Who is the “Best” drummer in Beatles history? Surprise, it’s not Ringo Starr. The answer is literally Pete Best, the man who first gave The Beatles their beat. At 82, this British rock legend is launching another musical invasion in Delaware, headlining the opening day of the annual Weekend at Bertha’s festival at Firebase Lloyd in Townsend on Friday, July 26. The festival runs through Sunday, July 28. For one day only, two general admission weekend passes will go on sale for $140 on Thursday, July 4. The sale starts at midnight and runs to 11:59 p.m.
Pete Best grew up in Liverpool, England, above his mom’s club, the Casbah Coffee Club, which hosted bands like The Quarrymen (which included George Harrison, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney). The band sometimes played without a drummer, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. In 1960, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison invited Best to become the drummer for their band The Beatles. The group knew of Best from his time playing with the Black Jacks at the Coffee Club.
In summer 1960, Best and the group began a residency in Hamburg, Germany. Britannica says Best stood out from the rest of the group as he didn’t wear the same mop-top haircut as his bandmates. “His sultry looks won him female attention and contributed to the band’s popularity.”
On a “Late Night” episode that aired July 14, 1982, Best told David Letterman about the day he was fired from the band. Best said Beatles manager Brian Epstein broke the news to him in Epstein’s office in 1962. “It just happened completely out of the blue,” the drummer recalled. “[Epstein] said, ‘Pete, I’ve got bad news for you. He said in a nutshell, you know, the boys want you out and they want Ringo Starr in.’ I was completely shellshocked by this.”
Best told Letterman he was friends with the guys and also was friends with Starr before he was replaced by him. He also said his bandmates didn’t approach him about wanting him out of the band. Best alleged The Beatles said he wasn’t a good drummer because it was due to their “jealousy” of him. The Beatles became famous shortly after Best left the group. Despite Best’s departure from the group, his mother maintained a relationship with The Beatles. According to Britannica, John Lennon borrowed army medals from her to wear on his jacket for the cover of the wildly successful album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1967).
After leaving The Beatles in 1962, Pete Best joined Lee Curtis and the All Stars, which later became Pete Best & the All Stars and signed with Decca Records. They toured North America and Europe as the Pete Best Combo and released the album “Best of the Beatles” (1965). In 2024, the historic Beatles drummer is still rocking stages. He recently wished his old Beatles bandmate Sir Paul a happy 82nd birthday on X (formerly Twitter). On June 19, he tweeted: “Happy Belated Birthday. Not far behind you. Reach out if you’d like me to open for you in Manchester. Imagine. Now that would be something.”
Fans of psychedelic tunes, jam bands, and tie-dye galore will feel right at home at Weekend at Bertha’s counterculture festival in Townsend. The festival features well over a dozen performers across three days, along with food trucks and various vendors. The name “Weekend at Bertha’s” is a play on words. It was inspired by the Grateful Dead’s iconic, colorful skeleton character named Bertha (and song by the same name). The fest’s name also pulls from the comedic ‘80s film “Weekend at Bernie’s,” which was about two goofballs who tried to pretend their murdered boss was still alive.
When Pete Best headlines the festival on Friday, July 26, local fans will be there who saw him play at Kelly’s Logan House in Wilmington. He played there in 2005 and 2007, according to Setlist.Fm.
Below is a list of the confirmed performers for Weekend at Bertha’s, according to the organizer’s EventBrite page:
Friday, July 26
9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Rainbow Full of Sound
7-9 p.m. Pete Best Band
5-6:30 p.m. King Plays Ho
3-4:30 p.m. Black Mambas
1-2:30 p.m. Psychedelic Elders
(late night is drum circle)
Saturday, July 27
10:30-12:30 p.m. Juggling Suns
8:30-10 p.m. One Eyed Jack
7-8 p.m. Vermin Supreme
4:30-6:30 p.m. Mums The Word
3:15-4 p.m. Flowpoetry
1-3 p.m. ? ? ? ?
11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. The Might Dandelions
(Late night Saturday) After midnight Urban Shaman Attack: 2 a.m.- until? Mysterytrain
Sunday, July 28
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sistar Workshops
2:30-3:30 p.m. Pranksters
4-4:30 p.m. guest speaker
5-6 p.m. Bonnie Kane
6:30-7 p.m. Natalie Brooke solo
7-8 p.m. Brooke / May Duo
8:30 -11(ish) p.m. Brown Eyed Women
Firebase Lloyd (474 Fleming Landing Road, Townsend) from Friday, July 26, to Sunday, July 28. Single-Day tickets for Friday or Saturday (including camping) are $60 per night; Sunday-only General Admission is $40. GA Camping is $90. VIP Friday and Saturday (with camping) are $125 per night; VIP Sunday is $80. VIP Weekend (with camping) is $200. For more info, visit weekendatberthas.com.
Source: USA Today, Encyclopedia Britannica, Setlist.Fm
