Sixty years ago today, on August 15, 1965, the Beatles played Shea Stadium in New York, and the world has never recovered. It was the biggest pop explosion the world had ever seen, with 56,000 kids screaming for John, Paul, George, and Ringo. It’s the most famous show they ever played — the most famous pop concert ever — even though nobody could hear a note of it. Other gigs have drawn far bigger crowds, made far more money. But Shea is still the ultimate image of fan hysteria — a massive swarm of Beatlemaniacs gathered together for a night of communal rapture, bonded in music, shrieking their lungs and brains out. The toppermost of the poppermost. The “yeah yeah yeah” of the gods. The biggest twist, with the loudest shout.

“It was the first time that anyone had played any of those stad

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