The Beatles performed two shows at the White Sox Park in Chicago, at 3pm and 8pm. The first concert was seen by 25,000, and the second drew a crowd of 37,000.
They arrived at Chicago’s Midway Airport at 3am, having flown from Houston, Texas. Local police, wary of the trouble caused by crowds in Houston, had refused to allow them to land at O’Hare International Airport.
The O’Hare Sahara hotel had unwisely announced that The Beatles were to stay there, causing thousands of fans to keep a vigil outside. The noise was so great that few of the guests managed to sleep that night.
Tickets for the concerts were priced at $2.50, $4.50 and $5.50. A promotion run by the drink 7-Up also offered purchasers the chance to win a pair of tickets, with 2,000 up for grabs.
The Beatles’ setlist featured 12 songs: the group’s short version of ‘Twist And Shout’, followed by ‘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’, ‘Act Naturally’, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, ‘Help!’ and ‘I’m Down’.
The Beatles were paid $155,000 for the two performances. The other acts on the bill were Brenda Holloway and the King Curtis Band, Cannibal & The Headhunters, and Sounds Incorporated.
Also on this day...
- 2019: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: State Farm Center, Champaign
- 1998: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: The Point, Dublin
- 1995: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Concord Pavilion, Concord
- 1992: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Celeste Center, Columbus
- 1989: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Castle Farms, Charlevoix
- 1973: Recording: Mind Games by John Lennon
- 1972: Wings live: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
- 1969: Mixing, editing: I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
- 1968: Recording, mixing, editing: Yer Blues, Mother Nature’s Son, Etcetera, Wild Honey Pie
- 1966: The Beatles’ Cincinnati concert is postponed
- 1964: The Beatles live: Convention Center, Las Vegas
- 1963: The Beatles live: Gaumont Cinema, Bournemouth
- 1962: The Beatles live: Majestic Ballroom, Crewe
- 1961: The Beatles live: Hambleton Hall, Liverpool
- 1960: The Beatles live: Indra Club, Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
The stadium was called Comiskey Park, not White Sox park. The White Sox played there until 1990. In April 1991 the new Comiskey Park opened across the street. It was later changed to US Cellular Field aka The Cell. The original park was demolished in 1991. It was a dump, but it had character.
It was known as the White Sox Park, I believe, from 1962-75 – and certainly in 1965 when The Beatles played there, according to ticket stubs from the shows.
Touchee! 😉
I have to admit, I never knew that, but then again, I was born and raised on the North Side with the Cubs (although I’ve been to plenty of White Sox games in the old park). Everyone around here says “The Beatles played Comiskey Park in ’65.” That’s how it is in Chicago and always will be. As far as it technically being called White Sox Park, you got me on that. But it’ll always be Comiskey to us. (Just like the Sears Tower – I’m not calling it Willis Tower!) Thanks.
YEP… it will always bw Comiskey Park to the real Chicagoans and the SEARS Tower to the real Americans.
I saw the Beatles in ’65. And at that time we called it White Sox Park..?..Won the $5.50 ticket from a radio show. Something I’ll never forget. And by the way, I too will call The Sears Tower…The Sears Tower..?? and by no other name.
I also went with my sister and best friend who won tickets from a local radio station and we were driven by the radio station to White
Sox stadium in Chicago as it was called then – never heard it called Comisky – but I was from Ypsilanti then so maybe that was a local thing. I remember Could not hear a thing over the screaming girls and it was so so loud and girls fainting in the seats but I will never forget that day as I felt so lucky to have been there.
What a great adventure to see them play LIVE. I am 71 now and I still have my Beatles albums from back then – I will never forget THAT DAY!
My mom was at that show she was 15. I still can’t believe she saw the Beatles live!
I think this settles the controversy about the name of the park. From the article linked below:
Originally White Sox Park, within three years it was renamed for White Sox founder and owner Charles Comiskey. The original name was restored in 1962, then it changed back to Comiskey Park in 1976
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comiskey_Park#Early_years
I was at that concert on Aug. 20, 1965 and who cares what the stadium was called.
Who cares what stadium it was called? Why don’t you also say “Who cares that they even played?” Same thing. It’s history. The facts are important to get correct. That’s what this entire site is devoted to!
I was at the 3:00 pm show & I agree, who cares. I grew up on 114th St south and we used the names interchangeably. I just remember being so annoyed that all the girls had to scream so much. I mean did you come here to scream or hear music? I kept waiting for the girls to stop so we could hear. But as soon as the first chord, or note or vocal sounded…shrieks!…it was all over. So like, on behalf of all the guys who were there that day, I’d just like to say: “Thank You Girl!” (….NOT!!)
I was at the 3 o’clock show also. Couldn’t hear a thing. Kept looking at the girls wondering why they came –all they did was drown out the music and scream. I heard them sing “Help!” …And I don’t mean the song, just the first word. Oh well, only cost 3 or 4 bucks.
My ticket cost $2.50. Cheapest seats. I remember because I had to save my allowance for three weeks (I got $1 a week).
That was about it. They had no idea about a P/A system for that show. We heard a bass note here and there, mostly girls screaming.
Is the set list for this concert correct? Did they play Act Naturally, like it says here, or I Wanna Be Your Man, which they played virtually everywhere else on this tour?
Yes, ACT NATURALLY is correct, my mother had taken me as a 16th birthday gift, and she loved their cover of the BUCK OWENS HIT. She is a country music lover. And I’m sure you must realize that THE BEATLES
wee influenced by Country just as much as early Skiffel, Rockabilly, Rock & Roll. Real R& B, and Blues.
Love Ringo’s duet with Buck of ACT NATURALLY on Red Vinyl ( they seemed to be having a blast singing together). There is also a video of them on YouTube, Dig It !
Ron Ward
I was super excited to be there at the concert. I was there for the afternoon concert. My dad drove my friend Patty and I to the concert from Wisconsin.
It’s not completely correct. I was there. They also played “she loves you”
It’s well documented that “She Loves You” was not part of the 1965 set.
I was there for the three o’clock show but I was only ten so don’t remember that much. I do remember hearing the beginning of “Help” and “I’m down” but the rest of those songs and every other song was lost in the screams. My two sisters my Aunt and my mother went that afternoon. We had driven up to Chicago to visit my Aunt and uncle from Glenwood , Arkansas and were surprised to find out she had bought us tickets. That was the last concert I had been to until last month when Paul McCartney appeared at Verizon arena in North Little Rock, it was awesome.
I was fortunate enough to attend both concerts as a child. Had box seats at the Amphitheater. I still have the programs to both shows. One has a coupon to get into the Auto Show for free.
There are film clips of members of the audience filming. Would be nice to see their films, even if they sat quite a long way away from the stage, as everybody did at that gig.
It looks like the clip has been fleshed-out with some footage of the 1965 concert at Shea Stadium.
I was there and also on the bill was the Reflections, the band that did Just Like Romeo and Juliette…..
Wife won tickets for the 3:00 show, she remembers the wearing the same jackets as at Mets steadium.
LOL! I believe I see Big Mal standing behind Paul with his head at stage level in the pic above.
Best seat in the house (not to mention the loudest)!
I kept a journal about the days leading up to it and an exact account of the show itself. Then 50 years later, I compiled it into a graphic novel called Fab4 Mania published by Fantagraphics. Original drawings, lots of fun and insight into the world at that time. It’ll bring it all back, including WLS and Comiskey Park. Foreword by Hunter Davies, Beatles official biographer.
I was there. Ticket $2.50. Bus to get there 10 cents plus 5 cents for transfer. Cried the whole concert. Couldn’t believe I was there. When it started we moved to better seats. There was so much going on no one said anything to us. They looked the size of ants but no one cared. Just being there. Still have my ticket stub.
Larry Kane interviewing The Beatles pretty much says that they’re in the “basement of Comiskey Park.” Do you think the press conference took place before the concert, between shows?
I was at the 3 pm show. Will never forget it, but couldn’t hear much over the screaming. My friend and I (both 11) had gotten a ride from her mom to the concert. We took the bus home. I thought our tickets cost $3.50. After presenting our tickets, our bags were searched by some pretty beefy Chicago cops. Upon finding a 16-inch tall Pepsi bottle in my friend’s bag, the cop responded “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” What he didn’t know was that we had brought the bottle to defend ourselves if we got “jumped” on the way
home.