Ladies and Gentlemen- The Beatles

At the tender age of five, my parents gave me a record player and the 45 record of the Beatles "I Want to Hold Your Hand."   I was hooked from an early age at the perfect time - 1965 - and I have loved these four guys - John, Paul, George and Ringo ever since.

So of course I am thrilled about the recent news of their long-awaited reunion.

At this point, no one thought it would happen.  Newspapers, magazines and online sources stopped guessing and even hinting about it a long time ago.  I can't even think about the last time anyone suggested a collaboration.

But here it is, 2016 and the Fab Four have announced three stadium shows in Europe and plans are underway for at least four U.S. dates for the summer.  And naturally people here are going beserk. But with the recent passing of David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Paul Kantner, and Maurice White it seems that the time was right to bring the magic back.

WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN DOING:

John Lennon - Ever since the attempt on his life in the middle of New York City in 1980, John has focused his attention on his sons Julian and Sean, and his wife Yoko.  He occasionally shows up on other artists' albums (un-credited) but mostly spends his studio time helping his family with their projects.  He is rarely seen out and about, and keeps a very low profile.  Manhattan residents seem to understand that John wishes to remain private, and any recent photos of him almost never turn up on the Internet, including Instagram and Facebook.  And when they do, they seem to disappear immediately.

On the other hand Sir Paul McCartney has been seen everywhere over the last few years. He is a regular, both announced and unannounced on Saturday Night Live, most recently popping up alongside Bruce Springsteen this past December. Paul has done benefit concerts for causes he believes in here in the U.S. and in England, and has appeared on countless tv shows.  He has also collaborated with other artists, but unlike John, he does so with a bit of fanfare. It is rumored that this reunion was his idea, and that he has been all for it for years.

We all breathed a communal sigh of relief when George Harrison survived his terrible bout with lung cancer in 2001.  This left his voice a bit rough, but he is in good health now, crediting both alternative and modern therapies for his recovery.  "I sound a bit like a cross between Bobby Dylan and bullfrog," he was quoted as saying in 2010 when asked why he no longer tours.  But his son Dhani sounds remarkably like a young George and will be filling in the harmonies, and possibly some of the guitar work as well on the upcoming tour.  As for getting the rest of the band to adopt his vegan lifestyle, only Paul is on board with that.

"I finally have some actual stars in my all-star band!"  Ringo Starr has clearly been the most active of the four, touring constantly, and is thrilled about the reunion.  It's no secret that he has collaborated with each of the Beatles since they disbanded in 1970, and has pure, unbridled enthusiasm for this project. He is bringing some of the back up players to this band, though at this time, the line up is not set.

BEATLEMANIA:

For those who missed it the first time, you are experiencing real live Beatlemania  and it is great.  From middle school book bags and lunch boxes, to high school iPods.  From collectors paying exorbitant amounts of cash for original vinyl to record breaking numbers of Beatles downloads. Even club music, which was once the mindless thumping of sound-alike electronica has rediscovered the Beatles.  And those of us of a certain generation cannot stop smiling, hearing music that makes us feel joy when we recognize that song from the first two notes.  

I know that when we see these four "Lads from Liverpool" on stage, they will look like tiny specks, and we will have to watch them on the big screen from who knows where in a football stadium.  But I can't wait. I know all the Facebook groups will be guessing the set lists already, and getting tickets will be madhouse.  And lets not even start with the scalpers.  

For now, lets just enjoy the moment.  

By United Press International (UPI Telephoto)

Reunion

It's here.  Tonight.  It's too late to lose those 15 pounds I meant to lose.  It was even too late to have my hair highlighted.  As a matter of fact... I had not even reached out to those long lost friends to make sure they were going to be there.  I grabbed my High School yearbook off the shelf, dusted it off and threw it in the backseat of the car. 

I always go to my reunions. Why?  Why not?  I live near where I grew up, and it's a fun thing to do, to throw myself back into the mix for a night and reminisce for a while.  I keep in touch with only  handful of friends;  it takes me a while to remember people, and incidences, but I like the experience.  The funny thing is, I usually start by feeling that everyone has stayed put, while I have changed, that we would have nothing in common.  I am no longer that person captured in the black and white picture in the yearbook.  

The pre-reunion cocktail party was at the same hotel where the reunion would be the next night, very convenient to where I live.  My husband bravely agreed to join me for this first event, so, after a dinner at my parents' house (also nearby), we ventured over.  Someone had the idea to invite teachers to the cocktail party, which was a nice idea.  I didn't happen to remember any of them, but I could see they were the ones who looked even older than the rest of us, and their names tags were preceded by Mr. and Mrs.       


Within the first five minutes, a friend I've known probably longer than anyone else opened up to me in a genuine way and we were off.  A real conversation. A great start.  I suddenly missed her.  And I wanted more of this.   Another conversation, the ice broken with truths and smiles, ancient hurts uncovered, opened up and pain allowed to escape.    

And this was just the PRE-reunion.  I realized my husband was not to be seen.  He texted me to let me know he was happily at the bar, watching the baseball game. Later, he brought me a tequila with impeccable timing.

I'm the one with the red clogs.  And the beads.  This was during the high school tour.

We didn't stay for very long, the next night was the real reunion. But I pondered my surprise at the success of the night.  Over the last, well,  I'll just say it, 35 years, I'd knew that I had changed from a kid who tried to fit in, and look and act like everyone else to the person I am now:  A very active, observant Reform Jew, who makes a living in the Jewish world.  In our high school there were very few of us "Members of the Tribe," and even fewer who stayed practicing members after we went out into the real world.  

I was also a bit reckless and of course I now see the world, and navigate my way through it, as a mother.  And and older, wiser, and more seasoned citizen of that world. But then, everyone in the room was older, hopefully wiser as well. And almost everyone in the room had been married and had children.

What else?  A Democrat.  A Deadhead.  A Cancer Survivor. Animal lover and (multiple) pet owner.  A struggling environmentalist and failed (this year) gardener.   People who knew me then do not know me at all now.  What would we talk about?  What would we have in common?   As my son put it, "Mom, these people knew you before you sewed beads onto all your clothes and wore clogs to weddings and funerals. You can go there and act normal."    

Well, I don't know if I did go and act normal, but memories came back to me like little YouTube clips, flooding my brain that weekend, and for a few days afterwards.   I started to list them here, but that seemed too personal and too boring at the same time.  (Select all, delete.) 

So, what's the take-away? 

Besides a bunch of slightly drunk 53-year-olds dancing to Paradise by the Dashboard Lights in a too-small, too-loud room? 

We don't exactly have everything in common, but a lot more than I thought.  We have all fought some battles, and have survived.  We want to show pictures of our kids or our dogs, and then we want to put them away and remember the good old days. The Beach Boys Concerts.  The times we went down the shore.  The Musicals.  The football and basketball games. Championships won and nearly won. Things we shouldn't have done and things we wish we could do one more time.   And oh yea, the classes.

And then suddenly, much too early, the DJ says it's the last dance... and the class does a group hug dance where there are no longer cool kids, or nerds, or stoners,  or jocks, or geeks, or drama queens or choir kids.  For 2  1/2 minutes, there's just a class dancing together in a way that there never was.

And that's why I go to reunions.

you can walk down memory lane...