Despite the passage of thousands of generations, the Beatles continue to be remembered as one of the greatest bands in the history of music. While their connection to sports is primarily known through Liverpool and Everton in the Premier League (local football teams in their hometown), certain events during their tours link the English musical group to baseball.
There is controversy regarding when International Beatles Day should be celebrated. Some mark it on July 6th, the day when John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met. Others point to July 10th as the date of the band’s triumphant return to Liverpool after their U.S. tour. However, January 6th, 1957, is internationally recognized as International Beatles Day because it marks the official debut of the four singers (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr) at The Cavern Club in Liverpool.
During their first U.S. tour in 1964, the Beatles were about to perform at Municipal Stadium (home of the Kansas City A’s) when asked about their interest in baseball at a press conference. Lennon replied, “Not much, honestly, just a few games on TV.” Starr added, “When you throw a ball, you can smoke a cigarette for another 10 minutes and then throw another ball.”
Despite their limited interest in baseball, the Beatles had memorable concerts at various ballparks throughout history. The 1994 performance in Kansas City is remembered as one of Charlie O’Finley’s worst deals. In his eagerness to have the Beatles play at his ballpark, he tripled his original offer to $150,000, which the English group couldn’t resist. Despite significant losses, the concert, attended by only 20,201 fans well below the venue’s capacity, became a legend. O’Finley’s goal was to attract more fans to his team’s games, and he left a memorable quote on each ticket: “Today’s Beatles fans will be the baseball fans of the future.” Following this concert, the Royals adopted the song “Kansas City Hey hey hey,” played at the end of each home team victory.
In 1965, during the filming of “Help,” it is believed that the Beatles played baseball during their breaks. The Shea Stadium performance in front of over 50,000 spectators in 1965 was a landmark for rock music and their global tours.
1966 marked their temporary retirement from tours, with the Candlestick Park as the venue. Paul McCartney returned to perform at the venue before its demolition in 2014.
The last concert at Shea Stadium took place on July 18, 2008. Billy Joel headlined the night, surprising the audience by inviting Paul McCartney to bid farewell to a stadium significant in the Beatles’ musical career.
John Lennon credited a baseball movie as inspiration for the opening lines of “Grow Old With Me,” one of his last songs. Over 40 years later, Beatles biographer Kenneth Womack identified the inspiration as the TV movie “A Love Affair: The Eleanor And Lou Gehrig Story,” where the baseball player’s girlfriend sends him a poem by Robert Browning with similar words.
The Beatles will undoubtedly be remembered for their musical success, but baseball was a part of their lives and a memorable aspect for most of them.