Article: Remembering "The Love of the Beatles" through the eyes of a young girl
When our daughter turned three, I gave her the most incredibly special gift I could imagine, something I had dreamed of when I was her age but knew I would never be able to achieve… …remember the memory time of seeing the greatest band alive.
Today's announcement that Beatles LOVE will close on July 7 reminded me of a fantasy I once fostered about them: that the Beatles were all alive, together, and young.
Well, blatant lie.
It's not hard when you live in Las Vegas, and Mirage ads feature twenty-something John, Paul, George and Ringo whose faces are bigger than the resort's name.
The DVD with all the Beatles videos had just been released, and as I was watching it with her one day, I thought, why not twist reality a little bit?
After all, my influence on her soon gave way to her peers' preference for the worse version of Justin Bieber waiting under pop music's wings. Wouldn’t it be great to experience the pure love of some of the greatest music of all time through their eyes? Without thoughts of pain, death, aging or other horrific inevitabilities of life, a listening experience that accompanies fans of a real band that quit in 1969 and made music together?
My daughter was too young to attend the circus show - the minimum age is 5 - but we posed for photos in front of the jumping Beatles sculpture near the theater entrance. We checked out what was available in the neighboring Beatles store. When a tribute show called "B: A Tribute to the Beatles" came on Groupon, I immediately knew what I had to do.
Okay, then I'll burn in hell. She needed years of therapy. She would never believe anything another man told her.
But wait. Don’t almost all American parents do the same thing with their children and Santa Claus?
It is acceptable to tell "that" lie so that they can experience the magic in a child's eyes and indirectly return to their own childhood. But doesn't it make sense to replace a fat guy in red pajamas with a Beatle who's still performing?
Sorry, I didn't see it. And, no matter what, I don't want her to trust another man.
illusion love
My plan went better than perfect. My daughter's eyes sparkle as she sings and dances to her favorite songs, "Twist and Shout," "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Eight Days a Week."
Even after a few screenings of my bootleg copy of "The Beatles at Shea Stadium," the music was nearly drowned out by the roar of the engines in front of 55,000 people. Why would a small theater at Planet Hollywood do this on a weekday? She hadn't even imagined hosting the world's most popular band for the afternoon - or why the ticket office would be half-empty if there wasn't a line.
“Would you like to upgrade to the front row for an extra $20?” the conductor asked me.
No, I whispered. I would gladly pay minimum $20 for the back seat because she knows what the back seat should look like from all the videos.
After the show, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself that even I hadn't expected...to meet the Beatles!They're just standing in the fucking hall yelling for them to come over as everyone else walks past them.
Unfortunately, my fantasy ended, just as all children end up deceiving their parents with Santa's lies. That was during one of our visits to what we still call "The Beatles Hotel." My daughter, now 4 years old and old enough to read, saw a bass guitar for sale at a collector's store and saw that it was signed by Paul McCartney.
There is a photo of Paul playing the same bass in the display case.
The real Paul.2015.
"That's Paul, Daddy!" my daughter screamed. "Why is he so old? Dad, why is Paul McCartney so old?!"
Well, because of all the chimneys he had to slide down overnight?
When she was five, my wife and I took her to see the Beatles' "LOVE." She also sings and dances. But this is different. At this point she was living in the real world—the Beatles were splitting acrimoniously, John and George were dead, Paul and Ringo were aging, and magic was no longer a real thing.
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