Lincoln Presidential Library plays historical ‘what if’ with Beatles reunion concert July 26
Celebrate summer with the sounds of the Fab Four – free!
 

[July 22, 2022]    The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will play a game of historical “what if” on July 26 with a free outdoor concert that imagines what it would have been like if the Beatles had reunited.

The Reunion Beatles Fantasy Tribute Band asks, what if all four former Beatles were alive and well? What would it sound like and look like if they held a reunion concert that featured many of the greatest hits of The Beatles plus the best of their solo work, too?

The free show will start at 7 p.m. in the ALPLM’s beautiful Union Square Park, across the street from the museum. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy an exciting evening of “what could’ve been.”

Food and drinks will be for sale starting at 6 p.m. Free parking is available in the ALPLM parking structure at 6th and Madison.

“Union Square Park is a wonderful location, and we want to offer more events there to engage the community and enliven downtown Springfield. I can’t think of a better example than a summer evening of Beatles music,” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The concert is presented with community support from Green Audi and 102.5 FM The Lake.

The Reunion Beatles Fantasy Tribute has won raves for its imaginative twist on the tribute concert. By offering a fictitious reunion, they invite audiences to think about what might have been – and they open the door to music from the post-Beatles era. The concert can include classics from “Band on the Run” or “Double Fantasy” or “All Things Must Pass.”

The point of the event is pure fun, but the Beatles do have some connections to Illinois history.

Chicago’s Vee-Jay Records was the original distributor of Beatles records in the United States. Once Capitol Records took over, the Beatles were such a success that the label built a record pressing plant in Jacksonville, Ill., to help meet the surge in demand. And George Harrison visited Benton in 1963, before the Beatles made it big.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and sharing with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – some 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.Illinois.gov

[Christopher Wills]