Eighteen months after they appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and virtually changed the world overnight, The Beatles made their way to Atlanta Stadium (it would later be changed to Fulton County Stadium) as part of their nine-city North American tour. When they emerged from the third base dugout a little after 9:30 p.m. more than 30,000 fans erupted into one, stadium-shaking scream. As flash bulbs lit up the night sky the Fab Four kicked off the show with a rousing rendition of “Twist and Shout,” followed by “She’s A Woman” and a bevy of other hits including their latest smash, “Help.” The screaming drowned out the music, first aid stations were packed with young girls who had fainted and police officers got a workout trying to keep rabid fans from jumping the railing to get a closer look.
It was August 18, 1965 and my sister-in-law, Cathy Mouledoux, was there. She was all of 12 years old. She wanted to see Paul, “the cute one,” and hear him sing her favorite song, “I’m Down.” The boys didn’t let her down. They closed the show with it….and just like that…they were gone, on their way to Houston for a 3:30 p.m. show the next day. Just like that…they were gone.