The Beatles In Auckland Poem by Michael Walker
The Beatles In Auckland
The great jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong opened
for the Beatles at the Auckland Town Hall
in 1964, on a double bill, I sat behind the stage.
Looking like four brothers, the Beatles entered.
They had longish hair swept forward and across the forehead,
in a style which became 'the Beatle haircut' around Auckland.
Their suit jackets were three-button, accentuating slimness, height.
I doubt if you would see that elegance onstage any more.
There were only eleven songs on the set list that night,
and the Beatles made a gracious bow to the audience after each one.
I remember John and Paul's duets 'She Loves You', 'I Saw Her Standing There; '
but also George Harrison singing, to a throbbing beat, the
irreverent 'Roll Over Beethoven.'
Later the Beatles would split up, becoming successful in their own right as soloists,
but what I remember is their concert at the Town Hall long ago.
- July,2013. Revised 8 September,2019.
The set list that concert was:
1. 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'.
2. 'I Saw Her Standing There'.
3. ' You Can't Do That'.
4. 'All My Loving'.
5. 'She Loves You'.
6. 'Till There Was You'. (Meredith Wilson, cover) .
7. 'Roll Over Beethoven'.(Chuck Berry, cover) .
8. ' Can't Buy Me Love'.
9. 'This Boy'.
10. 'Long Tall Sally'.(Little Richard, cover) .
11. 'Twist And Shout'.(The Top Notes, cover) .
I liked best the Beatles' cover versions of other songs: 'Roll Over Beethoven', 'Long Tall Sally', and 'Twist And Shout'. The other 8 songs were written by Lennon and McCartney.
You are right: The Beatles had only ten songs on the set list, and they were all popular- ' Roll over Beethoven'.
The Beatles were great. I never got to see them in concert. Thanks for the memories.
Michael, thank you so much for the trip down memory lane. I love The Beatles. The Band of the Century! I have that t-shirt and others. And I get so many compliments on them. And then all the stories start. We all start sharing fond memories of The Beatles. And other bands as well. I never saw them, but I did see George, Ravi and Billy Preston all on the same bill. And so many awesome performers, including Elvis, The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, etc. You've opened the floodgates! I owe you a debt of gratitude! ! !
Thank you for a nostalgic look into bygone times. I was too young to have ever seen them live, but I remember my parents excitedly calling me downstairs when they first aired on the Ed Sullivan show. My parents bought me their albums (LP) for birthdays and Christmas. I saw their movies Help and A Hard Day's Night at the theatre. And now, I have as many of their songs on a youtube oldies playlist, as youtube will permit us to keep (youtube is notorious for deleting videos due to copyright issues.) You are a lucky duck to have seen them live, Michael. I liked their early lovesongs and ballads best. Things got kinda wierd after they split. Result of too many drugs, I suppose. Thank you for this poem!
I prefer the Beatles' later music but there's nothing like a live show. It stays vividly in the memory. But to see Satchmo and the lads on the same show was going some. I saw Buddy Holly once over here and when I hear Rave On it brings the memories flooding back. I like the idea of Sonnets in free verse. I use rhyme but usually in an unconventional way, not in set patterns. More like echoes. So I like your sense of adventure here.
Thanks very much for your appreciative comment, which proves that you like The Beatles and pop music as much as I do-a whole lot.
a poem full of happy memories and you know that can't be bad? ......superbly written Michael.........sorry to say I preferred the rolling stones and am still under their thumb............I think you might like a poem of mine called Sevvy's Bandstand a true inspiration, it is the place where John and Paul got their inspiration to write Sgt Peppers.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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10/4/2023 12:36:47 PM # 1.0.0.1115
You know, I still listen to the Beatles every now and then when the mood captures me. They never fail to get my feet tapping with a sing-a-long :)
I am glad that you like the Beatles too.