The Beatles – Live: Sam Houston Coliseum (Evening) [1965]

Half a century ago, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Billy Barnett came to the Sam Houston Coliseum for a concert that still rings in history for Houston music fans.

The Beatles performed two shows here on Aug. 19, 1965. The 3:30 and 8 p.m. concerts promoted by KILT Radio (just AM back then) were billed as “The Sixth Annual Back to School Show,” sponsored by the Variety Boys Club of Houston. Tickets cost $5; all seats were general admission. Fans had to buy tickets in person at the KILT office or mail in their money. The station hired two local high school girls to sort through the bags of mail. The Beatles were guaranteed $50,000 plus a share of ticket sales. They left Houston with $85,000 in manager Brian Epstein’s briefcase.