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Get on the bus By: Scott Tady, Times Entertainment Writer 04/11/2007

VIDEO Take a tour

PITTSBURGH - A slab of rock history rolled into Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour bus parked in Station Square for the day, serving as a photo op for fans while publicizing Hard Rock Park, the world's first rock 'n' roll theme park, set to open in 2008 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

"It's not every day you get to see a piece of history," said Chad Hammitt, 28, of Regent Square, who along with his girlfriend posed for photos with the yellow-and-sky-blue bus with the puffy rainbow letters.

The 1950s British bus is instantly recognizable, even for those who weren't alive when it served as the mobile setting for the Beatles' late 1967 experiment in reality filmmaking, "The Magical Mystery Tour."

"It hits a nerve with families because the movie has become one of those things people associate with the '60s," said Hard Rock Park Chief Executive Officer Steven Goodwin, who is traveling with the bus throughout the eastern United States, picking up memorabilia donated by Hard Rock Cafes.

The Pittsburgh Hard Rock Cafe handed over an autographed Korina Flying V guitar used on Bon Jovi's 2003 tour by six-stringer Richie Sambora. The guitar will be displayed in Hard Rock Park's "Born in the U.S.A." section.

The Cleveland Hard Rock donated a Deep Purple drum kit, while New York's Hard Rock provided a chunk of wall from fabled punk club CBGB. The next stop is Memphis, and Graceland.

"We had to link the Beatles with Elvis," Goodwin said.

Previously the property of the Orlando Hard Rock in Florida, the Magical Mystery Tour bus is in good shape, requiring only routine maintenance, Goodwin said.

"It looks a little different from the movie," 20-year-old Beatles buff Chelsey Marie said. "The upholstery inside is a little different, and in the movie, the windows aren't tinted."

Marie and fellow Art Institute of Pittsburgh student Brandyn Morit skipped their schoolwork to visit a symbol of one of their favorite bands.

Like the old bus, the Beatles have stood the test of time, "Because they managed to evolve their musical style in really good ways, all the time reinventing themselves," Marie said.

"And because John Lennon is the best," Morit said.

Scott Tady can be reached online at stady@timesonline.com.

Did you know?

"Magical Mystery Tour" was the soundtrack of a TV special that aired in the United Kingdom in 1967 but didn't appear in the United States until 1976, as a theatrical release. The film, a precursor of today's reality TV shows, was ridiculed by critics as well as fans.

Backup vocals credits on the album included Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones; Keith Moon of The Who; Eric Clapton; and Graham Nash.