Barring any unforeseen glitches, surely 100,000 more Filipinos will watch the biggest concert in the Philippines in recent years.
Last of two parts
Last Sunday, May 5, I wrote about the possibility of Paul McCartney performing in Manila as part of the Asian leg of his recently completed Got Back tour, in which the superstar musician played 35 shows in the United States, England, Australia, Mexico and Brazil from April 28, 2022 to December 16, 2022.
The response from readers was overwhelming, which means many Filipinos are hoping to catch Macca (as the British press fondly call McCartney) live in concert, especially now while he can still sing his immortal songs even at 81 years old.
But other readers expressed doubt about a Manila date when the Asian leg is announced, citing as main reason the infamous incident that marred the Beatles concert in Manila some 58 years ago.
What really happened on that fateful day, when the Fab Four was scheduled to perform two shows, a 4PM matinee and an 8PM main show, on July 4, 1966 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium?
I will quote Tony Barlow, the Beatles’ then press officer, from his 2005 book, John, Paul, George, Ringo & Me: The Real Beatles Story, as well as the band’s road manager Neil Aspinall, and the Beatles themselves in the 1995 TV documentary The Beatles Anthology.
Barrow recalled the arrival of the Beatles entourage on July 3, 1966 at the then Manila International Airport:
“The tour itinerary prepared by [promoter] Ramon Ramos Jr. was never discussed properly that evening between [then Beatles manager] Brian Epstein and the rest of us. I doubt if he even read it thoroughly or even noticed the crucial bit suggesting that the Beatles might ‘call in on’ the First Lady, the President’s wife, Imelda Marcos, at three o’ clock on Monday afternoon ‘before proceeding on from Malacañang Palace directly to the stadium for the first concert.’
‘Casual proposal’
“The wording Ramos used made this sound like a casual proposal rather than a command from the President’s office—not a fixed and formal appointment so much as something to be talked about as a possibility.
“The group (Beatles) had finally reached their suite at the Manila Hotel at 4 a.m. They were sleeping when two high-ranking government officials arrived later in the morning and announced that they would be escorting the Beatles to the Palace.
“The officers spoke coldly: ‘This is not a request. We have our orders. The children who wish to meet the Beatles will assemble at 11…’
“Vic [Lewis, an employee of Epstein] threw on a shirt and trousers, phoned me and we went to see Epstein, who was having a late breakfast. Vic told me:’ ‘I have to warn him that these people are hot-blooded. A snub would be unwise.’ Unsurprisingly, Epstein refused to compromise: ‘I’m not even going to ask the Beatles about this. Go back, Vic, and tell these people we’re not coming.'”
George Harrison: “The next morning we were woken up by bangs on the door of the hotel, and there was a lot of panic going on outside. Somebody came into the room and said, ‘Come on! You’re supposed to be at the palace.’ We said, ‘What are you talking about? We’re not going to any palace.’
“You’re supposed to be at the palace! Turn on the television.’
“We did, and there it was, live from the palace. There was a huge line of people either side of the long marble corridor, with kids in their best clothing, and the TV commentator saying, ‘And they’re still not here yet. The Beatles are supposed to be here.’
‘100,000 people’ came
Aspinall: “Although people kept saying it was a failure in the Philippines, the Beatles did two gigs to about 100,000 people, after the Marcos thing, and all the fans had a really good time. They really enjoyed it.”
The concert poster listed six front acts: The Reycard Duet, Wing Duo, Lemons Three, Eddie Reyes and D’ Downbeats (featuring a young Joey” “Pepe” Smith on drums and vocals), Dale Adriatico, and Pilita Corrales.
Smith was quoted in a documentary by Nilo Ilarde: “Ringo gave me a pair of drumsticks.”
Noted literati Marra PL. Lanot, currently the Literary Editor of the Philippines Graphic magazine and Editor of the Philippines Graphic Reader, recalled buying her ticket two weeks before the concert and standing on her seat during the matinee show. She was glad to hear the Beatles perform tracks from their then-new album, Rubber Soul, a copy of which she had as a gift from her father who had visited London.
McCartney squeezed in a little time to walk around Ermita and bought a painting by BenCab.
But things turned sour just as the Beatles were about to fly out of the airport. They were confronted by thugs, “some in military uniform. Guns were brandished and fired into the air,” recounted Barrow.
McCartney: “It was an unfortunate little trip…”
Perhaps now is the perfect time to put closure to that “unfortunate little trip.”
Sources, who declined to be identified since they are not authorized to speak in behalf of the artist, told this columnist that Macca’s Manila date might happen for two nights in the last quarter of this year at the Philippine Arena.
I am declining any further comment in deference to Macca’s management and the local promoter. Let’s just wait for the official announcement.
Barring any unforeseen glitches, surely 100,000 more Filipinos will watch the biggest concert in the Philippines in recent years.
Perhaps President Bongbong Marcos can himself apologize to Macca in behalf of the Filipino people over what was apparently a terrible miscommunication.
Image credits: AP, BeatlesBible.com
