T.B.T The Beatles in San Diego...August 28th 1965 ..two weeks after Sid Bernsteins monumental Shea Stadium show in New York and a mere 24 hours after partying with Elvis in Los Angeles.. the Fabs hit the stage in San Diego ...! ..the following is reprinted from the George Varga U/T story of August 2010 ... thanks George..!! The Rolling Stones beat The Beatles to San Diego by a few months, but the Stones 1965 debut at downtowns Golden Hall did not create nearly as big a stir as the perpetually Fab Fours Aug. 28, 1965, concert at Balboa Stadium. It was the talk of the town, said veteran San Diego rock drummer Joel Kmak, who took up the drums after seeing Ringo Starr play with The Beatles. I asked to go, but I was just in grade school and my parents said No way. But I still remember the day they played here, even though I didnt go. The screaming of the audience was overwhelming, recalled veteran San Diego producer/musician and promoter Gary Ràchac , who at the time was a pre-teen student in Linda Vista. You could just hear the beginning of the songs, then the screaming drowned them out. Even so, memories of the Fab Fours lone area performance still ring loud and clear for many fans -- young, old and in between -- in San Diego and around the world. To help you re-live that night (if youre old enough), or get a feel for it (if youre not), heres a primer on the day The Beatles played Balboa. And if you attended, please share your memories with us by adding your comments at the end of this post. TICKETS Tickets cost $3.50, $4.50 and $5.50 each. EMPTY SEATS While 27,014 tickets were available for The Beatles concert here, only 17,013 fans turned out for the show. The bands pay? $50,135.17, just $135.17 more than the $50,000 the group was guaranteed for the performance. PRELUDE Before The Beatles took to the stage to deliver their 31-minute set at Balboa Stadium, no fewer than four opening bands took to the stage. They included sax star King Curtis, Cannibal and the Headhunters, Brenda Holloway and the English band Sounds Incorporated (featuring future Jeff Beck drummer Tony Newman). SET LIST Not that you could hear much of them over the constant screaming of the audience, but The Beatles performed 12 songs at Balboa Stadium: Twist and Shout, Shes a Woman, I Feel Fine, Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Ticket to Ride, Everybodys Trying to Be My Baby, Cant Buy Me Love, Babys in Black, I Wanna Be Your Man, A Hard Days Night, Help! and Im Down. THE STADIUM Located adjacent to San Diego High School and City College, Balboa Stadium had an official capacity of 34,500. Most of the stadium was torn down in 1979 but it is still used for high school and recreational sports team games. BACKSTAGE REFRESHMENTS The Beatles requested, and received: four cots and sets of clean sheets; five 1-gallon bottles of water; 10 dozen paper cups; two cases of soda pop; two tubs of fried chicken; 24 assorted sandwiches; three portable TV sets; and a rented piano. Total cost for backstage food: a whopping $33.96. SECURITY Balboa Stadium had a 4-foot-high Cyclone fence around the perimeter of the field, which no one -- except the 150 policemen on hand -- was permitted to be on. Nevertheless, some determined fans jumped over the fence in futile attempts to reach the stage.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 16:47:49 +0000
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