Beatles' final ticketed concert at Candlestick Park was a home run for former Giants bat boy
Sixty years ago, San Francisco native Gus Tham was living the dream. The 15-year-old was one of the bat boys for his hometown Giants.
"It was a fantastic job," Tham recalled.
At the time, the Giants played at the iconic Candlestick Park, and the team was packed with legends.
"Well, you start with the 3 M's: Mays, McCovey, and Marichal," Tham said.
Tham's tenure at Candlestick included not only the 3 "M's", but the Fab Four: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. On August 29, 1966, the Beatles came to San Francisco as part of their North American Tour.
"This was a big quick tour playing very large venues," music critic Joel Selvin said.
It was the Beatles' third performance in the Bay Area, and as it turns out, their final ticketed concert. The legendary rock band wanted to stop touring and go into the studio to record albums.
The group sent word that they would stop the tour early in Los Angeles. The tour's promoter Tom Donahue then traveled to Los Angeles, to serve them papers that if they did not show up, they would be breaking a legal contract. The Beatles then relented.
"The Beatles were so tired and done," said photo archivist Amelia Davis. "They did not want to come to San Francisco at all."
Source: cbsnews.com/Molly McCrea
