Lost for decades, a relic from the Beatles’ last official concert in SF has been unearthed
No one anticipated that the Beatles’ Aug. 29, 1966, performance at Candlestick Park in San Francisco would be their last official concert, save for the bandmates themselves. And now, a relic from that night — one that was stolen from the Inner Richmond catering business where the Fab Four ate prior to their fabled farewell more than 50 years ago — has been rediscovered.
On the last stop of the band’s summer tour, Paul, John, George and Ringo were joined by singer-songwriter Joan Baez as they walked through the doors of the locker room at Candlestick Park. There, they dined on a pre-show meal of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, stuffed baked potato, salad, relish and French pastry that had been catered in from Simpson’s catering service on 926 Clement Street. Between bites, they made crude sketches in crayon on the white linen tablecloth.
“Sprinkled among the gravy stains and pudding droppings were doodles of almost psychedelic persuasion, drawn by Beatles in a moment of contemplation before their concert in the infield,” the Chronicle reported at the time.
Co-owner Joe Vilardi told the newspaper that Lennon had drawn “an interesting sort of Japanese sunset” while McCartney had etched out “faces in the abstract.” Before the band left for the concert, Simpson’s staff asked them to autograph their artwork, and proudly showed it off in a 12-foot-wide display window at their headquarters the following day.
“Some of those excited little gals wanted to touch it or take pictures,” Vilardi told The Chronicle of the prized tablecloth, adding that he also received offers of up to $300 for the artwork. Police advised him to take it down, but he paid no mind to their warnings.
Within a week, the tablecloth was stolen in broad daylight, leaving nothing but a shattered window behind. Vilardi was devastated, and the treasure was thought to have been lost forever.
Just 25,000 tickets ranging from $4.50 to $6.50 were sold, leaving 7,000 empty seats. Since 15% of those ticket sales were required to go to the city of San Francisco, local promoter Tempo Productions was left with a financial loss. It was a staggering difference from the year prior, when the band played a sold-out show for 55,000 people at Shea Stadium.
Yet, the band’s press officer, Tony Barrow, reflected on the evening fondly. McCartney asked him to record what he knew would be a historic moment for the band. Their set began with “Rock and Roll Music” from their 1964 record “Beatles for Sale,” followed by iconic hits “I Feel Fine,” “I Wanna Be Your Man” and “Day Tripper.” Just as they started to play their closing song, “Long Tall Sally,” Barrow’s tape ran out.
It was "probably the most unique Beatle (sic) recording in existence," Barrow later wrote in his 2005 biography, “John, Paul, George, Ringo & Me."
Now, its fate is uncertain. The tablecloth will be listed for sale through the privately owned auction company Bonhams on Oct. 7, which estimates the value of the item to be $15,000 to $25,000 — a far cry from the $300 Vilardi was offered all those years ago.
In a press release shared with SFGATE, a spokesperson for Bonhams said it contacted Joan Baez’s agent about the tablecloth. The singer verified the story, “remembering it fondly.” Her only correction was that McCartney didn’t draw the abstract faces — she did.
The auction will run through Oct. 19, 2022.
sfgate
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