd sang along enthusiastically. One old fellow (okay … he was my age actually) sported a Beatles t-shirt.

People clapped their hands or tapped their feet in rhythm. Some danced to the beat. Some danced (or marched) to their own drummers.

For nearly two hours, the band played on and Beatlemania was alive and well in East Walpole, Massachusetts and the Lemay sisters sang and sang and sang.