You probably knew that Louisville, Kentucky is home to the fastest two minutes in sports (The Kentucky Derby) and the 2013 NCAA Basketball champions. You likely also think of Colonel Sanders and his famous chicken (KFC). But I’m sure unless you are from Louisville, you didn’t know we are also home to the nation’s largest Beatles festival–Abbey Road on the River. It takes place every year over Memorial Day weekend, lasting a total of five days. I decided to check it out for the first time this year.
We waited until the last day to attend because it was cheaper that day. In fact, it ended up being free (a nice surprise when I was completely prepared to fork over $20 and would have had to pay $35 if I went a different day)! Monday is also the day to go if you plan on buying collectables–all the vendors are trying to get rid of their wares, so they mark down the prices considerably. However, waiting until Monday also means missing out on the big-name acts, such as The Beach Boys, who performed on Sunday.
I must confess, I’m not that big into cover bands, so I was a little skeptical, but still curious about checking out this event. My friend and I got there in the afternoon, and at first I will admit I found it a little lame. It was sparsely attended at that time, and the bands were your standard “I’ll play at your wedding” cover bands with not much unique to offer, but all the old hippies enjoyed them immensely.
However, things did get better as the day wore on and the crowds increased. You might be surprised that my favorite band from a Beatles festival didn’t even play Beatles music, but it’s true! This band was actually a surprise encore from a previous evening, who apparently played a Queen set their first night, but this time played mostly Pink Floyd, with a finale of Bohemian Rhapsody. I was quite impressed! They came all the way from Colombia. I believe the name of the band was Classic Stones or something similar.
The last band I watched was a bluegrass band from Chicago, and they played a few Beatles songs, but mostly played their original music. They were there for winning a John Lennon song writing award. I really enjoyed most of their music. I can’t remember the name of the band, but I’m sure I can look it up somewhere!
Overall, I had a good time, and I felt like the event was very family friendly. However, I’m not sure I would ever attend again. I guess I’m not a big enough Beatles fan to care that much. If you are really into the Beatles and classic rock, and also like/are OK with cover bands, you may enjoy this festival. If you are not a Beatles fan or can’t stand cover bands, stay away!
Tracy Travels & Teaches 
I don’t know how much longer something like this can go on. Pretty much the same thing year after year which becomes quickly tiresome. As long as there’s a bunch of baby boomer hippies still left, I guess it’ll come back every year.
Yeah, it’s interesting, though, to think that the Beatles reached such a high level of popularity that even generations later and after 50% of the band members died, festivals are still being held in their honor. I can’t think of a single band from my youth that holds the potential of having such a festival in their honor 50 years from now. Not sure if that should be attributed to over-nostalgia on the part of the baby boomers or the level of influence musicians from that era had on modern culture (most likely a little of both). I think it was obvious, though, by Monday, even the bands were growing weary of the Beatles music and most were interspersing their sets with songs by other bands.