Sunday, August 28, 2016

Fan recall the last concert in LA



Photo copyright held by Sara Schmidt 




My girlfriend’s father was a producer for Angel Records, Capitol’s classical label.  Capitol gave him four tickets, two on the field level.  The field seats were great; ten row up from the field.  When we sat down and saw that the stage was set up on second base, our hearts sank.  It looked miles away.  My girlfriend and I were intellectual Beatle fans, meaning we NEVER screamed; we really wanted to hear the music!
We observed Edward G. Robinson sitting two rows in front of us.  We didn’t realize he was so cool.  A few minutes before The Beatles came on; the crowd was in a frenzy.  Suddenly, Eddy G. stood up and walked out, and never returned!  I noticed he had cotton in his ears.
In the car we saw an ambulance leaving Dodger Stadium.  Later, we heard that’s how The Beatles left the Stadium.
--Linda


My ticket cost $6! I was seated right behind the third base dugout…pretty good seats for a ballpark.  I do remember The Remains, Bobby Hebb and the Ronettes.  Didn’t the Cyrkle also play that night?
I remember being jolted from head to toe when The Beatles were introduced and emerged from the dugout just below me.  The electricity was amazing.  The feeling when they emerged from the dugout was nothing like I’d ever felt just noise and excitement!  I turned to look over at my very cool older cousin, and the hair on the back of his neck was standing up!  He turned to look at me with a look of excitement and absolute wide-eyed amazement!
I was amazing at how well I could hear The Beatles over the din.  Remember that bass lick at the end of “Paperback Writer” where McCartney trills that note?  I could feel the power of his amp vibrating my seat. Fantastic!
The Beatles bolted off stage and ran into a tent that had been constructed just stage left, and then emerged a limo that maneuvered through the third base bullpen.  The kids, however, were waiting, and about 100 kids dropped from the stands onto the top of the limo.  Jeez.
--Gary

I saw The Beatles in Los Angeles in 1966.  My wife saw them in Chicago the same year.
Years later we both worked on McCartney’s recording projects and I met George Martin.  I got to ask Paul about the ’66 Los Angeles concert and he told me that they (The Beatles) were just as thrilled to play as we were to watch!
--Dave

I was at the Chavez Ravine (Dodger Stadium) show in Los Angeles and remember The Remains set pretty clearly, since it was the only decent rock and roll on the bill apart from the headliners.  I also remember a great line in the Los Angeles Times after the concert.  They sent their regular “grownup” columnist, Jack Smith to cover the show from an adult’s perspective, and in his droll way, he said something like, “the next group was called The Remains.  They DID look a little left-over.”
--Richard



I was a teenager and I went with my buddy, Chris Reed, whose real name is Bob Issacson, but we called him Chris Reed at the time.  We had on-lawn passes which we got form Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys and Earl Leaf, who was a photographer at the time.  Neal Aspinall had to sign them.  We were on the lawn by the stage.
When the show was over, we went downstairs in the dugout.  We got to meet and talk with The Beatles.  When they tried to leave Dodger Stadium the first time, they couldn’t get out.  They had to drive the limousine around by the gate and couldn’t get out.  So, they had to come back and wait awhile, and then try again.
Finally, everyone cleared out and The Beatles left and went to a gas station in an armored car.  They switched to a limousine at the gas station in Silver Lake on Sunset.  But, before they did that The Beatles stopped at a liquor store to pick up a few things like coke and chewing gum.  Then, we pulled into that same liquor store to get some Diet Rite and there was this dog in the store that started to growl at us.  We took out Beatle on-lawn passes and flashed them to the dog.  The dog quit growling.
I remember going to a party afterwards up on Curson to a big house, up on the hill above Hollywood Boulevard.  I remember I went with Jim McGuinn of The Byrds.   He gave me a ride up to the house.  He had a red Porsche.  We went in and all of The Beatles were there.
-Rodney Bingenheimer

I was there. Bobby Hebb followed by The Cyrkle, then the Beatles. From the time they walked across the field to the stage until after they were back in the tunnel you could hear nothing but the screams of the crowd.  –Lealea



 I attended the Beatles’ 1966 Dodger Stadium concert just 3 weeks before my 15th birthday. The year before, I had listened to a local AM (no FM rock stations in those days)rock station’s coverage (KRLA) of the group’s 1965 Hollywood Bowl concerts, and vowed not to miss them if they ever returned to L.A. for another show. When KRLA disc jockey Bob Eubanks announced he had again booked the Beatles, this time to play Dodger Stadium, I made sure that I had a ticket. It was unforgettable. I still have the ticket stub for my seat in Dodger Stadium’s Club Box level.
What a night…an unforgettable memory.  – “Bolthead”



3 comments:

  1. Just wanted to say thanks for this blog. Lots of fantastic info here! Keep up the good work!

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    1. Awww...you are so welcome. I honestly love finding the photos and stories that I put on this blog. I do it for myself more than for anyone else, so I am always pleased to know that others are enjoying it as much as I have.

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  2. Hello- My name is Gypsy. I cant believe I just found this. I saw the memory that Rodney Bingenheimer shared & it made me so happy, it brought tears to my eyes.
    His buddy, Chris Reed(Isaacson) is my Dad. Was my Dad...he has passed. I am fortunate enough to have had numerous stories & photos passed down to me. Rodney was & always will be family. Id love to thank him for keeping my Dad in his mind & heart & helping me keep his memory alive. My sincerest Thank You to you for this piece of history.

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