Kenny G or Beatle Fest?
It’s like picking a favorite child! One is for a good cause, the other’s just because.
It has been a bountiful 12 months for Beatles fans (and the Beatles’ estates) with the reissues and video games and Paul playing the new Mets stadium. And while you could celebrate whatever this weekend’s Fab anniversary is (the 45th anniversary of the Help! LP release) with a quiet, self-assured fistpump while listening to Terri Hemmert’s “Breakfast With The Beatles,” why not come out with your brothers and sisters in force? At the 34th Annual Beatle Fest (also celebrating the 50th year since the band chose their moniker), the guest of honor will be Gary Wright, friend to Ringo and George and he of “Dream Weaver,” debuting a performance of a song he wrote with Harrison in ’71. The full schedule is available at www.thefest.com. (Friday through Sunday@Hyatt Regency O’Hare.)
And what are we doing promoting anything involving Kenny G? The saxophonist, no relationship to Warren G, has two songs resting in Billboard’s Top-10 Smooth Jazz songs, and is seemingly the antithesis of all the challenging music we throw in your lap. But it’s for children. Ones you don’t have to choose between. G shows up at the Caring For Kids concert that benefits SHC Chicago. A special dinner with him before the show can be had for some serious cash (tables top out at $50K). (Saturday@Rosemont Theater with Jeffrey Osborne and Stephanie Mills.)
— Steve Forstneger
Category: Featured, Stage Buzz, Weekly
