Monday, August 29, 2005

The long and winding road ends at "The Stick"...

Brian Epstein was depressed up until showtime on the night of August 29, 1966. He would be the only one among the 25,000 plus fans that realized that the long and winding road was about to end for the Beatles that night at Candlestick Park in San Francisco...

The Beatles final U.S. concert took place on the 8th anniversary of the day George Harrison first appeared with the Quarrymen led by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was also on this date in 1964 that the Beatles drew 16,000 at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, their 5th New York City appearance that year...

How ironic for the Beatles to play their last U.S. date in San Francisco, where they started on August 19, 1964. Their first U.S. venue was the Cow Palace and they would end it all 2 years and 10 days later at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966. Read my commentary for some interesting memories of that final appearance...

More August 29 Memories...

1958) Alan Freed wraps up the summer with a "Big Beat Show" at the Brooklyn Fox...

1958) George Harrison joins the Quarrymen (mentioned in feature story)...

1958) The Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs...

1964) Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman" is released...

1964) Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" premieres...

1964) The Beatles perform in Forest Hills (mentioned in feature story)...

1965) 75-year old Met manager Casey Stengel retires after a 56-year career...

1966) The Beatles play their last U.S. date (feature story)...

1966) Mia Farrow quits "Peyton Place"...

1967) The final episode of "The Fugitive" airs...

1970) "Lola" by the Kinks is released...

1971) Paul & Linda McCartney top the charts with "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey"...

1973) President Richard M. Nixon is ordered to turn over the Watergate tapes...

1977) 3 people are arrested trying to steal Elvis Presley's body...

1977) Lou Brock breaks Ty Cobb's 49-year stolen base record with his 893rd swipe...

1982) Swedish film star Ingrid Bergman dies on her 67th birthday...

1982) The Steve Miller Band tops the charts with "Abracadabra"...

1996) Isaac Hayes asks presidential candidate Bob Dole to stop using his song "Soul Man" which Dole had changed to "I'm A Dole Man"...

2002) Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel is sentenced to 20 years to life for bludgeoning his teenage neighbor...

Happy Birthday to...

1923) Actor-director Richard Attenborough...

1936) Senator John McCain...

1938) Elliott Gould...

1941) Robin Leach...

1958) Michael Jackson...

1962) Rebecca DeMornay...

Commentary...

Some Beatle facts you may not have known: Lennon and McCartney wrote and recorded 105 songs together...they wrote 16 for other artists...The Beatles recorded 11 songs written by George Harrison...their last U.K. concert was at Wembley on May 1, 1965...their last single in Britain was released in February, 1970. It was "Let It Be"...their last American release was "The Long and Winding Road" released May 7, 1970...their last LP, "Let It Be" was released in the U.K. on May 8, 1970 and in America 7 days later...

Either totally oblivious or caught up in his emotions, Ringo Starr when asked his feelings about the Beatles last U.S. concert replied, "It was such a big time in my life, I don't remember it"...

You can save the whales by collecting the whole set...