Springsteen Archives celebrates 60th anniversary of Beatles arrival with 'Get Back 1964'

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It's going to be a Fab Four moment at the Jersey Shore.

The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University will present a symposium Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, marking the 60th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in the United States.

“Get Back … To 1964” will be a day-long event with panel discussions, interviews, book signings, and musical performances of early Beatles’ songs by area musicians.

Participants include Jim Babjak of the Smithereens; Beatles’ authors Ken Womack (“Living the Beatles Legend”) and Bruce Spizer (“The Beatles Please Please Me”); and radio personalities Dennis Elsas (WFUV and Sirius) and Tom Frangione (Sirius).

“The arrival of the Beatles in February 1964 profoundly changed the course of American music,” said Bob Santelli, executive director of the Springsteen Archives, in a statement. “They inspired musicians here from New York to San Francisco, and brought to rock 'n' roll brand new ideas as to how the music could be made.”

The Beatles landed at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City on Feb. 7, 1964. The group performed “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on the Feb. 9 broadcast of “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

“The Beatles transformed American music, fashion and culture. Their mop-top hair styles, Beatle boots and mod clothing became an overnight obsession in the 1960s,” said Eileen Chapman, director of the Springsteen Archives, in a statement. “They encouraged the younger generation to take a deeper look at what was happening in the world.”

The symposium will take place in the auditorium of the Great Hall at Monmouth University. Tickets, $64, go on sale at noon Monday, Dec. 18, both online and at the Monmouth University Box Office in the Ocean First Bank Center.

Visit springsteenarchives.org for more info.

Bruce Springsteen joins Paul McCartney on stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Photo courtesy of Bob Gannon of Toms River.
Bruce Springsteen joins Paul McCartney on stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Thursday, June 16, 2022. Photo courtesy of Bob Gannon of Toms River.

The Springsteen Archives recently announced plans for a new center on the campus of Monmouth University that will house the archives, and include exhibition galleries and a 230-seat theater.

The Springsteen Archives, currently located in a house on campus, preserves and promotes the legacy of Springsteen and his role in American music, while honoring and celebrating American greats like Woody Guthrie, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra and more.

There are more than 37,000 items from 47 countries, ranging from books and concert memorabilia to articles and promotional materials. It serves the research and informational needs of music fans, scholars and authors from around the world.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Springsteen Archives celebrates anniversary of Beatles US arrival