By John Katsilometes
On the afternoon five years ago when the Beatles released their brushed-up, stripped down remix of “Let It Be,” which was re-titled (kind of) as “Let It Be … Naked,” I hustled over to the now-defunct Tower Records in the similarly defunct Wow shopping center to pick up a copy. The guy in front of me in line, who was also buying the new CD, looked terribly familiar.
It was Rossi Ralenkotter, president and chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. And, more important, an avid Beatles fan. We started talking Beatles and I had no idea he was such a devotee. He even owns a Paul McCartney-style Hofner bass.
I ran into Ralenkotter again Tuesday afternoon and evening at the one-year anniversary celebration for “Love” at the Mirage, where Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison unveiled silver-dotted portraits of John Lennon and George Harrison. Ralenkotter and his wife, Mary Jo, attended the ceremony at the Love Theater and were later at the anniversary performance. It was hardly the first time the couple had taken in a Beatles show.
Before they were both Ralenkotters, Rossi and Mary Jo saw the Beatles perform in the Las Vegas Convention Center on August 20, 1964. He was 17; she 15. The Beatles played two shows rather than one at the 7,000-seat arena because of high ticket demand. Rossi said reports surfacing years later that kids had to be scooped up from school to fill seats were patently false. “By August of that year, the Beatles were so big that not only did the kids want tickets, parents and friends of parents wanted tickets,” Rossi said after Tuesday night’s show. “It was absolutely packed.” Photos of the shows were used for the sleeve of the “I Feel Fine” single, and footage was supplied to Apple for the “Anthology” series (which is why the Las Vegas News Bureau is credited).
The memories that stand out from those shows were the chaos and vocal volume – not of the band, but of the crowd. Beatles shows were notoriously difficult to hear for the drone of several thousand screaming fans. “It was the first time I’d ever screamed, and I got my money’s worth,” Mary Jo said. “You could make out some of the songs, but it was like they were lip-synching.”
Though a small town by today’s mega-Vegas standards, the city did play host to a few major rock acts that year. The Dave Clark Five, the Association and the Beach Boys all played the venue that summer. “But nothing compared to the Beatles, nothing,” Rossi said. “There was something about those four guys together that made them special. They are still special to me, even today.”
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Vegas moments, all from “Love”: Larry King channeling his inner Shecky after botching George Harrison’s name as “George Hamilton” during Tuesday afternoon’s ceremony. When the assembled media members and VIPs laughed, he said, “Why’s that funny?” After taking a moment to realized his slip, he said, “Hey, I’m Jewish.” Eh? It was a long night for Mr. King, who also kicked Guy Laliberte’s name (both, actually) and stumbled through a live broadcast of his show at the Beatles Revolution Lounge (once calling it “Revolutionary”). But McCartney and Starr clearly appreciate him. … A couple hundred fans descended on the theater entrance to catch about a three-second glimpse of McCartney and Starr as they strode from the theater to the lobby, and dozens listened to the live feed of King’s show on CNN (all four Apple Corp. principals were guests) inside Revolution. … Between the King broadcast and “Love” performance, the unmistakable sound of a mandolin could be heard in the walkway leading from Revolution out toward the elevators for the Mirage villas. It was McCartney and entourage, passing a few unsuspecting pool guests (one of whom said, simply “f-word” after being told the mandolin player was Beatle Paul). … Joe Walsh of the Eagles is usually the man in most audiences, but he sat unrecognized at the end of the row that included McCartney, Starr and company. … McCartney and Starr running a victory lap around the stage at the end of the performance, as they did a year ago (but this time, no other members of what is left of the Beatles inner circle took part). … Neil Aspinall sat to McCartney’s left during the show. Aspinall was the band’s first real roadie in Liverpool and a great friend of all the Beatles. He later became an executive at Apple. … The production finally pulled the insipid “Blackbird” spoken-word scene. It had been marginally improved from the first version, and now rather than the Dr. Robert character berating a bunch of blackbirds, the song is played out beautifully to a riderless tricycle. That change was long overdue. … Escalator sighting: KNPR “State of Nevada” host Dave Berns and his wife, Debbie. … A heartfelt congrats to my friend and Mystere PR rep Karin Tomcik, who drew the labor-of-love assignment to escort McCartney from appearance to appearance as part of her duties with the Cirque du Soleil publicity team. Karin is a lifelong Macca fan, and if her starry-eyed gaze was any indication, she had the experience of a lifetime.
Plate in my head: On that tack, we’ll report MACCA on Karin’s Mazda 6.
Fabulous Las Vegas appears daily (well, almost) at this Web site. John Katsilometes can be reached at 990-7720, 812-9812 or at [email protected]