Hi Jean.

I saw them as a seven year old boy in Adelaide, South Australia. I was even at that time a fanatic, with my record collection consisting of the first few singles and the Twist and Shout and All My Loving EPs. The crowd lining the route from the airport was, I believe, the largest ever. Tickets to the concert were, obviously, the hottest item in town!  My father, through a work contact was able to secure four tickets for the concert. My mother advised me of this when I was in the bath - I recall a lot of excited splashing about as a result! 

My mother took myself and two friends to the concert. One of my friends had a thirteen year old sister (Beatles fan, posters all over her walls etc) who was particularly upset she couldn't go and was extremely jealous that her seven year old brother went!

As for the concert, my biggest memory was when the roady removed the "Sounds Incorporated" front bass drum sign to reveal "The Beatles" one underneath, in the immediately recognisable script. I remember reading the programme, with the mini-biographies (24 year old John etc). (Incidentally, a friend here in Melbourne has recently acquired one of these tour programmes, which made for interesting reading). I recall the MC telling people to kindly not stand on the seats.

I remember the great moment when the distant, four dark-suited figures came on stage. (Jimmy Nichol replaced Ringo, who to this day I have yet to see). My mother later told me that the screaming crowd was louder than the music. My father years later told me my mother was screaming louder than anyone else!

As for the music, I'm sorry that I can't recall this! My excitement in was the news that I was going to see The Beatles and the overall experience of my first concert. Unforgettable.

Thanks
Paul
Australia

WHAT THE BEATLES MEAN TO ME

I'm 43 years old and as long as I can remember I've been a Beatles fan.  I remember the Ed Sullivan Show.  I was very young, only 4 years old, but for some reason that event vividly stands out in my mind.

I have liked other bands throughout the years but the Beatles have always remained a staple in my life.  I spent hours pouring over the lyrics, listening to the many stories surrounding their songs that there was always a hidden message.  Maybe there is, maybe there isn't.  I finally just came to realize that it just didn't matter.  The songs were/are the best and a hidden message, or lack thereof, will ever change the way I feel about these four guys and their brilliant song writing capabilities.

There has never been a band who has affected me in the way that these guys have.  Sure, there are some good musicians out there with songs that I love but the Beatles were and are just so special it's hard to put into words.  I try to explain what they mean to me to a non-Beatles fan and they just don't get it.  I have scrap books filled with forty years plus worth of newspaper and magazine clippings; even the most minor ones.  If they had a mere mention in an article, I cut it out and into my scrap book it went.  Obsessed?  Some people think so but I don't care.  I also have every group "album" on vinyl, 8-track, cassette and CD.  I haven't completed my solo collection yet but I'm nearly there.  It takes time and a lot of money as we all know but it's almost complete.

Another fact remains that they have a song for every occasion in your life.  When you're happy, there's a song for that.  When you're sad, there's a song that expresses your feelings so well it's like it was written especially for you.   I have found that there's a song to express every feeling, whether it be good or bad; every joy, every heartache.

I recently saw Paul in concert.  I am fulfilling my goals one by one.  It was one of the best nights of my life.  I was on my feet the whole time (so much for that seat I spent all that money for, haha).  Just to be in the same room with one of my idols was the thrill of a lifetime for me.  I also saw John in concert back in the 70's and have always considered myself extremely lucky to have had the chance to see him.  The day he was murdered was the worst day of my life.  I felt like I had lost a member of my family which, in a way, I had.  I felt the same way when George died.  I even had people (friends and family) calling me up offering their condolences.  I also received a few sympathy cards, no joke.  So yes, everyone who knows me know how I feel about the Beatles.  They've been such a big part of my life for so long that I could never live without them or their music.  Unfortunately, I will never be able to see George in concert but his music will always be in my life.  I will get to see Ringo and have every intention of doing just that the next time he's on tour.

Another goal of mine (and it's been a dream of mine for many years) is to go to London and Liverpool and see where it all began.  I want to walk across Abbey Road and I want to stand next to Eleanor Rigby's grave and have my picture taken on Penny Lane, etc.  I want to see it all.  I have been to Strawberry Fields in New York City and I have placed flowers in the middle of the Imagine circle.  I've also been to the Dakota but that's such a depressing place.  I don't usually make that one of my regular stops on New York City trips.

I have seen numerous tribute bands over the years.  Every time I hear of one in the area I go.  Some of them are very good, some not so good, but, all in all, they're not the Beatles but they're the next best thing.  Some people complain that they're "killing" the songs and while that is true in some cases, I still enjoy them.  I love the fact that these bands care enough about the Beatles to go out and try to recreate the magic. 

Many times I hear of a new and upcoming band.  They're often referred to as the "next Beatles", only it never turns out quite that way, not even close.  They make a couple of hits and then disappear, never to be heard from again.  I think Paul said it best when he commented, "Don't call them that, it's like the kiss of death."  Maybe he's right.  Maybe the pressure of living up to the Beatles legacy is just too much for them to handle.

The beauty of the Beatles is how they changed with the times.  Every album was different.  They didn't stick to the same format, never stuck to the same set of rules. 

I was one who poured over the death clues when we were told Paul was dead.  It all seems silly now but at the time it was fascinating.  These guys were so ahead of their time.  Simply put, they were brilliant.

Some people say that the Beatles just happened to come along at the right time.  President Kennedy had just been shot, we were in a turmoil.  Because of Kennedy's assassination, we were looking for anything to cheer us up?  I don't believe that for one minute.  These guys had so much talent, it goes so much deeper than just cheering us up.  They kicked butt.  Forty years later and they're still kicking butt. Their newest release, Let It Be Naked, is climbing the charts.  Their #1 went straight up to #1 and stayed there for how many weeks?  Their Anthology was also #1.  Every time you turn on the news, there they are.  Every time there's an award show, you hear their name mentioned at least once.  Who do the majority of the artists name as their greatest influence?  There will never be another Beatles.  Nobody else could ever create what they have.

Everyone tells me all the time that whenever they hear a Beatles song or the Beatles mentioned, they immediately think of me.  I love that!  I love having people associate me with the Beatles.  I'm a fanatic and proud of it.

I also love the fact that the younger generation is listening to their music.  It means that they will live on long after you and I are gone.  They will pass the music on to their children and they will pass it on to theirs, etc.  They will live forever which is how it should be.  Because like I said, there will never be another Beatles and we need to keep reminding the world of the greatest rock and roll band now and forever.

Robin
USA

  I never thought I'd be in this for a life time, but here I am, still loving their music as much as I did when i first saw them on Ed Sullivan.  I remember that night, very well.   Not knowing much about them, I tuned in along with my family and the rest of the world.  They really captured my heart. I remember the emotional feeling I felt that night just like it was yesterday.  Not only were they cute, they were the best rock musicians I had ever heard.  Then I saw the Beatles at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.  It was Sept 12 (I think) - anyway I know it was mid- September 1964 -- tickets were a birthday present to me.... $5.00 ea.  They were awesome... even though the police kept stopping the concert, coming on stage and sending the Beatles off..... Their message to us, "The Beatles would like to perform for you, but if you don't sit down in your seats and be quiet, this will have to be the end of it."   Yeah, yeah, yeah, and as soon as the police left the stage, the madness continued. I loved it so much and felt sad when it was over.  I did musicals when I was in school and I loved Paul's version of "Till There Was You".  He impressed me so much.  In conjunction with their Pittsburgh show, our local radio station had a contest where they were giving away something that had belonged to each of them.....and I won Ringo's pen..... I remember walking down the halls in school, and people were coming up to me and congratulating me ....  you would have thought it was $1,000 that I had won and not a fountain pen......

Jane Gaudi
USA 

It was late in the evening and my mom, sister and two brothers had settled in front of our small black and television to watch the Ed Sullivan show, much as we did every Sunday night. It was one of my mom's favortie shows.  I was sitting on the floor leaning against the vinyl that covered the chair my mom sat on. I have no memory of ever knowing that The Beatles were going to be on the show that night but I must have known because my sister Carmen who was then 14 was a big fan of them and later Paul. Their songs had to have been on the radio over and over that day. The bedroom that we shared would soon be covered with clippings from the teen mags. Their faces would watch over me as I slept for many years to come. And so it was that I watched as Mr. Sullivan said, "Ladies and Gentleman, The Beatles". I was only eight. I remember a warmth that filled me as I watched. I was fascinated. Intrigued. Who were they? Gosh they were so cute.  The audience was screaming, they were smiling obviously enjoying the reaction of all those girls. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I really didn't understand what I was seeing, and goodness what was I hearing? I loved it. I loved them. They looked so different. They sounded like nothing I had ever heard before.  They looked like they were having a lot of fun. I tried hard to remember their names when they were shown on the screen. I'm not sure what happened, when it happened or how it happened but I'm glad it did.  They haven't ever stopped me from smiling since and to this day I feel that warmth.

Amy Titmus, 
Florida, USA