In the Union-Tribune’s Sunday Aug. 24 edition of Arts+Culture, I wrote about The Beatles’ 1965 concert at Balboa Stadium and asked readers who attended to share their memories. We received several dozen responses and are publishing the first batch today.
Get back! The Beatles’ only San Diego concert was 60 years ago this week
‘I was 12 years old!’
Great article. I attended the concert. I was 12 years old! I still have the program and articles, etc. from the era. Also, I have my movie ticket stub from movie “Help!” at the California Theatre and some Beatles’ trading cards.
I had an older brother, born in the 1940s, and my dad was a big band musician, so we listened to all genres of music. My dad hated the rock and roll period of music, but we still watched “American Bandstand,” had records and a turntable, and caught “The Ed Sullivan Show” when the bands appeared.
At the time The Beatles became popular in the U.S., I thought all the girls screaming was ridiculous. I didn’t want to be one of those girls that went nuts over the boys. As I got older, I truly understood the contributions the groups of the 60’s made to music and still have a great appreciation for their songs and talents. I can see the lasting impact rock and roll has made on several generations.
Thank you for the blast to the past!
Ferol Henkels
Ocean Beach
‘As long as I live’
I enjoyed your article. The summer of The Beatles’ Balboa Stadium concert, I was a sophomore at San Diego State College (now SDSU). I was living in what was called Vista La Mesa (now part of La Mesa).
I was working at an Oscar’s Drive-In Restaurant on University Avenue in San Diego. Carhops on roller skates took orders and delivered food to people sitting in their cars. I wasn’t dating anyone at the time so I wound up asking a girl at work who was not really interested in me or The Beatles, but she agreed to go with me. People at work gave me a bad time for spending $9 for two tickets “to hear a band play.” I did not care. I wanted to see and hear The Beatles in person.
Balboa Stadium was not nearly full and the crowd was very mellow until the Fab Four took the stage. They were on a stage about seven or eight feet above the field level. They played for about 30 minutes before some “fans” climbed over and through the fence barrier. When some of them reached the stage and tried to climb up, The Beatles left. The concert was cut short because of some rowdy people. Those idiots made me and, I am sure, thousands of other people very angry.
Short or not, I will remember and talk about how much I enjoyed that concert as long as I live.
Bob Alexander
Rancho San Diego
‘I was 10!’
I have enjoyed your numerous stories about rock and roll over the years!
I attended The Beatles’ 1965 Balboa Stadium concert with my mother. I was 10 years old at that time! I remember sitting in the audience, enjoying the concert, and there was a teenage girl sitting next to us, crying and saying: “I love Paul!” over and over. We had binoculars and were taking turns looking at The Beatles on stage. My mother kindly asked the girl if she wanted to use our binoculars and she was so happy!
I also vividly remember seeing all mayhem break loose when the crowd started to jump the police line and fence and run on the football field toward the stage. I was so preoccupied watching this unfold that by the time I looked back at the stage it was empty, except for The Beatles’ instruments! My dad later picked us up, along with my little brother, and he said he saw a black limo racing by like a bat out of hell (that would have been The Beatles making their escape).
My mom took a movie of the concert and it’s in part of our family home-movie collection, even though The Beatles look like ants on the stage! But it’s still cool to see.
I had friends years later tell me that they let their own children attend a concert at an early age because I had seen The Beatles at age 10! It was definitely one of those life defining moments one will never forget!
Laurinda Owens
San Diego
Channel 10 TB photographer Lee Louis attended The Beatles’ Aug. 1965 San Diego concert and the band’s pre-show press conference. (Courtesy Lee Louis)
‘Two press passes’
Here is my Beatles story. At the time (and for the next 46 years), I was a news photographer at Channel 10 KOGO/KGTV. I got two press passes to The Beatles’ concert at Balboa Stadium, and attended with a friend. No cameras were allowed, but I put a film camera under my coat to sneak in.
The film I shot is the only known film of the San Diego concert. It is 16 millimeter, silent and in black-and-white. I still have the original film. Besides the concert, the film shows police arriving in a police bus and the press conference.
My film may be on YouTube but the video you often see is actually the LA concert, not the San Diego concert.
Lee Louis
Mission Beach
‘I was in 8th grade’
Yes, I was there. I was in the 8th grade. The opening act was Brenda Holloway. She had a single out called: “What Are You Gonna Do When I’m Gone?”, which I already loved and had. So, I was happy as a clam from the beginning of the concert.
You couldn’t hear anything but screaming when The Beatles came out. We all poured over the walls towards the stage pretty early and started pulling up grass, convinced that The Beatles walked on it. I still have my ticket envelope, sealed with Beatle grass that hasn’t been opened since. Because, well, its magic!!
Beth Lambert
Bonita
‘A source of hope’
My experience at The Beatles’ Aug. 28, 1965, Balboa Stadium concert remains a vivid and deeply personal memory. At 12 years old, the $5.50 ticket to a seat on the stadium’s east side felt like an immeasurable investment. I wasn’t one of the screaming fans; my focus was on truly *hearing* them perform, a delicate balance maintained by one foot on the concrete, the other on the wooden seat back, my leg trembling with excitement.
The performance itself was electrifying, but the moment that indelibly etched itself into my memory was John Lennon’s rendition of “Help!” During the final chorus, his descent to one knee while singing the title word amplified the already intense roar of the crowd. Even now, hearing “Help!” on the Sirius XM Beatles station, I can still almost feel the surge of that collective energy — a visceral reminder of that specific 1965 performance.
Looking back, I often ponder The Beatles’ profound impact on my life. It wasn’t just their music — though their harmonies and songwriting were, of course, exceptional. It was the infectious energy and unique personalities of the four lads from Liverpool that resonated so deeply with me. It’s a connection I’ve carried throughout my life.
The 1963-64 school year at Hawthorne Elementary in Clairemont holds a complex significance. It began with the shock of President Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22nd, 1963, a national tragedy that coincided with my Uncle John’s devastating stroke. His passing in early January 1964 adding another layer of grief. Against this backdrop, The Beatles’ TV appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Feb. 9, 1964, stands out.
I clearly recall my father’s initially dismissive, yet ultimately amused, reaction as my sister and I watched, completely captivated. This was my introduction to the band, a stark contrast to the heavy emotions of the preceding months. That same year brought further family events, including the birth of our dachshund’s puppies in February, my mother’s hysterectomy in March, and, most poignantly, the death of my father from a coronary thrombosis in April. His passing on Wednesday, April 27, 1964, left an undeniable void. His burial at Fort Rosecrans on May 5th marked a significant turning point in my young life.
The Beatles became, in many ways, a source of hope and solace amidst such profound loss. I can only imagine where I would be emotionally without their music to anchor me during that difficult time. Thank you for providing this opportunity to reflect on such a formative period in my life. The memories of the 1963-64 school year, with all its joys and sorrows, remain indelibly etched in my heart.
Cassie Brunker (née Sutherland)
Santee