The stadium doors opened at 6.21pm, and the 34,000 ticket holders began to arrive. Three barrier lines had been erected by police between the stands and the field, and 150 policemen were on hand to keep the fans from charging the stage.
An Atlanta company, Baker Audio, had been hired to supply the sound system for the concert. They brought all their available speakers, which they clustered on the field at first and third base.
John Lennon and George Harrison surveyed the venue from the third base dug-out, un-noticed by fans. They were joined by Neil Aspinall, who told them how to get to the stage for showtime, and where their car would be positioned at the end. Lennon and Harrison then returned backstage where The Beatles changed into matching white shirts and blue suits.
The concert’s comperes were Tony Taylor and Paul Drew of WQXI AM. The first act was Brenda Holloway with the King Curtis band, followed by go-go dance troupe The Discotheque Dancers, Cannibal & The Headhunters, and Sounds Incorporated.
The Beatles took to the stage at 9.37pm, running from the dug out as the crowd erupted in screams. They played 12 songs: ‘Twist And Shout’, ‘She’s A Woman’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’, ‘Ticket To Ride’, ‘Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘Baby’s In Black’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, ‘Help!’ and ‘I’m Down’.
By 1965 The Beatles had become used to being unable to hear themselves play. FB ‘Duke’ Mewborn, the boss of Atlanta hi-fi store Baker Audio, decided to give the group something that had never been done before: monitor speakers on the stage, pointing towards the group, to allow them to hear their voices and instruments.
It was adequate. We got over it, we were on top of it. You could hear them amidst the screaming.
It wasn’t just on stage that the sound was different. The state-of-the-art setup on the field included four Altec 1570 amplifiers, each giving 175 watts of sound, which in turn powered two stacks of Altec A7 speakers. Although unremarkable today, in 1965 it was an unheard of amount of power for a pop concert.
The difference was noted from the stage, with Paul McCartney exclaiming after She’s A Woman: “It’s loud, isn’t it? Great!”
Being able to hear themselves enabled The Beatles to play tighter than usual, and they were delighted with the results. Afterwards Brian Epstein suggested that Mewborn deal with the sound for their other shows, but the offer was turned down.
After the concert ended The Beatles sprinted to their waiting limousine. Accompanied by a police escort, they were taken to the airport. The group’s aeroplane took off just before midnight, bound for Houston.
Also on this day...
- 2016: Paul McCartney live: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
- 2010: Paul McCartney live: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh
- 2001: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Billy Bob’s Texas, Fort Worth
- 1998: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Expo 98, Lisbon
- 1995: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
- 1992: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Starplex Amphitheatre, Dallas
- 1989: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo
- 1969: Recording, mixing: Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End
- 1966: The Beatles live: Suffolk Downs Racetrack, Boston
- 1964: Travel: London to San Francisco
- 1963: The Beatles live: Princess Theatre, Torquay
- 1963: Television: Summer Spin
- 1962: The Beatles live: Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight – Ringo Starr’s first official show as a Beatle
- 1961: The Beatles live: Aintree Institute, Liverpool
- 1961: The Beatles live: Cavern Club, Liverpool (lunchtime)
- 1960: The Beatles’ second day in Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
I was there! I was at the press conference. I was 15 years old, and my question was the one to Paul about Jane Asher. I wish I still had the pictures, but they were burned in a fire. But I DO still have their cigarette butts, LOL.
What happened was I called the AJC and told ’em they should send a teenaged girl to the show and have her write a column about her impressions. They asked me if I wanted to do it, and OF COURSE, I said yes! I was in the front row at the press conference, and sat in the press box for the show. But I held hands with Paul for a few moments, and Ringo pronounced my name “Bubberly” plus I had a “moment” with John.
Wow. Good times …
You have to spill about the moment with John, you tease…
What kind of moment did you have with John? You lucky girl. God blessed you. Must of been magical! I just can’t imagine how you felt.
Bev–
That is so cool that you got to interview the Beatles. What is your favorite song by the Beatles?
Davan S. Mani
One historical note. In 1965 the Atlanta Airport was simply Atlanta Municipal Airport. Hartsfield’s name was added after his death in the early 1970’s and Maynard Jackson;s name was added in 2003.
Regarding the monitor speakers: Before Dizzy Miss Lizzie laughed and said “Great, you can hear it!” And before Help!, John says “We´ll have to wait a minute now while Paul changes his bass, he´s broken a string!” Paul tells John to keep talking but he can´t think of anything! This is the only time I´ve noticed a string issue at a Beatles performance.
I was there with friends. I was 13. I hate myself for not saving my ticket and taking pictures.
It was a night I will always remember.
I was also there. My two cousins and my brother were able to get tickets from a friend of the cousins in Athens Ga. who was affiliated with a radio station. Tonight I watched The Buddy Holly Story and wept for the loss of this amazing musician. I don’t remember him, but do remember his music. As a teenager I had a huge bedroom with mirrors down both parallel walls where I watched myself as a young teenager compose dance routines to his music. What a tragic loss that I only now realize after the viewing tonight of the movie how much his death cost us who loved his music!!!
I was at the concert- section C, row 10. I bought my ticket at the record store (Clark’s) in Decatur. $5.50. I was 13. A close friend of our family was a staff photographer for the Atlanta Journal and was at the press conference. He gave me a series of 4 original photos he took. They were not the ones published in the AJ story. I still have them. They have never been published.
My Dad was running the sound for Baker Audio that night. And I didn’t get to go!! Arrrg. The Beatles asked him to travel with them and do the sound for other shows, but he was not interested. I just shake my head 🙂
Wow can you imagine him not doing that did he say why not? It would of been the best years if his life.
I announced to my Mother that I was going to the concert after seeing it in the local paper. Of course I was only 7 years old at the time. My stepdad was an Atlanta Policeman and worked security at the concert. He brought me back some merch. A poster and a button that said “in case of emergency call Paul or Ringo. I bought a pencil pouch too with this photo of them.
I was there. I was 14 and still have my ticket and some Poloroid photos that you can barely make out, even though I was pretty close to them when I took them. I was in the 4th row behind 3rd base and they came out of the 3rd base dugout, basically below me, when they dashed to the stage at 2nd base. I’ve got great stories that I’ll never forget, but they would take up too much space here. Bev Hunt – great story!
I’d love a chance to talk about some of your stories—reply here or by email if you can see my email address
In the early 1960’s, Atlanta’s city leaders decided that one of the keys to Atlanta becoming a major city was to have major league sports. Atlanta Stadium opened in early 1965 with plans to begin major league play in 1966. In the meantime, in 1965, what better event to bring notoriety to the city and the new stadium than to have a concert by the most famous band in the world.
The most popular Top 40 radio DJ in Atlanta in the early 60’s was Paul Drew on WQXI AM radio. When the Beatles were touring in 1964 and 1965, they invited Paul Drew to join them for some of the tour. Since the Beatles had just invented the big stadium concert, Paul reminded them that they should include the brand-new stadium in the newly emerging major American city, Atlanta, in their 1965 tour schedule. When the date was set, my wife and I immediately bought tickets to the August 1965 concert at Atlanta Stadium.
The stage was set up at second base, so no seats were sold in centerfield. About 34,000 people got in to see these lads from Liverpool. The entire stadium bordered on hysteria. A group of policemen stood in a line between the stands and the stage. Teenage girls hung over the wall and the police tried to restrain them. The high-pitched screaming from girls was deafening from beginning to end and started even before Paul Drew introduced the Beatles.
I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hear the music because of all the screaming. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I could hear it quite well, and it was great!
In those days, the big musical acts didn’t bring their own equipment in tractor trailer trucks like they do today. Instead, they simply hired locals to set up the stage and sound equipment. However, it turns out that the Atlanta company that was hired to set up the sound equipment did an incredible job, and the Beatles later said that the Atlanta show was the only concert on the tour where they could hear their own music. The Beatles didn’t tour much after that, mainly because of the trouble they continually had getting sound set-ups in each city that could overcome the deafening high-pitched screaming. They also had security concerns with girls always trying to rush the stage. As a result, I am one of the relatively few people in the world who got to see the Beatles live in concert.
All in all, I believe that night in August 1965 was a seminal event in the history of Atlanta. It is probably the greatest event I have ever witnessed in person.