It was 40 years ago today, that the Beatles played at RFK.
Of course, then it was still D.C. Stadium, and only in its sixth year of existence, having opened in the fall of 1961 for the Redskins. But on Aug. 15, 1966, the band that changed everything made its final appearance in the Washington area.
Tickets were $3, $4 and $5, which by today’s standards seem incredibly cheap. When The Beatles last played Washington — their first-ever American concert — on Feb. 11, 1964, tickets at the Coliseum were $2, $3 and $4, so inflation did impact the price 30 months later.
The idea of a ballpark rock concert was still unusual; The Beatles had played the first-ever stadium show a year to the day prior to playing D.C. That one was at Shea Stadium in New York, before 55,000-plus fans. They sold tickets behind the band at Shea, which accounted for the huge crowd; a year later they drew 32,164 here, with the outfield seats essentially vacant.
The Senators had played Baltimore the previous afternoon, shut out 6-0 by Eddie Watt. After the crowd (11,769) filed out, preparations began for the following night’s show.
I arrived with friends to see a rectangular stage, centered at second base. Ringing the foul lines were 32 large “Voice of the Theatre” speaker cabinets (the musicians out there know what I’m talking about), indicating that the band would not be using the house PA system, a real plus for the fans. Local disc jockeys emceed, though I’m quite sure that regular Nats’ PA announcer Phil Hochberg would have done a superior job.
There were opening acts: The Remains, who backed up Bobby Hebb (“Sunny”), and the Ronettes (“Be My Baby”), plus the Cyrkle (“Red Rubber Ball”), an American band handled by Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. Each act sounded a shade better than the previous one, as if the guy running the PA was getting up to speed. Finally, The Beatles came out, opening with their cover of the Chuck Berry classic “Rock and Roll Music,” and played a 30-minute set that included “She’s a Woman,” “Day Tripper,” I Feel Fine,” “If I Needed Someone,” and six other original tunes. Then they were gone, busing immediately to Philadelphia for the next night’s concert. Two weeks later, they played their final U.S. concert ever, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
Maybe the smartest guy that night was someone who wasn’t there. Senators’ lefthander Mike McCormick — who would go on to win the NL Cy Young Award the next year with the Giants — arranged for team equipment manager Fred Baxter to get a ball signed by the Fab Four. The Beatles used the home clubhouse as a dressing room that night, and Baxter, perhaps, was concerned those longhaired Brits would make off with something, so he held down the fort. McCormick lost to the Indians in Cleveland that night, but Baxter got the ball signed, and McCormick auctioned it off earlier this year for several thousand dollars.
Expect the Nationals to mention the anniversary at tonight’s game with the Braves. After the return of baseball, The Beatles’ show ranks among RFK’s most memorable moments.
Phil Wood has covered sports in the Washington-Baltimore market for more than 30 years.
