From the Echo -

A major John Lennon Tribute Season is announced in Liverpool

Mar 24 2010 by Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo

JOHN Lennon will be remembered in a tribute season of music, film and verse in his home city.

The two-month cultural programme of events will be launched on October 9 - on what would have been the former Beatle’s 70th birthday.

And they will come to a climax with a major memorial concert, John Lennon Remembered, at the ECHO arena on December 9, the day after the 30th anniversary of his murder.

The John Lennon Tribute Season is being organised by the Beatles Story, Cavern City Tours, the RLPO, Mersey Partnership, Liverpool One and Liverpool city council.

Beatles Story managing director Jerry Goldman said today: “It’s massively exciting.

“These are such significant anniversaries this year.

“What we’re revealing today is headline announcements but they are just the beginning. There’s going to be much, much more announced in the next couple of months.

“And we want to invite all organisations and the people of Liverpool to think of their own contribution to the season.

“This is for the people of Merseyside, for the people of the UK as well as foreign visitors.”

The venues will join forces to host a series of live music, film, poetry and art events which it is hoped will bring tens of thousands of tourists to the city - particularly those from the United States and Australia where there are many Lennon fans.

Article continues here - http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2010/03/24/a-major-john-lennon-tribute-season-is-announced-in-liverpool-100252-26097586/2/

Liverpool to celebrate John Lennon's life

The city of Liverpool is to host a two-month cultural programme to celebrate the life and music of John Lennon.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47528000/jpg/_47528172_-6.jpg
John Lennon was fatally shot outside
Manhattan's Dakota building in 1980

The events will mark what would have been his 70th birthday and 30 years since he was fatally shot in New York.

Organisers of the music, film, art and poetry events believe they will bring in tens of thousands of extra tourists to the birthplace of the Beatles.

This year also marks 50 years since the Beatles formed and 40 years since they split.

The events will run from 9 October, which would have been Lennon's 70th birthday, to 9 December, the day after the 30th anniversary of when he was fatally shot outside the Dakota building in New York.

Liverpool's Lord Mayor, councillor Mike Storey, said: "John Lennon is one of the most iconic figures of the 20th Century and a Liverpool lad who became known in every corner of the globe.

"His enduring message of peace is as important now as ever and continues to be an inspiration to many. The John Lennon Tribute Season will allow us to remember him as a man, celebrate his music, and his overall contribution to our city."

Source: BBC News | Merseyside (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8584452.stm)

How gross. "What would have been his 70th birthday". Yuk. So we will have a 75hth, 80th, 85th.....? I've no objection to sweating an economic asset but you can over-exploit and asset to the point at which you damage its worth to you.

He's dead, so obviously can't care what we do with his memory, but there is something objectionable about commodifying a counter-cultural character and doing it so greedily.

The whole Beatles thing will consume itself if we aren't careful, and I believe Liverpool is now over-identified with them.

He's dead, so obviously can't care what we do with his memory, but there is something objectionable about commodifying a counter-cultural character and doing it so greedily.

Yep, that Citroen ad makes me cringe. It is just wrong. :ohno:

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Here it is, just in case you haven't seen it.

You only realise how under exploited they are in this city when you visit cities with tenuous claims on them and see what they do, or speak to foreigners who whilst are very happy with what we have here, still feel a lot more could be done. Beatles apart, there are certain cities in the world that live off things they are associated with - like Detroit, Nashville, Tupelo, memphis and even ahem - Roswell.

You only realise how under exploited they are in this city when you visit cities with tenuous claims on them and see what they do, or speak to foreigners who whilst are very happy with what we have here, still feel a lot more could be done. Beatles apart, there are certain cities in the world that live off things they are associated with - like Detroit, Nashville, Tupelo, memphis and even ahem - Roswell.

I agree. Liverpool doesn't ever want to become Europe's Detroit.