Paul You Make Me Happy

 September 25, 2008 - Israel 

You didn't have to be in attendance of this concert to have Paul make you happy.  I love that banner and completely agree.  I bet all of us here agree -- Paul makes us happy.   Thank you Paul!  

Last Play at Shea

I love this throw back to The 1966 Beatles Shea Stadium show.  

 July 18, 2008 -  I remember this being a huge news story 15 years ago.   At the time, I was on vacation to (where else) Disney World in Orlando, Florida and I saw clips of the concert in the hotel room before I left for the parks.   It must have been an amazing night! 

Paul Birthday over America in 1976

 June 16, 1976

The declaration

War is over and glasses are off

We love you Beatles!

An Apple a Day

Who is Aunt Milly and why should she come back

This photo taken by Mike McCartney shows Uncle Albert and Aunt Milly taking a rest at the McCartney home on Forthlin Ave in Liverpool.

Every time I watch the film of "All you need is love" I see a sign that says "Come Back Milly" and I wonder to myself.   "Who exactly is Milly?   Why does someone want her to come back?"     

The Milly in question is Jim McCartney's sister.    She was married to man named Albert Kendall, (Uncle Albert).        She must have been a special woman in Paul's life.    When Paul's mother, Mary passed away, it was Paul's aunties that really stepped up and helped out Jim take care of the household needs and the two young boys.      Paul honored her memory by giving the middle name of "Milly" to his youngest child, Beatrice.    (And here I thought it had something to do with her mother's last name!).        Aunt Millie was the only family member that was concerned when Paul was to marry Linda.    She wasn't sure about her nephew marrying an American woman.     Although maybe others in the family had concerns and only dear Auntie Milly had the guts to speak up and say something.      

In the spring of 1967, Milly traveled to Adelaide, Australia to visit her son, Jim.    There was some real worry in the family that Milly might decide to live in Australia and never return to England.  The McCartney's wanted to get a message to her to let her know that she is loved and missed at home and they want her to come back!

Her nephew, Paul was going to be on the first ever world-wide satellite broadcast with his band, The Beatles, performing their new song, "All you need is love."    This would be the perfect way to get the message across to Milly.    And so Paul painted a very simple sign that read "Come Back Milly!"

 photo by David Magnus

The sign was displayed during the broadcast and 400 million people around the globe saw it while they watched the Beatles perform. 

One of those 400 million people was, you guessed it Milly Kendall.   Angie McCartney wrote in her book, My Long and Winding Road,   "Milly told us she had not long arrived and was tired and exhausted from her journey.   But they had the telly on in the next room and she was half watching the screen when suddenly this placard came up.  She was flabbergasted , as at this stage we were not as tech saturated as we are now.   It was a real link between our two hemispheres."

No one knows if Milly really was going to stay in Australia indefinitely, but after a short time she came right back to England.    I guess you can say that the sign worked.    

Welcome the Beatles!

Tatum Verbeck is having the best month ever!

I would guess that  it will be a long time before Tatum Verbeck comes down out of the clouds.   She managed to do something that the majority of us only dream about.   She has met both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr all within the same month!

This 12 year old middle schooler is one luck girl!   She was called up onto the stage and held hands with Paul --who also kissed her on the cheek-- on October 6th during Paul's Sacramento concert.   Then on October 19th she went to Reno, where she was able to interview Ringo backstage before the show as a reporter for American Girl magazine.   The report I read claims that they "exchanged autographs," if that is correct, I would be highly surprised, as it would be the first autograph Ringo has given out to a fan since he declared no more autographs in 2008.

Tatum is a very lucky girl!!

Sold out yet again

Returning home

On July 8, 1966 the  Beatles returned to London from their tour of Germany and the Far East.    They were mobbed by their adoring British fans, which was most likely both annoying and refreshing.

a Hard Day's Wait in Liverpool

the Beatles come to Portland

Those who want it

I go Ringo!

I guess they picked the girl (Elaine)  with the sign to stand in front of the fence?   Lucky for her.   Maybe Ringo saw her and her sign.     You go Elaine with your Ringo sign. 

Home sweet home

And so the Beatles made it back home to London on September 21, 1964 after a long but successful tour of the United States.   When they arrived back home their were fans screaming and waving signs for them---happy that they returned safely.     The Beatles looks a little weary and were going to have a little time to rest up before they would---what else?   Start their UK autumn tour!

They waited outside

On September 20, 1964, The Beatles performed at a charity event at New York's Paramont Theater.   The event was to raise money for United Cerebral Palsy and Retarded Infants Services (a name that no organization would use today!!).  This concert was not part of the offical 1964 tour and it did not have the same opening acts as the other stops in the United States.  However, this concert is considered part of the tour as it was the very last performance the Beatles gave in the United States in 1964. 

It was a small venue that only had room for about 3,500 or so people.  It was much closer in comparison to the size that the Beatles were used to performing to in the UK.   Being a charity event, the tickets were expensive.   While the ticket itself might have been listed as $1.50,  you were to give a donation upwards to $100.   In 1964 that was an extremely large amount of money to spend for a concert.   Many fans were not able to attend this show because of the price mixed with the fact that the show was on a school night and they had JUST seen the Beatles in concert less than a month before at Forest Hills.

While some fans did get in to see the show, those that were not able to secure a ticket did the the next best thing:   they stood outside of the theater and screamed.    What else was there to do?  4,000 fans stood out and screamed for their favorite 4 boys.

The young girl in the middle of the sign that says "Beatles please stay here 4-ever" was in love with George Harrison.    That girl is Penelope Rowlands who had written a book called The Beatles are Here!    She was 13 years old at the time   At the time her mother was off on a Honeymoon with her new husband and told her young Beatlemaniac daughter not to go down to see the Beatles while she was gone.   Penelope's love for George was so strong that she just HAD to disobey and go into New York City alone to see her man.    Her passion was deep, as was her dislike of her new step-father and the Beatles and all that came with them that summer was a release and an escape from the changes in her life.   Of course when this photograph was printed in the paper, Penelope was busted----but the photo is a classic!

Another fan named Thom said this in the youtube comments fora short news clip about the show: 

"I was there outside the theater with hundreds of other kids waiting for them to arrive. I watched John and Paul get out of a big black car from just a few yards away. It was very scary because a squad of police on horseback tried to hold us back without much success. "

We've arrived in the windy city!