Fifty years ago today, on August 15, 1965, the Beatles became the first act to ever headline a stadium concert, playing to a crowd of 56,000 at New York's Shea Stadium. Their concert drew the largest crowd in history at the time and produced the largest gross (over $300,000) in history.
Woodstock aside, the Beatles concert at Shea Stadium is the most famous gig in rock & roll history and is known as the "birth of stadium rock."
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Too bad the audience couldn't hear any of it. Hysteria was so high that fans literally screamed over the entire performance. Unlike modern stadium concerts, Shea Stadium featured only a primitive public-address sound system that was no match for the roar of the 56,000 fans in attendance.
Here's the raw audio if you're curious what fans were able to hear:
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Due to the levels of hysteria, fans were not allowed on the field with the Beatles. Fans were so star-struck they were begging police to give them blades of grass that the Beatles had walked on.
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Oh...and Meryl Streep was there.
Less than one year later, the Beatles would retire from touring forever to focus on recording music.
Due to the levels of hysteria, fans were not allowed on the field with the Beatles. Fans were so star-struck they were begging police to give them blades of grass that the Beatles had walked on.
It's crazy how new touring and recorded music itself is. This kind of fun fact puts everything into perspective, all we have now is just the very very beginning of the art form, compared to plays which have existed for thousands of years for example.
It's crazy how new touring and recorded music itself is. This kind of fun fact puts everything into perspective, all we have now is just the very very beginning of the art form, compared to plays which have existed for thousands of years for example.
It's certainly not that old but it's not the very very beginning either. Franz Liszt for example toured Europe to great acclaim and total hysteria during the middle of the 19th century.
It's certainly not that old but it's not the very very beginning either. Franz Liszt for example toured Europe to great acclaim and total hysteria during the middle of the 19th century.
