On August 15, 1965, The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium in New York City, delivering a 12-song set in 30 minutes before more than 55,000 fans. A 14-year-old attendee recalled screaming, crying and sweating during the overwhelming experience. Scholars describe the concert as a milestone with a crowd size almost unprecedented for that era. Massive stadium shows have grown since then; Live Nation reports over 145 million fans attended more than 50,000 events in 2023. Contemporary tours such as Taylor Swift's Eras Tour have driven momentum, producing emotional reactions from fans. Major concerts and high-profile reunions continue to drive stadium attendance.
She was just 14, sitting in the "very overwhelming" stands of Shea Stadium in New York City, when The Beatles ran onto the field. "You just saw them with your eyes in-person, it was just like something I'll never forget," Bova, who is now based in Pennsylvania, told CBC's The Sunday Magazine. "All I remember is screaming and crying and sweating."
That night, at the the height of Beatlemania, the group also known as The Fab Four performed a 12-song set in 30 minutes. More than 55,000 fans packed into the stadium, breaking records and redefining what a live concert could be. The concert was "rightfully seen as a milestone," said Steve Waksman, a professor of popular music at the University of Huddersfield in the U.K. The stadium's crowd "was on a scale that was really, almost unprecedented for this sort of event."
According to Live Nation, over 145 million fans attended more than 50,000 events in 2023. Much of that momentum was driven by massive stadium tours from pop stars like Taylor Swift. Jessica Lam saw Swift's Eras Tour in Seattle, Vancouver and London. She still remembers how it felt to see the pop star on stage for the first time. "My tears were falling," said Lam. "Being in-person in the stadium, experiencing it with your own eyes it's so different."
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