The gargantuan tidal wave that was mid-1960s Beatlemania often washes away the milestones and accolades other musicians accomplished before and after the Fab Four’s reign as the world’s favorite rock ‘n’ roll band. We assume The Beatles were the first to do it, the best to do it, and in some cases, the last to do it. But in the grand scheme of music history, The Beatles are but a mop-topped blip, lasting less than a decade overall.
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Two of the most iconic moments in The Beatles’ career were undoubtedly their August 1965 concert at Shea Stadium and the Apple rooftop concert four years later in January 1969. However, for as big as these pop culture moments were, other bands were doing the same thing before and after the Fab Four.
Jefferson Airplane Beat The Beatles to a Rooftop Concert
One year before The Beatles would take to the Apple headquarters rooftop in London for what would be their final performance together and one of their most iconic moments of all time, Jefferson Airplane was utilizing similar venues in the Big Apple. In a 2011 interview with AllAboutJazz, Jefferson Airplane vocalist Grace Slick shared whether she thought The Beatles had ripped off their rooftop concert the following year. She said, “Yeah, probably,” before adding with a laugh, “We were the first to disturb an entire neighborhood of office workers on a rooftop.”
“No one knew where the music was coming from or why,” Slick continued. “Director Jean-Luc Godard put us up there and filmed us from across the street, as well as people looking up. It was way cool until the cops showed up. No one went to jail, though.”
The Beatles, on the other hand, managed to get through 42 minutes of their set before the Metropolitan Police showed up in response to noise and traffic complaints. Interestingly, Paul McCartney had suggested they deliberately try to involve the police as part of the bit.
Grand Funk Railroad Outsold Shea Stadium After The Beatles
The Beatles inextricably linked Shea Stadium to their music legacy after their August 1965 concert at the home of the New York Mets. It was not only the biggest show of The Beatles’ North American tour but also the first major stadium performance in history. Roughly 55,600 people attended the Fab Four’s concert, which was a staggering number in the mid-60s.
By 1971, Grand Funk Railroad beat The Beatles at their own game by selling out the stadium in 72 hours. Grand Funk Railroad had just released “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)”, an anti-war anthem that was intensely popular as Vietnam protests began picking up steam. The song circulated on college campuses and underground radio stations where anti-war sentiment was more prevalent, turning the band’s Shea Stadium appearance into a pro-peace gathering as much as a rock ‘n’ roll show.
“It was powerful,” former Grand Funk frontman Mark Farner recalled to MLB.com, per Ultimate Classic Rock. “Women were crying. Guys were crying. It was a very emotional time. New York City in 1971 was ready not only to hear [‘I’m Your Captain’] but to react to the feelings it stirred up. And they reacted. They sang it louder than the damn PA, dude. I could hear them singing louder than I was singing.” Something The Beatles were used to, too, no doubt.
Photo by Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns
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