60 Years Ago Today: The Beatles at Shea Stadium

60 years ago today, the historic Beatles’ first concert at Shea Stadium (August 15, 1965). Did they intend for it to be scheduled on the 20th anniversary of V-J Day? I can’t imagine that they did, but surely there were more than a few vets rolling their eyes at the 11 o’clock news footage that night!

With a capacity crowd at the 55,600 seat venue, it was the largest live audience the Beatles ever played to. And the same is certainly true for all the other acts on the bill who took the stage before them, including The Young Rascals, Cannibal and the Headhunters (“Land of 1,000 Dances”), King Curtis, Motown’s Brenda Holloway, Sounds Incorporated, and Killer Joe Piro. Broadcasters Ed Sullivan, Murray the K, and Cousin Brucie were all also on deck. Present but not performing were Mick Jagger and Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones, whose “Satisfaction” was only two months old at that point, as well as Marvin Gaye.

The event was immortalized in the documentary film The Beatles at Shea Stadium (1966), an invaluable record of Beatlemania at its frenzied height. The band returned to Shea about a year later for what was destined to be one of their last live shows.

Shea was torn down in 2008, but Citifield, the present home of the New York Mets, is marking the anniversary tonight in a big way, with pre-game performances by a Beatles tribute group, and post-show fireworks. Their announcement was how I was reminded of the anniversary. Tickets (they’re playing the Mariners tonight) to the event are here.