To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic Beatles concert at Shea Stadium, the New York Mets will have an event during their game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, August 15, 2025.
The Mets announced the celebration on Friday, August 8 (via ESPN). It will commence with a performance by 1964 the Tribute, a Beatles cover band, which will start at 6:15 pm EST. The first 15,000 fans to enter Citi Field will receive a replica of Shea Stadium.
Additionally, the ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by members of the staff who worked the concert 60 years earlier. A “themed fireworks show” will follow the game.
The Beatles' iconic concert at the Mets' former home, Shea Stadium
On August 15, 1965, the Beatles played a concert at Shea Stadium during their 1965 tour of North America. They played a 12-song set that consisted of four covers and eight original songs.
They opened with a cover of the Top Notes' “Twist and Shout,” which they recorded for their debut album, Please Please Me. The Fab Four also played covers of “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” “Everybody's Tryin' to Be My Baby,” and “Act Naturally.”
The concert featured songs from their Help! album, which had come out nine days prior to the show. Four songs from the album were played — “Ticket to Ride,” “Act Naturally,” “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” and the title track. They also played some of their other hits, like “A Hard Day's Night,” “Can't Buy Me Love,” and non-album singles like “I Feel Fine,” “I'm Down,” and “She's a Woman.”
It remains a landmark performance for the Beatles. A documentary was made of the concert and directed by Bob Precht. In 2008, Billy Joel performed the last concert at Shea Stadium before it was demolished. Paul McCartney joined him, performing the Beatles' “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Let It Be.”
Additionally, McCartney paid homage to the venue when he played the first concert at Citi Field in 2009. He performed “I'm Down” during the show.
The Beatles stopped touring in 1966. So, their Shea Stadium concert was one of the last 34 shows in America. The iconic Shea Stadium show opened the 1965 tour. However, they would return there the following year, playing a show on August 23, 1966.
