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Ladies and Gentlemen...The Beatles!

A Beatles traveling exhibition presented by the Grammy Museum and Fab Four Exhibits, LLC

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The Music Box at Ravinia
Highland Park, Illinois (Chicago)

May 6 - September 25, 2022

Chicago was one of the few lucky cities to have hosted the Beatles on all three North American tours (1964-66), so Chicagoland was an essential stop for "Ladies and Gentlemen...The Beatles!". And what better place to celebrate the Beatles' enduring music legacy than on the grounds of the historic Ravinia Festival in Highland Park. Ravinia concertgoers can visit the exhibit free anytime a concert is scheduled, from the time the grounds are opened until intermission. Every half-hour, groups of attendees are admitted into the Music Box theater for "Bernstein's Answer", a short hologram presentation inspired by the life of the great maestro Leonard Bernstein. Exiting the Bernstein presentation, they can enter the exhibition gallery for a half-hour viewing of our many Beatles artifacts.

1. Photo op on the path to our exhibit.jpg
2. Inside of photo booth with sign for our exhibit..jpg

"Ladies and Gentlemen...The Beatlles!" offers several photo ops
at Ravinia, the first of which is a British phone booth...

...which features a marquee poster promoting
the exhibit to Ravinia concertgoers.

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On this particular summer evening, a Beatles tribute
band headlined the Festival...

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31. Ravinia lawn crowd, one direction from near photo booth.jpg

...drawing a huge crowd and providing a built-in audience
for "Ladies and Gentlemen...The Beatles!"

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3. Exhibit building entrance after dark.jpg

The line outside the Music Box to get into the film
and the exhibit...

...stretched around the side of the venue.

The Music Box entrance after dark.

6. First view of exhibit after exiting film.jpg
7. Another view entering the exhibit.jpg

Upon exiting the Bernstein presentation, the crowd enters the exhibit...

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...free to wander the gallery and view our many artifact displays.

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A fish-eye view of the exhibit from the entrance.

The view to the right as patrons walk inside.

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8a. Ticket map.jpg
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The map featuring original unused tickets from the Beatles' three North American tours
has always been a crowd pleaser in
every city the exhibit has visited.

Fans love spotting the tickets from their hometowns, often shocked by prices
as low as $2 a seat!

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Visitors take in the display of early Beatles artifacts pertaining to the band from 1960 until they started getting national recognition in the UK in 1963.

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The Beatles' earliest influences came from America, and this display pays tribute to the musicians and songwriters who inspired them to greatness.

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The iconic stage set-up from the Beatles' live American television
debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, Sunday evening, February 9, 1964.

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18. Airport photo op 2.jpg
17. Airport presser photo op.jpg

The arrival in America: Fans can take photos posing behind a stand of four microphones representing the Beatles' first American press conference on February 7, 1964.

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It's just one of several photo op  spots in the exhibit.

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The American press had never seen anything like the Beatles before, and
when the group first came to America in February 1964, the coverage on radio
and television was unprecedented. Their American record label, Capitol,
followed suit with a publicity blitz.

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More views of the exhibit, including the First American Visit display, which features the ultra-rare Meet The Beatles promotional motion display
from Capitol Records, an original gold record presented to the Beatles for "I Want To Hold Your Hand", the original Lennon-handwritten set list used
onstage at the group's first American concert (Washington, D.C.) and, from later in 1964, the original Paul McCartney handwritten lyrics for his
composition "What You're Doing", written in Atlantic City during the group's fall 1964 North American tour.

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26. Woolworth 3.jpg

The Woolworth's window is one of the exhibit's most popular displays. In every city, first-generation fans have lingered here, recalling the
Beatles toys they had in their youth, and collectors have marveled at the mass-produced
rarities and promotional pieces on display.

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A real fan lived and breathed Beatles, surrounding themselves with all things "fab" --
all day and all night. The fan bedroom has been a staple of the exhibit.

Fans viewing a display dedicated to the Beatles'
American experience in 1965 and 1966.

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Above and below: The Beatles in 1965-66 and beyond. A display devoted to
the group's activities during their final two years in America and the end of touring, highlighting Paul McCartney's original jacket from the famous 1965 Shea Stadium
concert, an original RIAA gold record award for "Rubber Soul" as well as the
infamous "Butcher" cover LP.


 

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Above: The Beatles made a huge impact on the
film industry in 1964 and 1965, releasing two films now considered rock 'n roll classics: "A Hard Day's Night" and
"HELP!". The exhibit acknowledges them with a display of
related promotional materials. A film short from 1963,
"The Beatles Come To Town",
is also represented.

 

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One of the interactive mainstays in the exhibit is a drum lesson given by Ringo Starr himself. Both aspiring drummers and pros have gravitated to "Drumming With Ringo".

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29. Chicago board.jpg

Exclusive to Ravinia: A display of pieces tied to the Beatles' visits to Chicago on each of their three North American tours, 1964-66. The city was one of few chosen to host the group on all three tours.

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No visit to "Ladies and Gentlemen...The Beatles!"
is complete without the requisite group photo on
our Abbey Road crosswalk.

And In The End....
Fab Four Exhibits, LLC founding member Jeff Augsburger takes a stroll across
Abbey Road only to find himself trapped in the Sixties! Is there any better place to be?

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34. Help! I'm trapped! (Jeff).jpg

Thanks Chicagoland!

Rubber Soul gold record
Beatles-Little Richard Tower Ballroom program Oct. 1962
Mersey Beat #2 - Beatles Polydor cover Mersey Beat Vol. 1 No. 2  July 20-Aug. 3, 1961  1
Mersey Beat Beatles Sign With EMI Vol. 2 No. 31 Sept. 20-Oct. 4, 1962 top
Butcher KLIF survey
Comic book - Summer Love
Magazine - Whole True Story 16 1966
Cavern card 1963
epstein1964touritinerary2
epstein1964touritinerary1
Cavern club 1962.jpg
Beatles Newsweek cover 1964.jpg
Beatles break-up magazine 1970.jpg
Shea Stadium 1965 concert ticket stub.jpg
I Want To Hold Your Hand record cover.jpg
April 1966 U.S. Fan Club bulletin.jpg
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Beatles store displays (flasher rings 1964, diary 1965, Wallet Fold-outs 1964) o
Ed Sullivan Show ticket rejection notice Feb. 16, '64.jpg
Beatles coloring book 1964.JPG
Beatles Flip Your Wig game 1964.JPG
Edited Image 2014-1-30-11:3:16
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Beatles brunch box 1965.JPG
Guitar brooch.JPG
Beatles Halloween costume (Paul) 1964.JPG
Beatles shirt 1964.JPG
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HELP! movie magazine.jpg
NEMS Epstein letter.jpg
NME Poll Winner's concert programme April 21, 1963.jpg
Allan Williams Beatles business card 1960.jpg
Beatles & John Leyton programme April 25, 1963.jpg
North American tickets - Dallas '64 concert.JPG
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My mono butcher 1976.jpg
Tower ticket 1261.JPG
Cavern card 1961.jpg
Edited Image 2014-1-30-1:32:40
Cabana Dallas auto set.jpg
Beatles Grosvenor set list 1960.jpg
Aintree Institute handbill August 1961.jpg
Edited Image 2014-1-30-11:7:53
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Contract.jpg
SET LIST 72dpiemail.jpg
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Beatles Lux soap box with blow-up dolls offer 1966-67.JPG
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Beatles shirt 1964.JPG
Beatles Nestles Quik can with blow-up dolls offer 1966-67.JPG
Yellow Submarine watercolor set 1968.JPG
Philladelphia concert parking pass 1966.jpg
Beatles Bobbin' Head dolls 1964.JPG
Yellow Submarine plastic model kit 1968.JPG
Beatles wig 1964.JPG
Beatles Kaboodle kit 1964.JPG
Beatles harmonica 1964.JPG
Beatles hat 1964.JPG
Beatles hair bow 1964.JPG
Beatles Airflite box 1964.JPG
Beatles brunch box 1965.JPG
My Bonnie single on Polydor Oct. 1961 (1st version with slow German intro).jpg
Dallas Times Herald.JPG
Cavern club 1962.jpg
Tower ticket 1261.JPG
Beatles 1962 promotional card #1.jpg
Teen Talk magazine 1964.jpg
Beatles Dallas to Houston '65 concert bus pass and ticket.jpg
Gator Bowl ticket '64.jpg
Indy ticket.jpg
16 magazine Complete Story From Birth To Now 1965.jpg
Love Me Do.jpg
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Paul Is Dead magazine 1969.jpg
Beatles Colorforms Kit 1966 - touched up.JPG
TIME magazine 1967.jpg
She Loves You record cover.jpg
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