Hello,
I am brand new to this forum and, to be honest, am posting for entirely selfish reasons. Nevertheless, I hope that the live sound pros and Beatles historians out there can help me find some information that I am seeking.
I am working on a PhD in Philosophy of Music Theory and my dissertation focuses, in part, on certain aspects of the Beatles’ move from live band to strictly studio performers.
I am trying to find as much information as possible about the evening of August 15, 1965 - the famous Shea Stadium concert. Specifically, I am hoping to figure out exactly what sound equipment was in use that evening. (Amps, speakers, microphones, what the PA system at Shea was like and how it was employed that evening, etc…)
Let me tell you what sources I am privy to so far (some of it gleaned from cruising this website):
Andy Babiuk’s book, Beatles Gear, is a very cool resource, but only mentions live sound in a few places and in not very much detail. I did hear about Bill Hanley from this book and I understand that he ran sound at the 1966 Shea concert, but not at the 1965 dare. I have an email out to Bill Hanley and I’m hoping he would be willing to discuss what he knows with me. From various online forums, I learned that there is a great book about the Grateful Dead - Grateful Dead Gear - that will help me to get a handle on the technology of live sound during this era, if not about the Beatles specifically. I also have Lewisohn’s book on the Beatles’ recording sessions and a wonderful book called Recording the Beatles by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew. Some of these sources go into great depth on Beatles gear but, again, not so much for live events.
From these sources - and others - I have a general grasp of how the live sound worked in those days but I am lacking in a lot of specifics.
Can you help me? Do you - or someone you know - have specific knowledge about the sound system at the Shea concert? About the Beatles‘ American tours in general? Or do you know of online or print resources (forums? trade journals?) that cover this topic? Any hints you can provide me would be tremendously appreciated.
Thank you!