TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
STARTING AT $19.67
OAKDALE THEATER, WALLINGFORD, CT
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
STARTING AT $19.67
FAB4 MUSIC FESTIVAL
By Tom Aguiar
It was a new venue and it was a new style, but the FAB4 Music Festival was again a hit, a FAB hit!
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love and the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Charles Rosenay!!! and Liverpool Productions brought New England’s only true Beatles Festival to the Toyota Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut on June 10, 2017 for a full day of Beatles music.
This year’s celebration featured 20 acts on two stages. The “Pepperland Dome” stage (inside) featured Dramatic Turn, Corporation TeeShirt, Number Nine, Strictly Beatles, Al Ferrante’s Country Gentlemen,
Pat Horgan & Thunder Road, Wayback Machine, Mystery Tour, Rotary, The Oh Nos, Penny Lane, and The Hofners. Outside on the the more intimate “Octopus’ Garden Outdoor Patio” stage, you saw Jeffrey DiCera, Tim Palmieri “Beatles A-Z,” Wayne Cabral, David Tessier’s Pre-Fab Monkees All-Star Show, Fools on the Hill’s Sal Grillo & Allen Kamen, Scott Ringle (formerly Blue Meanies), Double The Dial, Eric Herbst (Dizzy Fish), and Taxman. Charles Rosenay!!! served as the Master of Ceremonies on the “Pepperland Dome” stage, while Ken Michaels, from the “Every Little Thing” radio show, hosted the acts on the “Octopus’ Garden Outdoor Patio.”
This year’s special guest was Gene Cornish of The Rascals fame, who met and spoke with fans and posed for pictures throughout entire day. Gene took the stage to perform the Rascals’ big hit “Good Lovin’” with Pat Horgan’s Thunder Road.’ The connection between the Rascals and the Beatles? The manager of The Rascals was Sid Bernstein, the same man who brought the Beatles to America in 1964. Gene is a great guy, and a nice guest after such other past guests as Hilton (The Animals) Valentine, Karl (Herman’s Hermits) Green, Ian (The Stories) Lloyd, and the late Gary (Steam) DeCarlo.
The festival successfully maintained a tight schedule, which allowed attendees to float back and forth between the main stage and patio stage to view the various artists. There were vendors inside with Beatles merchandise and food trucks on the patio to enjoy, and the weather co-operated with a beautiful sunny day. It’s a family-friendly festival, and there’s something for everyone.
All of the artists on both stages were excellent and filled the air with Beatles music. Standouts on the “Octopus’ Garden Outdoor Patio’ stage were: Tim Palmieri “Beatles A-Z,” as he played guitar and sang songs across the Beatles’ career complete with backing tracks. Wayne Cabral dug deep into lesser-known solo songs, including Yoko’s “Kiss Kiss Kiss.” David Tessiers’ Pre-Fab Monkees All-Star Show brought a number of Monkees hits to the crowd and Fools on the Hill’s duo Sal Grillo & Allen Kamen had spot-on harmonies during their set.
The Dome stage presented top-notch acts as well. Standouts included Corporation TeeShirt with great harmonies and an array of acoustic guitars, The Oh Nos, favorites with their solo Beatles numbers, and Penny Lane in Shea jackets singing songs from the mid-era catalog. All the mainstage acts sounded great!
The festival, however, belonged to The Hofners, one of THE premier Beatles tribute bands, who closed the show. The Hofners performed the Sgt. Pepper album, complete with the Pepper uniforms, and had the crowd on its feet. The music was outstanding as were the vocals, as they brought the crowd back to June 1967 when Sgt. Pepper filled the airways. The band’s rendition of “A Day in the Life” was simply astounding. The Hofners did perform one number beyond Pepper and that was “Birthday,” which was dedicated to event promoter Charles Rosenay!!! After their encore of “Day Tripper,” the band held a meet and greet with the fans.
It was a fun-filled day and a great event. Hats off to Charles Rosenay!!! for another fantastic event.
If you missed “Danbury Fields Forever” this year, don’t miss the next one. It’s worth a trip from anywhere. www.Fab4MusicFestival.com . Email: info@fab4musicfestival.com (203) 795-4737
