THANKS JOHN

One steamy July day, my Mom handed me money to buy a ticket to my first rock concert.  The date on the ticket said September 12, 1964; the venue:  The Boston Garden.  After an agonizingly long summer, September finally arrived.  My best friend and I were each 13 years old.  Our seats were in the first row balcony, stage left.  An announcer came on the stage and the screaming started.  Electricity filled the air as he shouted, “And now, here they are . . . The Beatles!”  After that, no one could hear another word over the screaming.  I saw The Beatles again on their final tour in front of a live audience in 1966.

I was hooked the minute I heard the first chord of I Wanna Hold Your Hand.  The Beatles’ provided the soundtrack for my passage through puberty to adulthood.  As I evolved over the years, I have embraced new kinds of music, but The Beatles will always be a part of who I am.

On this poignant anniversary, I would like to thank The Beatles for bringing me so much joy as a teenager.  And thank you, John, for trying to make this world a more peaceful place.

We all shine on.