These Beatles fans get to relive one of their greatest memories

Paul McCartney is coming this Saturday to Busch Stadium.

The singer, songwriter and musician will take the stage a little after 8 p.m.

Among the tunes? If his playlist is similar to Sunday night’s stop No. 29 of his One On One stadium tour in East Rutherford, N.J., songs will include “Hey, Jude,” “Live and Let Die,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Love Me Do,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Something.”

Paul, 74, was just a lad of 24 when he performed at the old Busch Stadium with The Beatles in 1966.

According to information we found online, 23,143 fans watched Paul, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr sing 11 songs. They included “I Feel Fine,” “Yesterday” and “She’s A Woman.”

St. Louis was the 10th of 14 cities on the 1966 tour. Turns out, even though it was raining during the 30-minute concert that night, folks were lucky. The Beatles played only four more shows before they stopped touring.

Here are the memories of metro-east folks who got to see the Beatles that night 50 years ago.

Kathy Hagnauer wanted to go to the Aug. 21, 1966, Beatles concert in the worst way.

Tickets were more than she could pay — $4.50 to $5.50 — and how would she get from Granite City to the old Busch Stadium?

“I had just turned 13 years old,” said the retired Granite City principal. “I worshipped the Beatles, so much so, I almost was ejected from Sacred Heart Catholic School. The mother of one of my classmates knew how much I adored the Fab Four. She knew my parents couldn’t afford or get me to that concert, so she bought me a ticket and took me with her daughter.”

Kathy remembers what she wore.

“A white pleated skirt with a polka dot blouse.”

Bobby Hebb, whose big hit was “Sunny,” played first, she said, then it was the Beatles’ turn.

“The rain was really coming down, however ... OUT THEY CAME ... and I was screaming along with all the others. We were lucky because we were seated by a speaker and could actually hear the music. I think a group called Cyrcle (”Red Rubber Ball”) finished the concert.

“Yes, I was there.”

Kathy still has her $5.50 ticket stub to prove it, along with other Beatles’ memorabilia. Beatles grace the cover of a Life magazine she has kept since Sept. 13, 1968. It’s framed and on her wall.

“I have all vinyl records including 45s.”

The retired principal of Niedringhaus School and current secretary of Granite City School Board kept the Beatles in her life long after they broke up. Posters hung near her desk.

“Sometimes, if a student was sent to my office for a mild infraction, I would ask him or her to name the Beatles to get out of detention,” she said. “For my retirement party, my staff made it Beatle-themed. You can imagine all the Beatles stuff I received as gifts.

Kathy drives around town in a yellow 2000 VW Bug with the license plate “Fab Fr.”

Her 5-year-old granddaughter, born on Ringo’s birthday (July 7), was named after Lennon.

“Her name is Lynnan Kathleen Logan and she can usually identify one of their songs if she hears it on the radio.”

What was so good about the Beatles?

“I was always mesmerized with the lyrics of their songs and still am to this day. John Lennon was a genius. One of his best quotes (lyrics) is ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.’”

So, it’s no wonder she sees Paul McCartney whenever he comes to town.

This year is no exception.

“I am hoping to hear ‘Hey, Jude,’ ‘Day Tripper,’ ‘Yesderday’ and ‘Eleanor Rigby,”’ she said. “I will be attending the concert with three of my very close friends.”

Mom’s worry

Terri Martin and her sister Bridget felt lucky — they had tickets to see the Beatles.

Their mom was apprehensive.

“I was a sophomore at Althoff High School,” said Terri, of Collinsville, who is a business analyst for Kindred Healthcare. “My mother was so concerned that my sister and I were going to be crushed and severely injured that she bought a ticket for a friend of mine, a 6-foot-2 football player, to be our personal body guard.”

Terri doesn’t remember what she wore, but her sister was stylin’ in a vinyl mini skirt and white go-go boots.

“I still have my ticket that was priced at $5.50. I am going to the concert on Aug. 13th with a good friend and can’t wait. I have seen Paul McCartney several times, but the Beatles only once. It would be so cool if I could somehow get my 1966 ticket signed.”

Any favorite songs you hope Paul will sing?

“Yesterday.”

Here, There and Everywhere

Shirley Schultz couldn’t get enough of the Beatles.

“I not only the saw the Beatles in St. Louis; I saw them in KC,” said Shirley. “My best friend Helen and I were crazy nuts for the Beatles. I remember the concert in KC and even have pictures from it. I remember the rain in St. Louis, but it didn’t bother us.”

What does bother her?

“I can’t believe it’s been 50 years.”

Still, it’s been a great ride, and she couldn’t ask for a better person to go with her.

“I will be taking my daughter to the concert Saturday evening.”

Screaming girls

James Mueller, of Shiloh, was at the St. Louis’ Beatles concert 50 years ago and will be there Saturday.

“I remember walking around the stadium to avoid the rain during the songs by the artists who opened for the Beatles,” he said. “A particularly strong memory is hearing the group named The Cyrcle play ‘Red Rubber Ball.’

“When the Beatles began to play ‘She Loves You,’ I remember everyone screaming so loudly it was almost hard to hear the Beatles. My friends and I left our seats next to some girls who were screaming to find a place where we could hear better. There really wasn’t one.”

We saw them standing there

Linda Chamness DeBoer, of Belleville, was a huge Beatles fan.

“I remember buying their very first album “Meet the Beatles” and ordering the ‘Help’ album from Great Britain because it wasn’t available in the U.S. I thought Paul was dreamy. That seemed to be a popular phrase then! (He still looks like a choir boy!)”

She was surprised her parents let her go to the concert.

“The Beatles were still kind of a new influence, and a lot of adults weren’t sure they were a good influence,” she said. “I went with two other girlfriends, Jeannie and Judy. We all in eighth grade at Belle Valley Grade School at the time. The stadium was totally noisy. Lots and lots of girls screaming at the top of their lungs. One girl seated behind the three of us just cried all night long, with her hands by the side of her face, ‘George, George, George!’

No wonder it was so hard to hear the music.

“I remember hearing ‘She Loves You.’ ... As the Beatles came onto the field I seem to remember that there were lines of policemen, probably a couple men deep who were basically side by side, or arm in arm to keep back all the screaming girls. The sound system was pretty awful because the bass was offbeat from the drums. Hopefully, that was the sound system and not Paul and Ringo getting off beat. They probably could not begin to hear themselves play.

“We were about half way up the side of the stadium, so there was no way that we could see their faces. However, we all knew who stood where in the band so we didn’t need to see their faces — we knew which one was which.”

Another fun Beatles’ memory for Linda?

“Sitting through ‘A Hard Days Night’ at the Ritz Theater, about three times straight in a row (which was legal then), and my dad having to come into the theater to tell us it was time to go home. I don’t think he was real thrilled.”

Times were different then.

“Being able to stay in the theater for multiple shows, no cell phones for parents to check up on us and a Dad allowed into the theater to drag some reluctant kids out of the theater.”

When the rain comes ...

Rain and waiting.

That’s what Cheryl Pace, a lifelong resident of Collinsville, remembers about the 1966 Beatles concert in St. Louis.

“We seemed to wait an eternity for the Fab Four to appear,” she said. “I don’t remember hearing much music because we girls were screaming so loudly it was deafening!”

She and friend Dee Dibal, now lives in Kansas City, went 50 years ago.

Turns out, she will see Paul for free on Saturday.

“I am now an usher at Busch Stadium. I am beyond excited about this upcoming experience!

“I am hoping he will sing “Hey Jude”! I believe he will sing this song to end his concert — and I’m sure I will cry!”

Almost 64

Diane Lienard has to travel a lot farther to Saturday’s Paul McCartney concert than she did 50 years ago when she saw the Beatles.

“I grew up in New Baden. ... I was 13. As soon as the Beatles ran onto the field, we all began screaming. I’m not sure why. I guess I did because it was ‘them’ (I especially loved Paul, always have, always will).

“Now I’m 63. My husband and I live in Manassas, Va., but we will be traveling to the concert on Saturday night at Busch Stadium. I plan to make a sign to tell Paul about my being at the concert 50 years ago and ask him to sign it. Maybe he will see it, maybe not. If he does, it will be a dream come true for a long-time fan.

Let’s go

Janet Hartzel, of Edwardsville, was still in grade school when she saw the Beatles.

“I was 11 years old and crazy about them and all their records.

“On that particular hot summer day, I was in the yard selling watermelons with my brother, Bo Hartzel. I had my little blue transistor radio on KXOK and I was listening to all the Beatles songs and hearing all the excitement of their visit.

“Bo said, ‘Do you want to go see them?’ I said, yes I did, and he ran to the house yelling, ‘Mom!!!! Janet wants to go see the Beatles!!!’ I can still see her in the window and she said, “Let’s go!’

“I ran into the house to get ready. So excited. Our tickets were $5.50 each and we were in the front row of the first balcony. I remember screaming and singing and just being so thrilled to be there. Their show was cut short by rain but as we were leaving, we saw them leave in their limousine. It was a night I have never forgotten and I’ve always been thankful to my brother and my mom for getting me there.”

Silly teenage girls

Renee Darlington came from Salem, near Mount Vernon, for the concert.

“One of my friends had an older sister who got tickets for the four of us, Patty, Nancy, Janet and myself,” said Renee. “Our seats were on the third base side just above the dugout. It was very loud with all the screaming.

“At some point it started to rain. We were all soaked.

I remember one of the opening acts was the Del Rays. We thought the drummer of that band was Ringo. We knew it wasn’t the Beatles, but somehow we thought Ringo would be playing with another band. Silly teenage girls.”

She rated the concert “thrilling.”

“My friend’s sister worked and lived in St. Louis. She knew a (newspaper) photographer who had taken some up close and personal pictures of the Beatles. She brought those pictures back to Salem and I was able to get one — a picture of John, Paul and Ringo on the field. Some who have seen the photo can’t believe Paul is carrying his guitar case. I guess it was precious cargo. That photo is framed and displayed in my home.”

Renee and her family moved to Collinsville in 1967.

“Over time, I met many of the local musicians, including my friend Don (Barney) Biver who is that drummer from back in 1966 in the Del Rays. I’m also friends with Rich and Jim Lang who were the founding members of the Del Rays. Small world.”

Another favorite memory?

”When I lived in Salem, one of my friends wrote a letter to Louise Harrison Caldwell (George’s sister), who lived in Benton, Ill. She asked if we could come to Benton and visit her. To our amazement she said yes and one of our parents drove us to her house and we spent the afternoon. I remember her giving us gingerbread cookies and 7-up as a snack. She played us some Beatles music that was only available in England or to the English fan club and we were thrilled to be there.

Happy birthday to you

Rich Binder celebrated his girlfriend Portia’s birthday in a big way — he bought her tickets to see the Beatles.

“We had been dating since January of that year,” said Rich, of Smithton. “I had finished my freshmen year at the U of I and she had graduated from Waterloo High School in May, 1966. The Beatles were the hot item at the time and I guess I wanted to impress her by getting tickets for the concert.

“I remember the rain and all the screaming. We have been Beatles fans ever since.”

Congratulate the Binders if you see them at the concert Saturday night.

“The tickets are a 50th anniversary present to my wife, Portia,” he said. “The tickets were emailed and printed by me. Portia is disappointed with the email tickets because they will not look as good in her display as the ticket stubs she kept from the first concert.”

Thanks to an aunt

Joe English, of Belleville, was entering his freshman year of high school in 1966.

“My aunt, Mary Dorothy ‘Sis’ English, bought tickets for the Beatles concert at Busch Stadium for my older brothers, John, and Tom, myself and younger brother Denny. Prior to the concert, John Lennon made a statement that the group was more popular than Jesus Christ.

“The Catholic Church was in an uproar over the comment, and the Diocese of Belleville, and Bishop Albert Zuroweste, were no different. This statement prompted our pastor at Blessed Sacrament, Msgr. Louis Ell, to announce at Sunday Mass that any parishioner attending would be promptly excommunicated from the church! My aunt quickly stated that she spent $20 for those tickets and we were going!

“It was a lousy night weatherwise, and when we left a commotion was going on out in front of us to draw the crowd away from the exiting Beatles who promptly walked right past us.”

Now, his sons, Joe 37, and Brad 29, are huge Beatles/McCartney fans.

“My wife, Joan, took Brad to the the last McCartney concert in St Louis.”

Are we going?

Mary Lauf Holt and her best friend Karen Hoffarth Kimme saw the Beatles at Busch Stadium 50 years ago and are going Saturday night to see Paul McCartney.

”We have been best friends for 55 years and when she heard he was coming, she texted me and said ‘Are we going?’

”When we saw the Beatles, it was a warm August night and there was a mist or very light drizzle in the air but it didn’t stop us from having a very memorable experience. I remember that I wore a black and white checked a-line dress. We rode to Busch stadium on the bus which we caught at the square in Belleville. I was 15 years old and she was 14.”

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 1:56 PM with the headline "These Beatles fans get to relive one of their greatest memories."