Britney, Bieber and co might think they have it bad with screaming fans and blinding flash bulbs wherever they go, but at least they have a blueprint to follow.
Before Beliebers and Twihards and all those little Monsters came real mania. Beatlemania.
Now in 2011 there is a The Beatles album in almost every chart around the world (most recently the ‘1’ LP), there are feature length documentaries playing in theatres (most recently ‘Living In The Material World’ directed by Martin Scorsese) and when a remaining member gets married – for the third time, at 69 – he knocks celebrities half his age off the front page.
Both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney will play live all around the world this year. They are at home performing to Royalty and Presidents or with X Factor hopefuls. As the staggering sums of money fresh Beatles memorabilia is expected to fetch at auction next month shows, Beatlemania is as fierce as ever.
Perhaps the most spectacular example of this is their astounding Cirque Du Soleil show LOVE in Las Vegas. Created in association with Paul, Ringo, and the wives of George and John, there has been more than 2,000 shows in front of more than 4.3 million people to date, and it’s been voted 'Best Show in Las Vegas' for four consecutive years.
If the forthcoming $60m Michael Jackson Immortal show is anywhere near as good and preserves his legacy in the same way, then millions more music fans will be very happy indeed.
For more information head to www.thebeatles.com/LOVE

By James Barnes