Seeing Ringo on home turf -- Sara's concert review

 

There is just something special about seeing a Beatle in your town.   Something special about hearing him say the name of your town on the stage.    It just is a neat experience and was something I got to do this past Friday night when Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band came to St. Louis, Missouri and performed at the Fox Theater.   

The last time Ringo Starr came to St. Louis was in the summer of 2001.   He had played at the Fox Theatre that time as well and I did not go to that concert.   I had seen him the summer before, at Riverport Amphitheater from the 4th row.    I was in a tough place financially in 2001 and thought I could skip the concert that year and make it the next time he was in town.   I had no clue that it was take him 13 years to return to St. Louis!    

Before I knew that he was coming to St. Louis, I had already bought VIP  tickets for the show in Mississippi in July.   This concert was the same band and the exact same set list as the show I had seen in Mississippi.   My feelings towards the band members and the song list did not change at all.  So I will not get a whole lot into the songs this time.  But here was my experience.

My mom and I got down to the Fox Theater in St. Louis and walked past the City Diner, which is next to the Fox.  Who do we see?  None other than our Beatle friend, Lanea Staggs and her daughter and niece.   We squeezed past the crowd at the door and got into the booth with them and had a meal.  If you are in St. Louis, I would recommend this restaurant because it is a fun place.  It is decorated in 50's and 60's kitchen decor, with lava lamps on the tables.  They were playing Beatles music while we ate.   It was a fun way to get even more excited about seeing Ringo!

The Fox is a beautiful theater.   I have seen tons of Broadway plays there, but very few concerts.  There was a table of Ringo merchandise for sale and only one guy running the table.   It was packed!  There were tons of people with credit cards and they were having issues.   Word of wisdom:  if you go to a concert and plan on buying merchandise, always bring cash.  It is much easier for everyone.   There is a funny story about me throwing money at the guy and running up the stairs, trying not to push any old people with canes as I went to my seat.  

My mom decided to see if the Fox had free wifi, and she found Ringo's wifi listed!   This got us so excited!  We tried to guess his password without any luck.   Haha!

 

This time we did not sit on the floor, instead we sat in the Mezzanine, which was cheaper and we had a better view of Ringo playing the drums.   I have no problem with the location of the seats, but gosh the people around me were boring!    No one stood up the entire show.   No one!    I wanted to dance, but I couldn't because people were behind me.   Seriously!?!     But we did have an amazing shot of Ringo playing the drums (unlike in the 2nd row).

Ringo sings "Boys"  photo by Sara Schmidt

Ringo was so entertaining!   He kept laughing and joking around.  He seemed to really be in a good mood Friday night.   The thing I really like about Ringo's performance is that you can tell that he doing it because he wants to.  He is having fun.     He isn't trying to impress critics or anything like that, he is just playing because he loves to play.    I feel like that comes across in his concert and I appreciate it. 

By the time Ringo got to "Yellow Submarine" I started to feel a bit emotional.   Here was Ringo performing a song that was written by Lennon-McCartney and I am singing it along with him.   I just hit me that we don't know how much longer Ringo will be performing.   And while I hope it is for a long time to come, it won't last forever.   And I realized that there will be a time when I will cherish the moment of singing "Yellow Submarine" with Ringo in the town where I live.   I know it is silly,  but I think about that sort of thing....just how special it was for me to be there at that moment.

I about died when Todd asked if Beatle Bob was in the audience!  Beatle Bob!   He is at every single concert in St. Louis (and elsewhere because he was in Arkansas as well) and he dances this crazy dance for every. single. song.    And there they were talking about him on the stage!   

Todd and Ringo   Photo by Sara Schmidt

Ringo and the band talked several times about how they singed "the wall" backstage and how Ringo knew that he had played there before because he found his name on "the wall."    I have never been backstage at the Fox Theater, but my mom tells me that you can take a tour of the place and go backstage and see "the Wall."  It might be worth it to see what Ringo and the rest of the band wrote!  

I have to say again, like I did in about the Mississippi show, that Richard Page (from Mister Mister) is a great singer!   I can't believe how he sounds just like the guy I would hear on the radio in the 1980's.  His voice hasn't changed at all.   

Richard and Ringo.  Photo by Sara Schmidt

I really want to encourage everyone to see Ringo in concert.   I have read that Ringo's ticket sales have really gone up this summer.   That is great news!   I have heard that a lot of people, however, are skipping Ringo's concert because Ringo's show isn't as good as Paul's and because Ringo doesn't change his set list.    Paul and Ringo both put on great shows, but they are vastly different.   Ringo isn't Paul and Ringo's ticket prices show it.   But come on, guys, Ringo is so good!   You really need to see him and appreciate the greatest drummer in rock n roll.

Peace and Love!

Peace and Love Ringo!   Photo by Sara Schmidt

*All photos (except for the one of Richard and Ringo by the Wall) were taken by me, Sara Schmidt.  Please ASK ME before you post any of my photos on your facebook or blog.   I will say yes, but I just like to know it before I see my photo just out there.   Thanks for understanding!  

One to One revisited

Lately I have been interested in one of the few concerts John Lennon did as a solo artist:  The One to One concert in August of 1972.    There are rumors floating around of it being re-released on Bluray and cleaned up with a new Cd of the concert and all of that.    I hope it is true, because this really is one of the few times we get to see John perform by himself.   I found this review in the Sept/Oct issue of "5 bites of the apple."   I love the reviews that were written for the fan magazine right after the concerts, because they aren't biased at all (if someone was terrible they are going to tell you) and because they have that fan element to them (throwing panties on stage isn't something you will read about in any other type of publication!).  

One to One concert

By Barbara and Marie

5 Bites of the Apple

September/October 1972

Now here is a story about a very beautiful day in the life of John Lennon and some beautiful people.  As you all know, John held a concert for the retarded children of Willowbrook, which was an extremely generous act on his part.  (Remember I suggested to Geraldo Rivera in April that he ask John to give a concert for those kids, and he said that he would?  Weird—something I had an idea about actually happened!)

Anyway here is our story.  On Wednesday morning, August 30 (1972) around 10am Marie, Ann R. and I arrived in NYC, ready and willing to see John’s concert.  We met Char M. and Casey O. at Penn Station and then went to John’s house in hopes that we would catch a glimpse of him before the concert.  We didn’t.  From there we went back to the Garden to begin our long day’s journey into night.  There was already a big crowd.  Souvenirs were being sold (t-shirts with ‘One to One’ and J&Y imprinted in it).  We found our seats, waited through a very, very long delay and when the lights went out and Geraldo came on, jumping, laughing, obviously very happy with himself.  Everyone moved down from their original seats (we ended up with $15 seats for our $5 ticket.  They were fantastic!).  Sha na na came on first, doing their “50’s” bit, and it was really great.  They were an excellent act.  After literally hours, (simply changing the stage) Stevie Wonder came on (we were thrilled, let me tell you!).  It was long and dragged out.  After another long delay, Geraldo came on and announced Elephant’s Memory (they weren’t very good) and we finally saw John behind the stage.  At last, around 5pm in the darkness a loud, exhilarated “Power to the People” came on and everyone stood up cheering and clapping, a drum roll, and suddenly the lights were on and there was John singing, “New York City”—the great feeling within was too much to describe.  Some screamed, some cried and everyone was excited.  It was really an emotional experience.  There was John, in cowboy boots, green army jacket, and blue sunglasses, looking very sexy.  I can’t explain the feeling of ecstasy in our hearts just watching that man move his body. It went on for 1 ½ hours.  Someone was shouting “Ringo” and John said, “Someone shouting Ringo that was last year, or four years ago.” (Whichever way you want to take it.)  During one of Yoko’s numbers, “Open your box” (yes, exactly—it’s rather obscene) John spread his legs in a very sexual manner and proceeded to pull his zipper down!!!  So we proceeded to throw our underwear down on him.  Haha!  

He dropped his guitar and said “Welcome to the rehearsal.”  He said he would probably remember the words to “Come Together” better than he did and once he said “Come together --- over me” and waved his hands in a queer way.  (It was a joke, but made us sick because of something we saw happening backstage before he went on).  He was very good.

John ended the concert with “You ain’t Nothin’ but a Hound dog.”  He left the stage and he left us in a daze.  To think, this was only the beginning!  We had another one to go through.  We met Linda at Apple, ate a hamburger, got sick, went hysterical, and then made our way back to the Garden.  The wait was even longer this time.  And this time, we had to sit through a very poor performance by Roberta Flack.  God, it was really awful, and all our nerves were on edge.  We kept taking walks out in the hall, just to get out of there.  At midnight, on the nose, John made his second appearance.  Our seats were fantastic (thanks to Barbara who waited in line all night for them) and by that time we were literally out of our minds.  I have this 300mm telephoto lens and could examine everything on his body, which didn’t bother me too much.  One he said “this is form one of those albums that I made since I left the Rolling Stones.”  That killed me!  During “Mother” John seemed to be getting upset – emotionally.  We were dying.   All this was being filmed and so was the audience.  John was drinking a lot of Miller beer and was kinda tipsy from it, so he was joking around and all.  Just like the old John.   Added treat at the end was when they sang “Give Peace a chance” and all the lights went on and everyone stood, danced and joined in (John had put on an army helmet for it).  It was great.   We noticed John looked at us and staring.  We thought we were just imagining it, and that he just happened to look our way, but then he smiled and we knew he was looking at us.  He danced off the stage and so ended the concert. 

  It was now after 1:30am and I went to the party afterwards at the Tavern on the Green.  Bob Dylan was there, along with other celebrities and John’s friends.  John went into a separate room.  At 4:30 I saw him out.  Lynn G. had a tambourine (they were throwing them in the audience) and Yoko remarked that she wished she had one.  Which John repeated.  Lynn offered hers, but they said, “No” because she’d want one for herself.  She told him she had two anyway, so he took it and was very grateful.   He looked rather stoned, but fantastic as always.  It was a hard day’s night!

Concert photos

These photos were taken in Las Vegas and then sold for $1.00 each at another concert stop  (not officially of course) in 1964.  I bought them for more than that from ebay many months ago.   I think they really are a neat piece of original Beatles memorabilia.

Hey Hey Hey ---Sara's review of the Paul McCartney concert in Kansas City

I wasn't supposed to see Paul in Kansas City, Missouri on July 16, 2014.    I was supposed to see Paul in Louisville, Kentucky on June 26th.  However, when Paul got sick and had to re-schedule the Louisville show, I was no longer able to travel down to see it.   I really can't travel 6 hours south on a Tuesday in October.    So I started to look for another date that worked for me in this tour and Kansas City seemed to be the best fit.

I was not sitting on the floor for this show.   I was in section 101, which is the first section past the floor seating.   I had seats that were in the center and had a wonderful view of Paul the entire time.   These were basically the same seats I had when I saw Paul in St. Louis in 2012.    You really get a different concert from the floor and the stadium seating.    When you see Paul on the floor, you are obviously part of the action.   You are an active participant in the concert.   He appears to make eye contact with you and those around you.    Everyone stands for the entire concert and you can tell from the dancing and singing that the people with you are Paul fans and love him with the same passion that you do.     When you sit up in the stadium seating, most of the people remain seated for a big part of the concert.    They do stand a bit for some of the songs, but you are sitting for most of the show.   There were times that I wanted to stand, but I felt like it would have been rude to those behind me.   You feel so far away from Paul.    While I could see him so well, there was a disconnect for sure.   And you are sitting near a majority (not all) of people who like Paul because he was in the Beatles and Wings and are not familiar with any of his solo work.    The plus side of having seats farther away is that you get to enjoy the show aspect.    When I was sitting in the 4th row last year, I did not know that when Paul sang, "Here Today" it looked like he was standing on a waterfall.   I was too close to notice it.  However,  by having seats farther back,  it was neat to see.    You can make out all of the photos farther back and enjoy the laser lights much better.  


Paul sang most of the songs that he has been singing in concert the past few years.  However, he has cut some of the Wings numbers to add in some songs from "New."   He sang "Save Us,"  "New" "Queenie Eye" and "Everybody Out There."   I was sorry to see "Junior's Farm" and "Mrs. Vanderbilt" leave the set list.    However, the songs from "New" sounded really great!    I love the "New" background and Paul and the band really, really seemed to enjoy playing the songs.

Some things that I noticed specifically to the Kansas City Show.    Paul did not read any of the signs out loud.   I saw all sorts of people down front holding signs, and I saw Paul pointing to them, but he did not ever look out and read any of the signs.     Someone had thrown a pair of panties up on the stage and Paul picked them up and said something about how it wasn't a Tom Jones show and this had never happened before.   I seriously doubt that in 2014 Paul McCartney had his first pair of women's panties thrown on the stage!!   But it was a really funny part of the show.    Paul seemed to be a bit more talkative between songs.   He mostly stuck to his script, but there were a few little things that I think he added and he in general seemed to be a tad bit more chatty.

When he sang "My Valentine,"  he dedicated it to Nancy who he said was in the audience and he pointed towards her.    I thought the KC crowd was extremely rude during this song.  It looked like a mass exodus of people.   Everyone must have thought "My Valentine" is a code song for "bathroom and drink" break.    Actually, I was surprised how much people were leaving their seats throughout the concert.    If it wasn't a Beatles song, it seems like people were leaving.    There were some people in my row that were constantly coming and going.  They were coming back with popcorn and hot dogs and who knows what else.   Whenever I go to a Paul show, I stay in my seat the entire time.  I do not want to miss a thing!    Those tickets are extremely expensive!  I can eat popcorn or go use the bathroom later---you only have so many chances to see Paul McCartney in person.

Paul messed up the words on "We can work it out."  He sang, "Only time will tell if I am wrong or I am wrong...."    He always seems to have a hard time with lyrics to that one.      Overall Paul sounded good, but by the time he sang "Day Tripper," you could tell that his voice was getting tired.   Personally I did not think "Helter Skelter" sounded very good because Paul's voice just sounded like it was ready to give out.   

Of course the real treat of the night was Paul performing "Kansas City (Hey Hey Hey )" which he did instead of "Hi Hi Hi."    He sang the "Beatles" version of the song with the crowd all doing the echo part.   This might be one of my favorite personal Beatle memories of my life.   Just something about singing the song Kansas City along with Paul in Kansas City----you just can't beat that!

If you haven't seen Paul during this tour, you have to go!   I know it is extremely expensive.   I know it is often in the middle of the week.   But you will regret it for the rest of your life if you miss out on this tour.     If you go and happen to have sensitive eyes, you will want to bring along some sunglasses.    There are a lot of bright lights and strobe lights that go out into the audience.   My mom has eye problems and the lights were really hurting her eyes until she got her sunglasses out of her purse and then she could see Paul and not be blinded.    So if any of you have eye problems....I thought I would pass along that advice.

Have fun out there!

*All photos were taken by Sara Schmidt.  Please ask before you use these photos elsewhere (and I always say yes!)

Ringo Starr and the All Starr Band -- Sara's VIP concert review

Hello Beatle fans!   I just returned from seeing Ringo and His All Starr Band in concert the other night and I know you all would like to hear about it.

I have seen Ringo in concert twice before.   The first time was in 1995 and the 2nd time was in 2000.   I was long overdue to see a Ringo show.  When Ringo's tour was announced early in 2014, I decided that I was going to pick a date and go.   I decided upon the concert in Tunica, Mississippi simply because I had driven through Tunica a few times in the past few years and I knew how to get there.   Tunica, Mississippi isn't near where I live.   It is about a 6 hour drive.   I bought two VIP tickets (one for myself and one for my Ringo loving mom).   The Ringo VIP tickets are much cheaper than the Paul tickets and you do not get much extra for them.   About a week before the concert I got a package with my Ringo swag from UPS.  Here is what you get:  Ringo t-shirt, Ringo poster, laminate with tour dates on it, and canvas Ringo bag.   

 

So we drive down to Tunica, Mississippi, which is a really big gambling town.   I was able to get a hotel room in the place where the concert was held, which was the Horseshoe casino and hotel.    I am not used to staying at a casino.  I have never been to Vegas.   I sort of felt out of place.

After checking in and finding our room, we find the box office because we have to pick up our VIP tickets.   The lady behind the ticket counter has a roll of blank tickets and she takes out her green sharpie marker and writes out our tickets.   I found this to be really strange.  

Our room was on the 2nd floor of the hotel.   We heard some music coming out of one of the executive rooms.   My mom jokingly asked a man leaving the room, "Is Ringo in there?"   The man said, "Yeah---he is doing his sound check right now."   We couldn't believe our luck!   So we stood outside of the room and listened to the soundcheck.   We didn't hear a lot of songs, but we did hear "Africa" and "Boys" and then a bunch of just random jamming.    It was really neat.

I have to confess that I did not care who was playing in the All Starr Band.   I came to see Ringo.   And while I like to think that I listen to a variety of music, the real truth is that I don't.    I guess I just spent most of my time listening to the Beatles or solo music.   So when I looked at the list of who was playing with the All Starr Band, I honestly didn't know who they were.     The band was made up of Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie, Todd Rundgren, Richard Page, Warren Ham, and Gregg Bissonette.

Our seats were in the 2nd row as part of the VIP deal.   When we got there, a group of people were lined up and waiting to for the "meet and greet."    I do not know how they got that deal.   I tried to ask a few of the people in the line and they either ignored me or one person said, "we got our tickets way in advance."   When I told her that I had ordered my tickets the day they came out in March and had VIP and didn't see anything else listed, she chuckled at me.    So I know that in some select cities (New York, Chicago and L.A.) fans were meeting Ringo through the art show.    I had not heard of any other meet and greet opportunities.   And frankly I will never understand all of the secrecy that occurs in the Beatle community.   I saw the same type of behavior at the Paul concert.   If you got the "meet and greet" tickets because you know someone or whatever....why is that a secret?  

Ringo's show started promptly at 8:00pm.   I appreciate him starting on time.     He started right with "Matchbox."    It was so exciting to see Ringo in person!    He even pointed to me during this first song.    Ringo really seems at ease on stage.   And he REALLY interacts with the audience.    He is always waving and pointing and giving peace signs to his fans, even the ones in the back of the auditorium.   I love that!   I think it really makes for a special concert.  Ringo then sang two more songs (It don't come easy and Wings) before he moved to the drums and allowed the All Starrs to perform.

I loved being in the 2nd row, but on the other hand it was sort of a bad place because it was so close.  I had to look up to see everyone and my view of Ringo on the drums was terrible!   

This is what I got to see of Ringo on the drums

The All Starrs are a really good band.   They obviously have a great relationship with each other.   It is apparent that they aren't just individuals that are performing, but they have worked together to become a tight band.    Richard Page, who was the lead singer for Mister Mister has an amazing voice.  He sounds JUST like he did when I would listen to Hot 97 radio in the 1980's as a kid.   Todd Rundgren has great stage presence.   He is all over that stage, playing to the entire house.   And his song "Bang the drum all day" is just so much fun.   I am very familiar with that song, but I guess I just never knew who sang it.

Ringo sang and played "Boys" while on the drums and then moved to the keyboard and began "Don't Pass me by," which he finished out in front.   He sounded really good on this classic song from the White Album.   Then he sang everyone's favorite, "Yellow Submarine."    During this song, Ringo noticed my mom's t-shirt that said, "Ringo Rocks."   He motioned his finger over his chest and pointed and my mom and gave her a thumbs up!   He liked her shirt!  My mom was thrilled.   Her favorite Beatle for the past 50 years noticed her.  It really was a thrill. 

If I had to complain about anything it would be the long instrumentals that the band played.   I realize that most everyone in the crowd loved them, but I just don't get into long guitar riffs.   Those Santana songs are long and I think that is why I never could get into Santana.   I tend to like the typical pop song that is 3 minutes long.    I found myself sitting there while they went on and on wondering when Ringo was going to sing again.  

And Ringo did sing some more.   When he sang "Anthem" he noticed that I was making a peace sign.  I enjoy many of the songs on Ringo 2012 and I think it is one of his better albums of the past decade.   Then he went into "Honey Don't."

Ringo left the stage completely during the song "Oye Como Va."  But he returned to his drums for "I wanna be your man," which he dedicated to "All the ladies."

After a few more All Starr performances, Ringo finished the night with "Photograph." "Act Naturally," and "Help from my Friends."    He then left the stage and the band kept singing "Give Peace a Chance."   Ringo returned for a short period of time without his jacket on and sang a few choruses and then left again.   The band took a bow, and I sort of thought Ringo would have made one more appearance to bow with them, but he did not.  

Just a few more thoughts--I couldn't believe how many people were there with Beatles albums and autograph books seriously thinking that Ringo was going to sign for them.   Do these people not know Ringo?   If they want his autograph, he was selling them for $500 for the Loctus foundation.   That is the only way you can get his signature.   Like it or not---that is how it is.   There were also people walking around the front of the stage a lot.   One woman was trying to give one of the band members a beer and another guy was trying to shake Ringo's hand.   I just thought it was strange.  

If you haven't seen a Ringo concert in awhile, it is well worth going to.   He really gels with this band and they are extremely good.    I am going to see them again on October 3rd when they come to St. Louis.  


*All photos were taken by Sara or Coral Schmidt.  Please ask before you use the photos (I will say yes).

The last concerts of the tour

The Beatles were overall happy with the success of their first World Tour.    They were tired and ready for a small break, but gave their last four concerts in Brisbane as much energy as they gave their first concert of the tour. 

Concert memories
I was there. At The Beatles very first concert in Brisbane, Monday, June 29, at 6pm. My boss gave me half a day off work. He should have given me the next day off too because I totally lost my voice from screaming.
“I arrived at 2pm. None of my friends or workmates seemed to be interested in seeing the Fab Four. But when I got to Festival Hall, I was soon part of a huge group of ‘friends’, all united in our love of The Beatles.
“We could hear a band rehearsing inside. And were convinced it was the Fab Four. Another girl and I dashed up the steps and were amazed to find the door open. We went inside and started to run up the aisle. A huge policeman ran after us. He stood on the back of my knee-length leather boots, causing me to stumble. He grabbed me, marched me outside and literally threw me back down the stairs.
“I picked myself up off the footpath, hoping no TV channels were there to capture my fast exit. Because if my parents saw it, I knew I would be grounded for life.’’

And then … “Suddenly, there they were. The place went into meltdown. We screamed and screamed through the whole half-hour The Beatles were on stage. The girl next to me fainted. We ignored her. If she couldn’t hack the pace, too bad. A girl sitting behind me slumped on me, sobbing, ‘George, George.’
“I decided to get up on my seat to dance, followed by a few other girls. Once more a large policeman spoiled my fun. He came to the end of the row, shouting ‘sit down’. We couldn’t hear him. But his hand gestures were plain enough. Our generation had been raised to obey the police. So we all sat down.

“It was over in a blink. Did I hear any of the songs? No. Did I enjoy it? You bet I did. Best night ever. The Beatles 4 ever. Yeah Yeah Yeah!’’  --Sylvia W.

“I loved George, however I was convinced Paul was singing to me and me alone. There was a lady and her daughter next to me and at the end of the show she thanked me for not screaming. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I screamed all the way through. I later received a prize for an essay at school and bought a book of John Lennon’s sketches and poetry. I still have the book.’’ --Rae M.

We couldn’t hear much for the screaming but I remember John pleading with the audience to keep quiet for at least one song and they did. Girls were fainting everywhere. When we were leaving I took a wrong door and we virtually walked into the boys as they were getting into a car to leave. They all smiled and said hello! Our turn to nearly faint. By the way, I still have my ticket.’’--Bev K.

Information

"Remembering the Beatles in Brisbane" by Noel Mengel for the Courier Mail

The concerts where no one got onstage

The Beatles performed two concerts in Dunedin.   And for the two sets of 20 minutes that the Beatles were on stage, a total frenzy broke out among the fans.  During the 6:00 show, Several hundred fans rushed the stage but were stopped by 30 policemen who were standing shoulder to shoulder and ready to stop the mob.   During the first song of the Beatles set, "I saw her standing there,"  around 12 female fans tried to dive onto the stage, but none of them were successful because the stage was too high.   There were a few minor scuffles and when the fans realized that they were not going to be able to get to the Beatles, they began jumping, dancing, screaming and reaching their hands towards the Beatles.    At one point, the helmets fell off of some of the police and the fans began kicking them around like footballs.

The 8:00pm crowd was extremely loud and made the floor shake from all of the jumping and dancing.  Paul and George both attempted to quiet the fans, but their attempts just made the screams even louder.  


Here are some first hand accounts from those who were there:
  I was a schoolboy with hairy legs and blazing acne at The 8pm Show in Dunedin after sleeping outside the D.I.C. for tickets. We  were in the 8th row from the front and when the Beatles came on - we were at the BACK … hysteria took over - it was Beatlemania.

It was "life changing" … Fab, Gear and Groovy - NZ and certainly Dunedin had never seen anything like it … even the King of Thailand's royal visit to the city paled into insignificance. Anyway … still have my Beatles programme - and was lucky enough to have lunch with George Harrison in Auckland in the 80s when he was out here promoting the book by their chief press guy Alistair Taylor (sic) … that was fun.

At the concert we were about 8 rows from the front and I remember there was this young girl near us and she had a knitted cap with "Ringo" on it.  She threw it up on the stage and John Lennon picked it up and threw it to Ringo.  He caught it on his drumstick and popped it on his head -- and this girl just fainted.  She just passed out.  It was all to much.  Here was Ringo with her hat on his head. --Wayne Mowat





After finding my seat in the front row of the choir stalls of the Dunedin Town Hall, I looked over the edge and realized that I was really, really close to the stage. There was only a short distance from me to where one of The Beatles would be standing!
I sat down but still did not believe that John, Paul, George and Ringo were going to walk on to this stage. I couldn't believe that they had arrived from Britain and were in Dunedin.
It was too big to comprehend!

The entrance to the stage on the left was there; I could see it but no way were they going to walk through there! This was all a dream! If they are really here and do come out from there and walk across the stage towards me, how could I be noticed? How could one girl, amidst 3000 screaming fans, stand out?

I had to be seen by them! I didn't come all this way to not make contact. I had it! I would not scream! I would sit still and quiet and admire them. I wouldn't hear them but I had all their music at home, so that didn't matter.

The screams reached a crescendo that I'd never heard before and there they were, walking across the Dunedin Town Hall stage towards Me! Man, this was unreal!

There they were, in the flesh, their beautiful faces, their beautiful hair flowing, shining, their young, beautiful bodies dressed in the coolest gear in the world! Suits, white shirts and skinny ties were so them!

Their first number; hard to figure which one because nothing was heard except the screams; screams forming a wall of sound, in the air, trapped in the space, unrelenting but there was John, standing just below me, side on to me, so near.

I took a breath and yelled, not a scream but the loudest yell I 'd ever yelled! 'JOHN, JOHN, UP HERE!The unbelievable happened; he turned and looked up, he reached out his most beautiful, talented hand and I reached down!! For a magic moment our hands touched, my hand touched that of John Lennon of The Beatles ...and he smiled!

That was it! That moment was burned into my brain 50 years ago and remains a 'memory gem' which I carry with me. - Patsy K



Further to the Dunedin car journey to the Beetles venue – my then boyfriend (now husband) and I were walking through the octagon on the evening of the concert – aware of the screaming fans waiting around the other side of the town hall – at the front entrance.

Suddenly a car came flat out the wrong way to the back door of the town hall.  Exactly where we were standing the 4 Beetles popped out of the car clutching their guitars.  They said – “shhh don’t tell anyone” as they ran in through the back door.

We were the only people there and had a great view.-- Jenny W.



I was 19 at the time and with a group of friends in the crowd outside the City Hotel in Princes Street, Dunedin. There was sporadic singing going on but I finally got the crowd singing “We Love You Beatles” and directed it from the barrier.  ‘We love you, Beatles, Oh, yes, we do, We love you, Beatles, And we'll be true’ by the Carefrees. As I recall we made enough noise to bring the boys out to the open windows to wave. That of course further inflamed the crowd.

Some of the crowd then migrated to the Town Hall and my friend Neil and I were looking for a way to climb up to the windows on the Harrop Street side but there was no way in. Not to be outdone we mingled with the crowd coming down the stairs out of the 6.30 pm show and made our way up to the toilets on the mezzanine floor where we stood on one of the toilet seats in the “mens”.  That was so our legs wouldn’t be seen under the doors. Once we heard the show had started we waltzed out of the toilets, through the door to the mezzanine and stood just inside beside a policeman.  We like to think we had the best view in the house, especially since it didn’t cost.  My wife-to-be was in the stalls with her wee sister, now 60 years old. They had to pay of course.  -- Brian D