John on stage

 

Hello Atlanta!

Good Rockin' Tonight!

Johnny B. Good

Peace in the Neighbourhood

Dark Horse over Detroit

Beatles live

Where are the performing where so many older looking people are up at the stage and not even looking at the Beatles?

The Bitch is Back

What was the last song John Lennon ever performed live in front of a paying audience?   He encore of "The Bitch is Back"  at the 1974 Elton John concert.

Good Rockin' tonight

Prayers for Manchester

Beatles in Manchester in 1964 for a TV show 

Beatles concert Manchester 1965

Wings backstage in Manchester in 1975

Paul and Linda backstage in Manchester during the 1979 Wings UK tour 

Paul plays Manchester in 2011

Ringo in Manchester in 2011

Words escape me in regards to the terrible tragedy that unfolded tonight in Manchester, England at the Ariana Grande concert.      As music lovers, we go to concerts to have a fun time and have a temporary escape from the real world.     Some of the most fun I have had and some of the best memories of my life have been at concerts.     The fans that went to that show tonight should have had a good night and gone home.    But 19 people won't be going home and others are in hospitals.  

The scary thing is that it could have been any of us.     A terrorist (and to me anyone who intends on killing people is a terrorist) can go to any concert, even a Paul McCartney concert, and do the unthinkable.     Is this going to stop us from going?    I sure hope not.       While you can't prevent a terrible event from happening, you can make sure that when you are in a large crowd that you are aware of your surroundings.    Always locate your nearest exit and have a mental plan on how you will get out if need be before the show starts.    Have a "if we get separated" plan with family and friends that you are attending with.     And go with your gut feeling.   If someone or something doesn't seem right, it most likely isn't and you need to tell someone in authority about it.  


My tear-filled prayers go out to everyone that was at this concert.    I pray for those who are injured and that they heal quickly.   I pray for the family and friends of those who were murdered tonight and that they can find out the information quickly and have peace.  


We need peace and love now more than ever.

Footlights

Seems to be a rather tame audience at a Beatles concert.....

Paul is live

Photo scanned from the collection of Sara Schmidt 

August 13, 1972

Made for each other---Paul and Linda in Wings on August 13, 1972

The Beatles live

First Rock Concert

You just never know where you will find a Beatles story.   My Dad found this story of a fan that attended the 1964 Cow Palace show in the July/August 2015 issue of AARP magazine.    

What I really know.....about first Rock Concerts
By June Willis

When I was 14 years old, I fell in love with the Beatles.  I couldn't eat, sleep or concentrate on schoolwork because my mind was on the Fab Four.

One day I heard on the radio that the Beatles were going to perform at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.  I couldn't believe it -- I lived very close by.   All I had to do was secure a ticket and beg my parents to let me go.

My folks said that the Beatles were just a fad.   but the finally relented.  My dad used his connections at the Cow Palace to get tickets -- a whopping $6.50 for the best seats -- for me and my friend Marissa.  I paid for my ticket with my allowance.

On August 19, 1964, Marissa's father drove us to the concert.  We were going to breathe the same air as John, Paul, George and Ringo (yeah yeah yeah)!.   We knew the Beatles loved jelly beans, so we went with a supply of them.

We jumped to our feet and started screaming when Paul appeared on stage with the others.  They started singing "Twist and Shout."  It was pandemonium for a solid 40 minutes.  We screamed, cried, threw jelly beans and sang with our idols.

Fifty years later, I still get goose bumps thinking about my first concert, and with a band that revolutionized music.  I was part of history -- if only for one night. 

Performance in Nice, France

Not a whole lot of photos from this concert available---but I was able to locate a few from the wings.

Performing in Rome in 1965

Showtime in Genoa