March 2009: The Fest for Beatles Fans
in the Meadowlands.
Being an author, I scripted the scene in my head: "As she
languidly strolled down the long line of vendors and Beatles wares,
heads turned. All eyes were on her...especially the eyes of men.
They were gawking, and women were thinking, 'I'm sure that anyone
that beautiful is not one bit interesting or smart.' Anything
to make themselves feel better."
But the truth was, Noel Craig Stevens is interesting and
smart. She is just as clever as she is lovely.
I had a chance to chat with her that evening after The
Fest for Beatles Fans Marketplace had closed. We both stood
in the lobby. I was waiting for Rande so that we could grab a
late night dinner, and Noel was waiting for a ride to take her
to her friends' house where she was staying for the week. We talked
about the great day at the Fest, about The Beatles, and about
all of the amazing Beatle venues that Noel had lined up for the
following week. And okay, I was just a weeeeee bit envious...not
only of her beauty and charm, but of her incredible opportunities
to see Paul and Ringo, of the exciting life she was leading.
Since then, Noel and I have become e-mail friends, and my "envy"
has been replace by awe. I admire her determination to live each
day to the fullest. I love her vivacious, enthusiastic attitude
toward every day of her life.
She truly enjoys things: a Beatles' tune, a good bottle of wine,
an afternoon spent with friends...Noel has taught me that since
we are here for only a limited time, we need to DO the
things we'd like to do. We need to quit talking about seeing that
concert "someday" or taking that trip "someday"
and do it. Tomorrow is a weak excuse for being inert and ineffective.
Noel knows how to live, and she is an inspiration...
But I'll let her tell you her story. It's an incredible one!!
(Many sincere thanks to Tim Coulter my brilliant webmaster,
for making Noel's story come to life. Tim always puts his heart
into these features, and I sincerely appreciate his talent and
him.)
It was the same for me as for thousands of other girls (and boys) in 1964. I had turned nine in December of 1963. It was the second Sunday in February, and I saw the Beatles for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show. The event is a photograph frozen in my mind - sitting on the floor in a darkened living room in front of a small black-and-white television. I was surrounded by a few other kids whose parents were in a meeting after the evening church service. The event was more than exciting, more than anything any of us had experienced to that point in our young lives. And it would change us, in one way or another, forever.
The Beatles were part of who we were, what we wore, how we thought. I was a passionate fan for several years, then time and the group's break-up and life and death became predictable distractions. There was marriage and children and divorce and work...but despite numerous garage sales, with albums sold one here, two there, I knew I could never get rid of my Beatle albums. That was just sacrilegious.
Fast forward, and I was closing in on 50. My children were grown. I had a nice office and on the walls of that office were those Beatle albums. I didn't have all of them, just the ones I'd acquired since that February night in 1964. The White Album had disappeared, but I had all the "must-haves." I'd bought a few Beatle CDs because I began to notice that every time I heard a Beatle song, I smiled. It took me somewhere that was joyful and comfortable. Then I discovered eBay, and I became a full-fledged collector. My home office was wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling Fab Four.
I had albums, singles, CDs, and DVDs. I had books and magazines, cards and figurines, ornaments and lunchboxes. I paid an insane amount for things like a Beatles notebook that my mother had probably paid less than a dollar for in 1965. But I was in Beatle Heaven.
All that, and I'd never seen the Beatles in person. Of course, by 2006 that would be impossible. John and George were gone. But I'd still never seen Paul, never seen Ringo. So, in November of 2006, I spent what to me was a small fortune and saw Paul at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Nothing will ever equal the excitement I felt, the awe at seeing him standing there - seeing Paul FOR REAL. I could hardly breathe.
A few years passed and my collection grew, as did my reputation as an avid Beatles fan. I attended my first Fest for Beatles Fans in Las Vegas and met wonderful people who have become dear friends.
Second only to my love of the Beatles was my love of New York. I was born there, but had spent my life in Southern California. I rediscovered New York in 2004, and never needed an excuse to go back. The NY Fest for Beatles Fans, it turned out, was only a few miles away from friends who lived in Hoboken, New Jersey. They put me up whenever I wanted to visit New York. So, last year I bought a plane ticket, a ticket to the Fest, and started making plans.
Then I found out Paul was going to headline a benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall - two days after I was scheduled to fly home. I didn't have any extra vacation time, so I'd be losing pay. And I would pay a pretty penny to change my flight, not to mention what I might have to pay for a ticket to the concert. But then the announcement came: Ringo would be there, too. Paul and Ringo, performing together at Radio City Music Hall!!! Wild horses, as they say, couldn't have kept me away. I had a credit card, for heaven's sake.
So, at last I would get the opportunity to see the two remaining Beatles together, carrying the musical torch. The concert was scheduled for Saturday night, April 4, 2009.
The day before that I left my friend's house in Hoboken and took the train into the city. I had booked a room for two nights at the Warwick Hotel, where the Beatles stayed several times in the 60s. It was just down the street from Radio City Music Hall, and, as it turned out, just a few doors down from Paul's New York office (and residence on the top floor).
That evening as I was out walking and thinking about the concert the following night, I passed the Radio City theater on 6th Avenue and noticed some activity down a side street just north of the theater. I decided to investigate, and walked down the street to see large trucks filled with equipment, and a very small crowd of people gathered in front of what turned out to be the Radio City stage entrance. There were also several black Navigators (the modern replacement for the limo) parked at the curb.
Before I got a chance to ask the folks around me who (or what) they were waiting for, the stage door opened. The noise level in the crowd rose a bit, and out came - you guessed it - Paul! It was chaos, and at first I started groping for my camera. I stopped myself when I realized I just needed to enjoy the moment and not try to take a picture that probably wouldn't come out anyway. So there I stood, jaw hanging, watching Paul, who was just a few feet away. The lights from cameras flashing illuminated his face, and time stopped for a moment.
Then he stepped away, waving to us as he got in the Navigator with his girlfriend, Nancy Shevell, and then he was gone. I was frozen for a minute, and as the crowd dispersed, I tried to call a "Beatle girlfriend" but my hand was shaking so badly that I could hardly get her number into my phone. Instead of just telling her, I ended up bursting into tears. I felt ridiculous, but was on Cloud Nine just the same...
It was very hard to go to sleep that night, but I finally managed to nod off. I got up the next morning and spent the day anticipating the concert that evening. It was everything I'd expected and more. There they were - the two remaining members of the most popular band of all time. It was thrilling and sad and unforgettable all at once.
The next morning, I ended up flying home with Ben Harper, his wife, actress Laura Dern, and Ben's band. Laura had been one of the MCs at the concert the night before, and Ben and his band performed and were back-up for Paul and Ringo. I got to talk with them and relive the experience all over again. They all graciously signed my concert program.
I returned to my "normal life," but there were still two things to look forward to. The following week there was to be a ceremony in honor of George Harrison, who was receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. My friends and I had all planned to go. Then, three days later, we were all going to Las Vegas to see Paul open The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.
The star ceremony in Hollywood on Wednesday, April 15, 2009, was attended by Olivia and Dhani Harrison, Tom Hanks, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Eric Idle among others. Ringo didn't make it, but his wife Barbara did. As each celebrity emerged from the Capitol Records building (where John's star is also located) the excitement grew. Then, that excitement turned to sheer ecstasy when out stepped Paul. Cameras clicked, and everyone screamed. I'd been through the same experience one night on a street in New York City less than two weeks before, and now here I was on a sunny California morning on Vine Street in Hollywood and there was Paul again!
This time I got the chance to take lots of pictures and watch Paul as I listened to Tom Hanks and Eric Idle speak about George. I love George dearly, but do have to admit it was hard to concentrate with Paul just a few feet away... After the ceremony, I even got the chance to see Paul and Nancy drive away in the blue Corvette he drives when he's in L.A., and got a photo of that, too.
Then, a few days later it was off to Vegas, and three and a half hours of pure Paul in concert at The Joint. By this time seeing him was almost anticlimactic. In less than three weeks, I'd seen him four times, on opposite ends of the country, in three different states. It was mind-boggling. I'd planned on the two concerts, but the other two sightings were totally unexpected.
I've relived them in my mind again and again. Those 17 days will remain with me and provide memories and smiles for the rest of my life. I may not have had the opportunity to actually talk to Paul, didn't get his autograph. I've seen him since (in March of this year at the Hollywood Bowl, two nights in a row). But I saw him, up close and personal, and singing with Ringo.
This is my own "Beatle story" and it has come full circle.
