The Beatles live: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles

The Beatles had performed a triumphant show at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl on 23 August 1964. A little over a year later, they returned for two further sell-out shows on consecutive nights.

Ticket for The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, 29 August 1965

In the afternoon of 29 August 1965 they gave a press conference at the Capitol Tower at Hollywood and Vine. Alan Livingston, president of Capitol Records, presented them with gold discs for sales of Help!.

Following the press conference The Beatles were driven by armoured truck to the Hollywood Bowl. The show was attended by 18,000 fans; one gave birth to a baby boy in the car park outside the venue.

Tickets retailed for $3, $4, $5, $6 and $7. The Beatles earned $90,000 from the total take of $156,000 for the two concerts.

The Beatles performed 12 songs at the concert: their truncated 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’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, ‘Help!’, and ‘I’m Down’.

The other acts on the bill were, in order of appearance, King Curtis Band, Sounds Incorporated and the Discotheque Dancers, Brenda Holloway, and Cannibal & The Headhunters.

As with the 1964 concert, the two August 1965 performances were recorded by Capitol Records, although Paul McCartney’s introductions and vocals for the first four songs weren’t audible due to technical problems.

Three songs from this date – ‘Ticket To Ride’, ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’, and ‘Help!’ – were included on the 1977 album The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl, and on 2016’s Live At The Hollywood Bowl. Dizzy Miss Lizzy was a composite edit of the 29 and 30 August performances.

John Lennon’s spoken introduction to ‘Baby’s In Black’ was also included on the 1996 single ‘Real Love’, along with the full version from the 30 August performance.

Last updated: 24 January 2024
The Beatles live: Balboa Stadium, San Diego
The Beatles live: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
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