Entertainment For Lively Minds
On this date in history....
Posted by MichaelC on 29 August 2010 - 9:07pm.
...the HJHs played their last concert before a paying audience to a barely half-full Candlestick Park in San Francisco, August 29th 1966.
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Half-full?
Really? I never knew that. Interesting thought - had they continued touring, would there have been a continued decrease in audience sizes? Partly, perhaps due to the widening gap between their records and live act, I suppose. Seems bizarre now, to consider belting out 'Rock'n'Roll Music' with 'Tomorrow Never Knows' in the can.
The capacity for Candlestick
was 42,500. The number of tickets sold was around 25,000, which meant that after the Fabs and the City got their cuts, the promoter was left with a financial loss. Amazing when you think what a cash cow the Beatles were seen as back then.
The setlist for this show (and presumably every other show performed on this tour) was:
1. Rock And Roll Music
2. She's A Woman
3. If I Needed Someone
4. Day Tripper
5. Baby's In Black
6. I Feel Fine
7. Yesterday
8. I Wanna Be Your Man
9. Nowhere Man
10. Paperback Writer
11. Long Tall Sally
They were on stage for a grand total of 33 minutes.
As you say, already in the record stores was "Revolver". 3 months later they would record 'Strawberry Fields' and 'Penny Lane'
It really does make you wonder for how much longer they could have gone on with this huge disconnect between their recorded output and what they performed on stage....
The technology
existed for them to grow and develop in the studio, but technology associated with live gigs was lagging way behind especially at stadium level. They'd have been putting the vocals through the house Tannoy system and letting the Vox amps take the strain for the rest.
Had they had the PA power and light shows of today they could have silenced the screamers and blown their heads off with TNK, Strawberry Fields etc.
There was still the 'Bigger than Jesus' backlash going on too which didn't help ticket sales. But I suspect also that word had got around that your evening would comprise 30 mins of hysterical audience screaming with some barely audible strumming in the background, which narrows down your target audience somewhat. I don't think I'd have gone myself.
Hindsight and all that
If it had been known that this was their last live gig, I am sure more would have attended.
The most interesting live footage from 1966 is
the show in Japan. I was shocked by how jaded they looked. Playing perky pop songs to a big echoey hall. They really were at the end of their tether with their live act in 1966.
God yeah and those awful stripy suits.
They were basically never very good live, for various obvious reasons, once they got out of the Cavern.