INTERVIEW: Beatles fans are ready to descend upon Jersey City
Photo: Liverpool features Glen Burtnik, left, playing the Paul McCartney part. Photo courtesy of Pheral Lamb / Provided by Alan Miller PR with permission.
The Fest for Beatles Fans has been going strong for decades, bringing its love of the Fab Four to the New York City and New Jersey area for decades. The latest installment of the successful convention is set for this weekend, March 28-30, at the Hyatt Regency on the Hudson in Jersey City, New Jersey. Fans can expect many concert tributes to Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, plus vendors and unique programming that celebrates arguably the best rock ‘n’ roll band of all time.
One of the chief supporters and most prominent faces at the weekend convention will be New Jersey native Glen Burtnik, who has an illustrious and long musical career. He’ll be playing with the festival’s house band, Liverpool, offering up his unique interpretation of McCartney’s vocals and bass playing. His other group, The Weeklings, will also perform a special set on Saturday, March 29. He’ll be a busy man, which is exactly how he likes it.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Burtnik said in a recent phone interview about The Fest for Beatles Fans. “Well, first of all, I’m in the house band, which is Liverpool. … We not only do our own sets of Beatles music, but we also back up the guests, which is fun because you get to learn, study, play along with some of the originators of some of the music from the Beatles era. In addition to that, I also have another band called The Weeklings, and we are playing on Saturday as well. So I’m playing Friday night with Liverpool, Saturday with The Weeklings, Saturday night with Liverpool plus guests, Sunday with Liverpool plus guests, so it’s just a bunch of music. It’s usually over 100 songs that I end up playing by the time the weekend is over, but it’s a good thing, good songs.”
Burtnik said that he has probably played every single Beatles song live, at one point or another. When it comes to the hits, he’s probably done them hundreds of times. He likes to call the Beatles output the “canon” of American rock music, and it’s part of his own musical vocabulary at this point.
“I prefer the deep tracks, but you know it’s almost always the case that there’s a reason why the hits were hits,” he said. “And to this day, I do sense that audiences respond to the hits, even a hardcore Beatles crowd. Occasionally we throw in some of the deeper tracks, which I’m very attracted to those songs. It’s rare to hear a band actually approach some of those songs, but we throw them in. We like to keep everybody happy. It’s a celebration, so it’s joyful.”
The vocalist places the team of McCartney and Lennon at the top, or near the top, of the best songwriters in history. It’s hard to argue with that stance because the Beatles music continues to enrapture new generations of fans and live on decades after the band broke up.
“We are very fortunate to live in a time when you have access to so much incredible music,” he said. “I grew up at a time when the Beatles were together, and I consider myself very fortunate.”
Liverpool and The Weeklings will take the stage in a ballroom setting, which is par the course for these fan conventions. Burtnik said the vibe is a party atmosphere, but nothing too wild. Visitors book rooms at the Hyatt and make friends in the hallways. He has been seeing some of the same people fest after fest after fest for years, and he cannot wait to say hello once again.
Special guests this year include Jim McCarty, who toured with the Beatles; Simon Kirke, drummer of Bad Company; saxophonist Phil Kenzie, who play on the Beatles’ Let It Be album; and Gary Burr, longtime collaborator and songwriter with Starr, according to press notes. In addition to Liverpool and The Weeklings, there are several bands set for a Friday night dance party: The Black Ties, The Taxmen and Andrew Weiss & Friends. Q104.3’s Ken Dashow is the master of ceremonies, a title he’s held for a quarter of a century.
“It really is a love-fest of sorts,” said Burtnik, whose own playing also included a stint in Styx. “I’ve always joked that it’s a little bit like a Star Trek convention of people who wear Sgt. Pepper satin suits, but it’s a beautiful convention of people who get together because of music. I can’t think of anything sweeter than that.”
The visitors are mostly from the New York and New Jersey region, Burtnik said, but he’s always surprised by the people who come from far and wide. There are those who fly in from Europe, especially England, and there’s also a connection between The Fest for Beatles Fans and the city of Chicago. Every year, once this convention wraps in the Garden State, they head to Chicago for a summertime party, and the fans sometimes attend both gatherings.
“I do see these people at least once a year,” Burtnik said. “Chicago in August is where we’ll take it after this show, and there are some people that fly in from Chicago for this show. And there are some people that fly to Chicago from here to see that show. … It’s a big group of friends. It’s always a blast, so it’s a beautiful thing.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Fest for Beatles Fans, featuring Liverpool as the house band, will take place March 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency on the Hudson in Jersey City, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.
