Anybody ever see The Beatles (perform) in person?

So who saw The Beatles in person? When? Where? Could you hear anything? What else?



I saw them here in San Diego, August 28th, 1965. I was fourteen and a HUGE fan. They played in Balboa Stadium (smallish, crummy, and run-down even then, now long gone). Wore the lime green jackets with dark collars.

Memories: amazingly, you COULD hear them, sort of; Paul waltzing with his bass during the middle break in "Baby's in Black"; John playing the Vox organ with his elbow during "I'm Down"; girls trying to rush the stage, security cops intercepting them all.

 

Too bad the sound was so poor at the Beatles concerts, by 1965 they had more or less given up with their live sound which was a big nail in the coffin of their touring days.

Still would have loved to have seen 'em just once.

 

I saw them live in Seattle, August 25, 1966. Couldn't hear much over the screaming. Opening acts were The Cyrkle and The Remains.
(From a previous thread ) here's my ticket stub glued to the inside of the program I got at the show....

 

That's pretty cool, Craig. I would have loved to see them, but at the time I was only 4 years old.

 

My parents, after much begging and pushing, finally got tickets for the family to see them at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Not sure what year. I remember hearing almost no sound and seeing 4 moptop haircuts from far away.

Too bad the sound system didn't match their talent and songs...but it was long ago.

 

Well if it was Candlestick Park, it had to be the last live performance on August 29th 1966. On the 2 previous tours they played the Cow Palace.

 

No. However, on the way back from our Knoxville summer vacation in 1965 (I think), as we came around I-75 in Atlanta I could hear them a little over the screaming emanating from Grant Field. A huge Banner was hanging - "THE BEATLES". ****................

 

My oldest brother saw them at Comiskey in Chicago, I think in '66 on the last tour. I didn't even know about this until a few years ago. He said it was nothing memorable, since it was just an hour of screaming.
A date dragged him to it.

 

Friends,

I saw The Beatles in August of 1966 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. It was, to say the least, exciting. I was 15 years old. Unfortunately, The Beatles were placed just behind second base in the Baseball stadium with an inferior PA. They could barely be heard above the din of screaming adolescent girls. There were close to 60,000 people in the stadium.

Thanks to a personal connection of my Father's, I sat in the press box for the concert which, did afford me great sight lines.

As a concert, it was just OK - as an experience, it was priceless.

Bob

 

No, but my goodness, if wishes were fishes.....

 

I saw them in Chicago in 1966

I saw them at Comisky Park in Chicago in 1966. I had the most expensive seats available, they cost me $5.50!!!!! The cheapest seats were $2.50.

The sound system was a group of Vox PA column speakers that ringed the Beatles. I have no idea if the PA system even worked because the girls in the audiance were screaming so damn loud that I couldn't hear The Beatles. They played for less than 30 minutes.

When The Beatles started their first song, a girl across the aisle from me stood up, screamed and passed out. She was taken away for medical treatment. The girl in front of me sat in her seat sidways and cried for the entire concert. The screaming was ear shattering, girls were crying and passing out all over the place. The whole experience was insane. However, it is something that I will never forget.

 

I was around 10yrs old when they did some concerts here in the NY area. My older sisters were hyped about them but I didn't get it till I saw 'A Hard Days Night'.

My Anthology LD's have good footage of early US performances... Sonicly not too impressive though.

 

Reminds me of the Rolling Stones song STUPID GIRL(S)!
Bob- I didnt even know they played in St. Louis, much less Busch stadium. I think that stadium opened in 1966, so the PA was probably the best they could get. That stadium has a lot of history in it. I have been there and it is huge, cant imagine the Beatles all the way out at 2nd base.

Ya, I saw the Beatles in 61 in Liverpool and again in Hamburg... YA, with my girlfriend at the time Audrey Hepburn... YA. NO damn, that was a dream

 

I saw them at Cleveland Public Hall in 1965 (I was 11 and went with friends and a friends parent). I couldn't see squat, couldn't hear much other than screaming.......it was great!!!

 

Anyone ever see them around 1962 or 63, before Beatlemania was in full swing? Some of the TV footage they have from European concerts feature very audible performances. The Swedish TV performance from the Anthology even has the audience staying pretty much silent through the actual playing.

 

I met a woman some ten years ago who was an original Cavern Club fan. She had an authentic Liverpool accent, so I knew she was telling the truth. She couldn't understand all my fuss, saying, "They were just a band!" I replied, "No, they were THE band!"

 

i thought they stopped in 1964?

-MH-

 

Stopped what, playing concerts? The final Beatles concert (not counting the '69 rooftop appearance, of course) was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in August 1966.

I wasn't born 'til 1972, so I missed out ...

 

That has to be the occasion that Tom Wolfe describes in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Imagine a stadium/sea of pink waving arms, a thin veil of Beatles wafting up to your seat, and processing the whole thing through an LSD-addled brain!

Ere

 

Hollywood Bowl 1964!!!!

 

1 or 2 degrees of separation

Two stories.

A collegue of my older brother's at the U of Alberta was in the audience at the Ed Sullivan Theatre for the first Beatles performance in February of 1964. Her uncle was a big wig at CBS and got her a ticket. She said is was complete mayhem. Like a lot of you, today, she doesn't remember much except the screaming.

Back in Winnipeg, when I was in college radio, a collegue/friend of mine was married to a woman born and raised in the U.K. She saw The Beatles at the Cavern, IIRC, and also saw early Stones, Animals, Kinks, etc. She told me a story once of her and her mother going to some "home show" and on the entertaiment stage was the Bonzo Dog Band.

 

You're right...not about them stopping...about the year...it was Sep 15, 1964. Heck I was only 10!! Anyway, couldn't see over anybody cuz everyone was standing on seats, etc. The Beatles came back to town Aug 14, 1966 (last two weeks of their final tour) and WIXY-1260 was sponsoring the event in town. I couldn't go due to being out of town on vacation with the family....(if you call visiting your sister and her family in St. Louis a vacation)...argh!

 

Shea Statum. John once said they stopped singing duriing the performance since the screams were washing out their vocals. He was right; I hardly heard a thing from the stage.

Richard.