Ringo, at 86, rocks DC, but why are we still fixated on the Beatles, six decades after their breakup?

Ringo Starr’s Washington concert prompted the writer to reflect on why the Beatles still hold such a strong place in popular culture, more than six decades after they broke up. The article attributes their lasting appeal to nostalgia, the quality and variety of their music, and the continuing activity of the two surviving members.

Starr, 86, and Paul McCartney, 84, are still performing and releasing music; the writer says Starr’s drumming has influenced generations, while McCartney’s latest album revisits his Liverpool childhood. The Beatles’ rise from “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to albums such as *Rubber Soul*, *Sgt. Pepper* and *Abbey Road* is presented as a key part of their legacy, alongside renewed releases of old recordings. The piece also suggests fans feel urgency because the surviving members are in their eighties, and compares the group’s former popularity with that of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.