First Concert

Fifty five years ago today, I attended my first concert, The Beatles, at Portland, Oregon’s Memorial Coliseum. My sister and I had third row seats, for the steep price of five bucks. They actually played two shows, an afternoon “matinee,” and an evening show that we attended. The shows were not long, 45-50 minutes. The reports today say there was great screaming from the crowd, but that’s not how I remember it. Here’s the setlist: Twist and Shout; She’s a Woman; I Feel Fine; Dizzy Miss Lizzy; Ticket to Ride; Everybody’s Tryin’ to Be My Baby; Can’t Buy Me Love; Baby’s In Black; I Wanna Be Your Man; A Hard Day’s Night; Help!; I’m Down.

On the trip home, I remember hearing on the AM radio in our red Pontiac station wagon, about a brawl between the Giants and Dodgers, when Juan Marichal took a bat to Johnny Roseboro’s head. Damned funny the things you remember. Now I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night.

That’s my first concert.