Magical marathon tour
Local musicians perform Beatles’ entire catalog in extended concert
Fans of the iconic 1960s rock band the Beatles experienced a rare treat on Saturday, a marathon performance of every song in the group’s considerable music catalog.
Sgt. Peppercorn’s Marathon is in its 11th year and continues to draw local musicians and Beatles enthusiasts by the dozens. The marathon typically begins around noon and ends around midnight.
The title is a mashup of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” – widely considered one of the most influential rock albums ever released – and Joe Peppercorn, the annual event’s founder.
The musicians first performed the show in dive bars, but eventually graduated to larger stages. The Athenaeum Theater at the corner of East Gay and North Fourth streets in Downtown Columbus was this year’s venue.
“I had a book of all the songs, and I thought, ‘it would be great to know all of those,” Peppercorn said of his
inspiration for the first marathon.
After the death of a dear friend and local DJ who admired the Beatles' music, Peppercorn decided to put on a special show for Beatles fans.
“They're the best band of all time,” he said. “There's no one close. The complexity of the music continuously rewards you. And the more we learn the subtleties, the more we love the songs."
The music tells a personal story to the performers and the audience, Peppercorn added.
The musicians, who regularly perform together in Greater Columbus, said the Beatles are an inspiration to them and modern music in general.
“They took the seeds of the Everly Brothers, and Buddy Holly, and Chuck Barry and combined them into something that was reminiscent, but was very fresh,” said guitarist Jake Remley.
The performers do their best to recreate the feel of a Beatles concert, even mimicking the group's British accents when they talk between songs.
To the audience, the event is virtually unique among rock concerts.
“It's such an amazing feat,” said Colin Adams, 56, of Italian Village.
Fans shuffle in and out through the day, but some revelers said they try to make it through the entire marathon.
“To hear it all the way through is pretty amazing,” said Amy Gareff Adams, 53, who is Colin Adams' wife. “A lot of my friends come to the later part of the show, but I love the early stuff just as much as the later stuff.”
For Colin Adams, the yearly concert is a point of pride for Columbus.
“No other city in the world can claim this,” he said.
The musicians said the marathon is taxing but rewarding.
“It's a steamroller,” Remley said. “You just get into a groove, you don't feel any aches and pains. If mistakes are made, you immediately forget them and move on.”
Most of the musicians swap in and out throughout the day to give themselves a break, but bass player Chris Bolognese stays on stage for the entire performance. The bassist said he leans on his fellow musicians for support, but energy drinks also help.
“One year after the show, it was such a blur that I told Joe, ‘We forgot Magical Mystery Tour,' and he said, ‘No we didn't, you were just in a trance,'” Bolognese said. “There are times when you're so into it and other times when you're on autopilot."
Peppercorn foresees the show continuing well into the future.
“Every year it grows and we get better at the music,” he said. pcooley@dispatch.com @Patrickacooley