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The Indiana State Fair still loves the Beatles, 60 years after the iconic band played two shows at the fair.
This year’s fair will feature tribute concerts and an exhibition of Beatles artifacts to celebrate the anniversary of the Fab Four’s visit, organizers announced Tuesday.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr performed Sept. 3, 1964, at the Coliseum and Grandstand of the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Because the 2024 fair is scheduled Aug. 2-18, the Beatles-related concerts aren’t scheduled for the exact 60th anniversary date. Instead, they will be Aug. 3 at the Hoosier Lottery Free Stage:
- At 2 p.m., Cleveland-based tribute band Hard Day’s Night will perform songs the Beatles showcased in Indianapolis.
- At 7 p.m., former “Beatlemania” cast member Tony Kishman will present his show “Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney.”
Also on Aug. 3, three guitars from the Jim Irsay Collection will be displayed inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Fair attendees will have a chance to view a 1964 Gibson SG Standard once owned by Harrison, a 1963 Gretsch 6120 once owned by Lennon and a 1964 Rose-Morris Rickenbacker once owned by Lennon.
Attendees can expect to see Beatles impressionists at the fair on Aug. 3, when food and drink offerings will be rebranded as “Yellow Submarine Sandwich” and “Here Comes the Sun Punch Drink.” For more information, visit indianastatefair.com.
Additional events commemorating the band’s 1964 visit to Indianapolis will be unveiled leading up to Sept. 3, fair organizers said.
Tuesday’s announcement coincided with Global Beatles Day, a holiday founded by Indianapolis resident Faith Cohen in 2009. For more information, visit globalbeatlesday.com.
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This is outstanding. I actually have a friend that was ACTUALLY there at the concert that was inside the Colossium. He is 68 years old like I am. His mom got tickets through her work. We were really jealous at the time. He is musician now. I will get t his to him and see if I can get him to visit from Louisiana where he lives now.