Come Together ... Over Them

The English Channel at Abbey Road on The River: Check out the go-go boots.

Today, we attended Abbey Road on the River, a 5-day celebration of the music, lives, and legends of The Beatles at the Gaylord National Resort  at DC's National Harbor.

At this festival, the emphasis was on the music, as more than 100 bands performed during the festival.  I  gave the top Beatles band tribute to the young Abbey Road Live band, while my top performer award went to the Richmond band The English Channel, who, in addition to stellar performances of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and "I Am the Walrus," unleashed a captivating take on Queen's anthem "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Inside the convention center were a series of Beatle-themed programs.  One highlight was provided by Fred Gretsch, the great-grandson of the founder of the Gretsch music company, who presented the  tale of his family company and its ties to Beatle guitarist George Harrison.

Travelers' Tip:
The Beatles might have sung "all you need is love," but if you go to one of these festivals you better bring some cash. First, there is the issue of entrance. It cost $35 a person to attend from noon until 8 p.m. If you wanted to stay for the 8 until 2 a.m. performances, you had to shell out another $35.  And that doesn't count the cost of souvenirs. While I did pick up (and then put back) a $20 event T-shirt, I passed on spending  $395 at the Beatlesuits booth on either a replica of the suit The Beatles wore on their 1964 introduction to America performance on the Ed Sullivan Show or the one from their famed Shea Stadium concert. Instead, I opted to spend $10 at the DC Slices food truck for 2 pieces of Hawaiian pizza and, with apologies to Sgt. Pepper and the boys in the band, a Dr. Pepper.