ROLLING STONES - RONNIE WOOD 'INVADES' BEATLES CONVENTION

THE ROLLING STONES star RONNIE WOOD stunned BEATLES fans at a Fab Four convention in New York at the weekend (29/30Mar08) - by showing up to support GEORGE HARRISON's ex-wife PATTI BOYD. Wood was in the Big Apple promoting new Stones rockumentary Shine A Light when pal Boyd alerted him to the 34th annual get together, dubbed The Fest, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The rocker decided it would be fun to show up with the former model to show once and for all the Stones' fabled rivalry with The Beatles throughout the 1960s was just a myth. The ruse started when Wood, who joined the Stones in 1975, invited Boyd to join him and some pals on a night out in New York last Friday (28Mar08) - the first Mrs. Harrison declined, but invited Wood to join her at the convention instead. Convention host Martin Lewis says, "Ronnie saw the humour of the situation... and arrived by stretch limo at the hotel." Even though it was nearly 2am, the hotel lobby and corridors were still jammed with hordes of Beatles fans participating in informal singalongs of Fab Four tunes. Lewis adds, "The fans were shocked and stunned as I ushered Ronnie through the crowd to the gallery in the hotel, where Boyd was displaying her exhibit of historic photographs and original '60s mod outfits." Wood chatted with some of the delighted fans, who launched into an impromptu version of I Wanna Be Your Man, the 1963 John Lennon and Paul MCCartney tune that gave the Stones their first hit. Lewis concludes, "Ronnie was in great form... He found the whole situation of sneaking into a Beatles convention hilarious."