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Comments

• [1] Ina from Morristown, NJ July 16, 2008 - 02:19PM

  I was there, at Shea, for the Beatles in 1965. The horrible sound I just heard on your show is the only evidence I have that those four people down there on that stage were in fact The Beatles, and that they sang anything. This was long before huge video screens, and they could have been any four guys who wandered in from the street. As for the sound, I couldn't say: all I could hear was the screaming of thousands of teenage girls. (For the record, I had just turned 20, and I didn't scream.)

  
  
• [2] Lloyd from Manhattan July 16, 2008 - 02:26PM

  In 1970 or so, I attended a Billy Graham cusade at Shea. I heard George Beverly Shea himself sing "How Great Thou Art". So there.

  
  
• [3] Charles J. Virga from Now in Hoboken July 16, 2008 - 02:28PM

  Saw the Stones in the mid 80's...remember the entire top deck bouncing (was underneath)...great show, lots o fun! Did have binoculars w/me...big plus.

  Saw Bruce a few years ago when Dylan showed up at the end. Show, as usual, was great.

  Many Mets games!

  About Shea...when built, wasn't it considered a great stadium? Now that it is 40+ years later, sure it is no longer the tops...but, we should not put it down.

  I remember watching the Jets and wanting to pour hot coffee over my frozen legs!

  Charles.

  
  
• [4] Vin from Manhattan July 16, 2008 - 02:28PM

  The Who, 1982. Prior to show beginning, Jets flew LOW overhead. I said to friend, "we're not gonna hear anything." Next jet, soundman pushed up the volume and completely drowned out the jumbo jet.

  Unfortunately, don't remember much of the show, LOL.

  
  
• [5] jame from huntington LI July 16, 2008 - 02:30PM

  I was 10 years old and went to see the Beatles in 1966. My older sister took the good press seats and I was up far away. One of my sister's friends ran out to try to get to Paul, she got farther tahn anyone, but one other man.

  I also saw Bruce in 2005? which was totally amazing.

  Great show!

  
  
• [6] jane from huntington LI July 16, 2008 - 02:32PM

  Please correct my name if possible--my error. sorry

  
  
• [7] Marian from Long Island City July 16, 2008 - 02:33PM

  I have seen the Stones (at least 3 times), the Who and Pink Floyd at Shea. (Maybe others but I'm too old to remember). Of late, the norm seems to be that we all must stand for the whole show; making it impossible to see anything except the people in front of you. Pink Floyd, however, realizing that, produce their concerts to be seen and enjoyed while seated. Their's therefore, were the only concerts I've enjoyed there.

  As a passionate Stones fan from a '69 concert at Madison Square Garden, I am always sorely disappointed if I see them at at any stadium.

  And, of course, the sound is awful.

  
  
• [8] Chuck July 16, 2008 - 02:38PM

  You dont have the Kool Jazz Festival concerts...

  saw on show with the Staples Singers, Stevie Wonder, George Benson and Billy Paul in the late 70's

  
  
• [9] Joy Cohen from New Jersey July 16, 2008 - 02:44PM

  I'm a Brooklyn native and my best friend Shelley and I I were at both Beatles concerts. They were one of the highlights of my childhood (I was 13 and 14). I was the ultimate Beatlemaniac; I could only listen to the Beatles alone in my room, because I was convinced that no one could possibly appreciate or understand them. I also couldn't hear and wasn't sure who I was seeing, but the experience was wonderful. Shelley, if you're out they, I'm thinking about you!

  
  
• [10] Ken Jewell from Neptune, NJ July 16, 2008 - 02:48PM

  I see that you have the Summer Fes for peace in 1970. I was there and Jimi Hendrix was NOT. Janis Joplin showed up but was not supposed to be there. The show ended with CCR. Steppenwolf, POCO, P. Simon was there.

  
  
• [11] Erica De Mane from NYC July 16, 2008 - 02:52PM

  My sister and I attended a Peace Concert at Shea in l970 on a sweltering hot day. We were both in high school. I noticed this one on your list, but Jimi Hendrix was not present, being in fact already dead, but Janis Joplin was present with Big Brother. She was in noticeably bad shape, bottle in hand, and I believe died shortly after. Possibly this was her last performance. Peter Yarrow was MC. Paul Simon sang. I remember Steppenwolf were there, and I believe Miles Davis. It was an incredibly long and amazing show. I got the worst sunburn of my life. There were other performers but I can't remember who at the moment. I'll have to ask my sister.

  
  
• [12] mike kobetitsch from monroe but grew up in Flushing July 16, 2008 - 02:59PM

  I was at the festival for peace, 1970. Jimi Hendrix wasn't there but Janis, Johnny Winter, Creedence, Steppenwolf, Dionne Warwick, Paul Simon, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Peter Yarrow were. The sound was decent as I recall, but during Steppenwolf and Creedence, people were jumping up and down so much that the grandstand was moving up and down about a foot. People were warned to jump on the opposite beat to their neighbor.

  
  
• [13] Kingman July 16, 2008 - 02:59PM

  Shea Stadium's contribution to music history is as important as the baseball history. I have chronicled some of it here: http://www.loge13.com/shea_rocks/

  The Festival for Peace is one of the least chronicled events in music. Jimi was indeed not there. But some of the best acts of 1970 were. Check out the comments on this post for more eyewitness accounts. She literally shook that day:

  http://www.loge13.com/2007/08/shea_stadium_festival_for_peac.php

  
  
• [14] Merry Corlett from Westfield, NJ July 17, 2008 - 11:45AM

  Listened to part of your show yesterday where you compared Billy Joel's concert to watching TV since "he's not like the Stones". Well, it was a bit like watching TV from my seat in the mezzanine behind homeplate, but it was the best TV show on earth in the biggest, happiest living room ever. The guest duets were outstanding and the retrospectives on the screens were terrific.

  Billy apologized that we didn't really get the "last play at Shea", but who cares?

  
  
• [15] Anthony M from Paris, FR July 19, 2008 - 11:44AM

  About the Festival for Peace

  First, Hendrix was not dead before the show - he was scheduled to play (having played at the earlier Winter Fest at MSG) but had a conflict. He, like Janis, died just some weeks later.

  Second, any one who has any information, memories, media of any type from the Festival for Peace: PLEASE contact me directly at BeBopnJazz(at)gmail(dot)com.

  I am researching an article about the Festival and it is remarkably obscure for what was seminal concert event. For more information, you can go to my Wikipedia article

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_for_Peace

  
  
• [16] James Singel from East Lansing, Michigan March 04, 2009 - 09:30PM

  In the summer of 1970, my brother Patrick and I hitch-hiked to New York from Detroit with about a hundred dollars between us. We were dropped off in the Harlem around 2am. We found our way, somehow, to Greenwich Village where we slept on rooftops until we found a couple guys who let us stay with them. We're straight but they were not. It didn't seem to matter.

  I remember paying to see Santana at Fillmore East. We literally had no money when we went to Shea Stadium for the Concert For Peace. We stood around for a while and were approached by someone asking if we would agree to help seat people and act as security. We were given arm bands to distinguish ourselves and shortly after we got in we took the arm bands off and sat down by the dugouts and watched one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Truly amazing lineup. Jimi Hendrix, unfortunately, was not there and I would have remembered if he was expected to be. It was quite a summer to be alive. I was 21, Patrick 19.

  
  
• [17] Christine B. from PA March 22, 2009 - 09:20PM

  I was at the Simon and Garfunkel concert on Aug.6, 1983, my 25th birthday. My boyfriend and I sat in the right field (loge, mezz?) seats, which would have been pretty good except for the right field foul pole sitting directly in front of me. The stage was set up in the outfield, and was made to look like a drive-in movie theater. There were alot of field seats set up, which were obviously all filled, but towards the end of the concert people from the upper seating areas went down to the boxes, jumping the onto the field to get a better view. The cops were very cool, going through the motions of trying to catch them, but then letting them go anyway. S & G were excellent, harmonizing wonderfuly & singing all the songs you expected. What a great way to turn 25!!!