The Beatles Played Their Final Concert 50 Years Ago: Fan Who Was There Remembers the 'Energy & Insanity'
It was 50 years ago today on Aug. 29, 1966, that the Beatles played what turned out to be their final ticketed show at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. And Nancy Guida, who attended both that show, Paul McCartney's 2014 concert that closed the stadium and shows by others including the Rolling Stones, said there was nothing like a Beatles show.
“To this day, there is nothing like hearing, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles,' she says. “I mean you can't even put in words what it felt like. The energy, I have never felt that at any other concert.” And she said despite the insanity and the screaming at the concerts, she could actually hear the all of the Fab Four sing. Well, almost all of them.
“This is something I would love to tell Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. I could hear them. Even at the Cow Palace, I could hear them. The only time I couldn't hear the Beatles was when Ringo sang. I was screaming my head off and I could still hear them. I knew exactly what they were singing.”
One of the major problems at the 2014 McCartney concert was the traffic gridlock that kept some fans from getting in. But Guida said that problem didn't occur in 1966. “I don't remember at all. My friend's mom drove us. We decorated the car. We had Beatles stuff all over. And my friend's mom that took us up there. And because it wasn't sold out, she actually ran in and watched the concert. She bought the cheapest ticket she could find, so she was way up in nosebleed. She watched the concert and we all just met back at the car. So I don't remember any problems with traffic in and out."
By: Steve Marinucci
Source: Billboard
