Video: 'The Beatles: Live In San Francisco (August 29th, 1966)'
(Monday, August 29, 1966, 9:27 p.m. PDT) — The Beatles concluded their third North American tour tonight by performing what would be their last concert with a 35-minute set before an estimated 25,000 fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California.
The group did not indicate at this time whether this would be their last public performance, although reports have circulated throughout the tour that the musicians are growing weary of live appearances.
The crowd, well below the ballpark’s capacity of more than 42,000, greeted John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr with the familiar high-pitched screams that nearly drowned out the music.
The Beatles took the stage at 9:27 p.m. PDT after appearances by opening acts The Remains, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle, and The Ronettes. The master of ceremonies was San Francisco radio personality Gene Nelson of KYA.
Performing from a stage erected behind second base and enclosed by a wire fence, the group opened with “Rock and Roll Music” and followed with “She’s a Woman,” “If I Needed Someone,” “Day Tripper,” “Baby’s in Black,” “I Feel Fine,” “Yesterday,” “I Wanna Be Your Man,” “Nowhere Man,” “Paperback Writer” and closed with “Long Tall Sally.”
The concert was held under typical Candlestick Park conditions of cool temperatures, fog, and brisk winds.
Before one of the closing numbers, Lennon and McCartney briefly paused to take photographs from the stage, pointing a camera toward both the audience and the members of the group.
Just before leaving the stage, Lennon teasingly played the opening bars of “In My Life,” before running off to join the rest of the group backstage.
The Beatles were quickly taken to the airport in an armored car. They flew from San Francisco to Los Angeles, arriving at 12:50 a.m. PDT During the flight Harrison was heard to exclaim: “That’s it, then. I’m not a Beatle anymore.”
The concert concluded The Beatles’ third North American tour, which began Aug. 12 in Chicago and included 19 performances in the United States and Canada. The tour was marked by demonstrations over Lennon’s widely publicized remark earlier this year that the Beatles had become “more popular than Jesus.”
Security at Candlestick was heavy, but no major disturbances were reported. Police estimated attendance at approximately 25,000, leaving thousands of seats unsold.
Tickets ranged from $4.50 to $6.50.
The Beatles departed shortly after the performance for San Francisco International Airport, where they boarded a flight for Los Angeles before returning to England.
Neither the group nor its manager, Brian Epstein, announced any future touring plans. And indeed, tonight’s concert marked the end of four years dominated by almost nonstop touring that included over 1,400 concert appearances internationally.
The Beatles would not undertake another scheduled public concert. For the next three years, they performed only in recording studios, except for an unannounced rooftop concert at their Apple Corps headquarters in London on Jan. 30, 1969, staged for a documentary film project.
The last time all four Beatles were together in a recording studio was on Aug. 20, 1969.
