My amazing Beatles story - anyone else have one?

[lucky penny]

Reading the "Lennon Report" thread brought back happy thoughts. I recent saw "Eight Days a Week" and swooned all over again. I had a free ticket since the promoters gave away 500 tix to people who had seen the Beatles in person; you had to send in a selfie with your ticket stub. I saw them at Shea in 1966, still have my stub & rushed to send a photo.

But here's my amazing story: in 1965 I won 2 tickets to a Beatles concert in Toronto. My contest entry was some poems I'd written about the Beatles. The bad new is that I couldn't go to that concert because I spent that summer far from Toronto. The good news is that the sponsor of the contest met the Beatles &, lo & behold, I have a photo of Paul holding my book of poems AND a very sweet drawing & handwritten note from Paul telling me he liked my poems. Of course I still have these treasures (& those 2 unused tickets). What can I say, it still gives me goose bumps.

And happily, I did see the Beatles the next year at Shea, 6 days before their final concert ever. Incidentally, that Shea concert (not the famous '65 concert featured in the documentary) was not a sellout: I think there were 11,000 empty seats. Because of the backlash after John's comment that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus," it was very easy to buy a ticket; mine cost $5.75 (which today, with inflation, would be $42.85).

Magical memories. And yeah, I guess my life peaked real early!

 

[aja8888]

I was in my late teens when the Beetles were here in those early years. They will always be special to a lot of us. Neat story.

 

[RobbieB]

Never saw the Beatles, but I do have all their albums. All of them -

 

[swakyaby]

Also never saw the Beatles, but collected all their albums.

Several months ago, I was conducting a preoperative interview with an elderly woman with a noticeable german accent. I asked where did she grow up? "Hamburg," was her answer. Ah, wasn't that where the Beatles performed at the Cavern? She corrected me and said the Cavern was not in Hamburg, but that she did watch the band perform in a very seedy nightclub in Hamburg before they became famous. She recalled there was something very different and interesting about this band, so she went to see them again.

At that point, her husband entered the room, and she said with a smile, "They're asking me about the Beatles again." He just quietly smiled. They were amused at how fascinated Americans are about this band. They had no idea these boys would become the legends of rock and roll history.

 

[Major Tom]

That's a great story lucky penny - thank you for sharing!

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

Lucky Penny: The Beatles' 8DAW site is currently requesting fans to share their personal Beatle anecdotes, such as yours here. Go tell it on the mountain!

 

[robnplunder]

When I was in high school, I listened to many Beatles songs. One song I liked but never thought that it would deeply matter to me was "When I am 64." Now that I am approaching 64 (I am 54 now), the song matters a lot to me. I just need to convince my son to marry have have children named Vera, Chuck, and Dave.

 

[HFWR]

I was a 15yo when the Beatles split, so never got to see them. Did get to see Harrison and McCartney on solo tours.

I was never into the "yeah, yeah, yeah" Beatles, but around the time of Help, and definitely Rubber Soul, they were in an entirely different realm.

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

Speaking of The Beatles in this ER forum, I'm now reading this huge 900-plus paged book called TUNE IN: The Beatles--All These Years (Vol. I) by Mark Lewisohn. Boy is it comprehensive! This first volume covers their "very beginning" to December 1962--right before the Boyz instigated Beatlemania in Great Britain, Europe, the USA, and the rest of the world.

I found these quotes, at pp. 13-14, relevant here at ER: "John and Paul had an abundance of ambition, and top of their lists was to be rich.... John wanted money to avoid having to work.... [Paul thought that some 75,000 pounds, in the old British currency of his youth, which is about $210,000 today] would cover what he wanted. As he later said, 'If you asked me for my fantasies when I was 16 years old, standing at a bus stop waiting to go to Garston on the 86, I'd have said 'guitar, car and a house,' in that order. That was it--the entire thing.'"

Well, I've got over $210K, four guitars (acoustic, classical, a Strat and a P-Bass), a car, and live in a nice apartment. Hey?! I'm living a Beatle Dream!

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

I was a 15yo when the Beatles split, so never got to see them. Did get to see Harrison and McCartney on solo tours....

Me too. I saw George in 1974 in Seattle, and took a bunch of photos. I've seen Paul about four times, all in Seattle/Tacoma. And Ringo some six times here as well. And we all shine on....

 

[lawman3966]

Very cool story.

My story doesn't involve me as personally as yours involves you, but is still kind of cool.
I had a friend, Bob, I grew up with in Montreal Canada. We both played guitar, and loved the Beatles. I was a more of a Paul fan, and Bob more of a John fan. Bob found out later in life that he was adopted, and biologically the son of a professional trumpet player from the U.S.

I was googling for his Dad once, and to my surprise found the pics at the link below. Apparently, Paul happened to be in the audience that night, and the rest is shown in the pics.

Bill jams with jazz trio | The King Is Naked! The True Story Of The Beatles

 

[garyt]

I was a 15yo when the Beatles split, so never got to see them. Did get to see Harrison and McCartney on solo tours.

I was never into the "yeah, yeah, yeah" Beatles, but around the time of Help, and definitely Rubber Soul, they were in an entirely different realm.

I actually prefer the early Beatles and only like a little of their "creative" years.

 

[Popeye]

The closest I got to the Beatles was seeing Ringo's son Zach Starkey play drums for The Who. Rumor was he got an early drum kit from Keith Moon as a child. Apparently Ringo and Keith were friends.

I like all of the Beatles stuff. Whether it is early or late era, depends on what i am in the mood to play. I still have all of my old vinyl when i want to go old school.

 

[NW-Bound]

Growing up, I knew about the Beatles (who didn't?). And I listened to quite a few of their songs on the radio and liked them, without knowing that the songs were theirs, not until much much later. Like a few years ago.

Is that not amazing?

 

[harley]

When I was in high school, I listened to many Beatles songs. One song I liked but never thought that it would deeply matter to me was "When I am 64." Now that I am approaching 64 (I am 54 now), the song matters a lot to me. I just need to convince my son to marry have have children named Vera, Chuck, and Dave.

I was way too young to see them in concert, but definitely a fan. I saw them on Ed Sullivan, along with pretty much everybody else. I've seen Paul solo and with Wings.

DD and I danced to "When I'm 64" at her wedding. DD was born on John Lennon's birthday, and DGD#1 was born on George Harrison's birthday (both flukes, not planned). DGD#2 was born 3 days before MacCartney's birthday, but I still love her. Obladi Oblada is the song that gets her to stop crying. It was DD's and DGD#1's favorite lullaby too.

 

[NW-Bound]

... DGD#1 was born on George Harrison's birthday (both flukes, not planned). DGD#2 was born 3 days before MacCartney's birthday, but I still love her...

But, but, but being told of this, would DGD#2 feel like a 2nd-class citizen and wish her mother could hold out for a few more days?

 

[Koolau]

I suppose I'm as big a Beatles fan as the average now-69 year old was back in the day. My Big Sister was going to Journalism school when the Beatles were big and she got a summer internship at a hick newspaper near Chicago. Her one big assignment was to attend a press conference for the Beatles at which she got to ask them one question. She got a "by-line" article (with Beatles pictures), detailing "her" question and the Beatles answer. I think she asked Ringo why he didn't smile more. Kind of a big deal at the time, I suppose. Other than that, I have my memories and all my old albums.

Thinking back, that time from '63 to '70 was a very formative time for me. I went from a snot-nosed 16 year old, just getting my drivers license, a 17 year old getting my girlfriend who became my wife, an 18 year old who was graduating HS, a 19 - 22 year old going through university to getting a "real" job (with "real" money), a Vette and a wife - all to the evolving music of the greatest rock band that ever existed. I guess you could say it was a great time to be alive. YMMV

 

[Bamaman]

Gosh, I was hoping someone on here had some good Beetles stories--like they'd met them.

I grew up in Nashville, and two of the Beetles lived there at different times.

All of my real life stories are about Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Stringbean, Grandpa Jones, Ernest Tubb, LeRoy Van Dyke and other old country singers. But I won't get into them on here.

 

[rdy2go]

No neat story, but did get to see them in concert at Chicago's Comiskey Park in August of '65. I was seated sort of behind third base. The girls were screaming so loud that you couldn't hear what they were playing and there could have been four guys named Sam, Ralph, Tom and Bingo for all I could tell.

 

[harley]

Gosh, I was hoping someone on here had some good Beetles stories--like they'd met them.

I grew up in Nashville, and two of the Beetles lived there at different times.

At least they'd be easy to recognize if you saw them on the street.

 

[Birdie Num Nums]

No neat story, but did get to see them in concert at Chicago's Comiskey Park in August of '65. I was seated sort of behind third base. The girls were screaming so loud that you couldn't hear what they were playing and there could have been four guys named Sam, Ralph, Tom and Bingo for all I could tell.

"John, Paul, George and Ringo" rolls off the tongue so nicely, doesn't it? Particularly in America. I wonder if The Beatles would have been as huge in the USA if their names had been more traditionally British. Such as: Nigel, Ian, Giles and Alfie.

 

[TromboneAl]

My ninth grade earth science teacher knew Michele.

 

[Kimo]

I was lucky enough to see them at the Hollywood Bowl. The only problem was I was in the second row from the back. I heard some talking between songs and that was about it! LOL. Fast forward 50 years and I am sitting at a poker table in Reno and speaking with a nice gentleman between hands. I don't know how we got on the subject but he was at the same show as me! He was friends with Casey Casem and was in the second row. He was also invited back stage after the show to eat, drink and talk with them. What a coincidence to run into someone who was at the same concert as my 50 years later......

 

[David1961]

Great story. Bet that was the best $5.75 you ever spent!

 

[Kimo]

For are so right David