It’s always been about the music with me. When I got my first transistor radio around ten years old, I fell in love with rock ‘n roll. It’s the real reason that WTIT Tape Radio was conceived. I bought 45’s every week with my allowance. I still remember the first time I heard The Beatles. I was lying on my bed and the DJ played “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. I totally flipped over that song. Up until then my favorite bands were The Four Seasons and The Beach Boys. In less than four minutes that all changed. All I was thinking was, “This is a band like no other.” I saved up to buy “Meet the Beatles”. I could not wait until the Ed Sullivan Show was going to have The Beatles live on the TV. I grabbed my album when I watched that night. I had to know who was John and who was Paul, George and Ringo.I had no idea how big The Beatles were to become. I often say, “in rock music there are The Beatles, then everybody else.” I’m not some old guy stuck in an era. I buy as much new music today as ever. For a band that was together less than a decade, they changed rock music and also changed a generation. I was out of college about three years in 1976. I got a call from my brother Mark. Mark was at Tufts and a friend of his recruited security guards for concerts at the old Boston Garden. Paul McCartney was to play The Garden on May 22, 1976. Mark asked if I wanted to work the night for Paul’s security. He knew the answer. Of course I said I’d be there. Mark called me again to give me directions the Tufts campus where we were meeting all the secuity guards. We met at 3PM for and 8PM concert. Why? Because we were going to “party” before the concerts. When we left for The Garden we were probably the drunkest security guards ever. I do not know what we would have done had there actually was a security incident. Fortunately, there wasn’t.
When I walked into the empty Garden, we met the head of security. He was there to explain rules and such, then assign us our posts. He called my name first. He pulled me aside. He said, “Your brother says no one on the planet is as big a Beatle fan as you. You’ve got center stage.” Now this met I was in front of the first row, elbows on the stage. The concert was fantastic. I still can’t believe I was a foot or two in front of Paul as he sang “Yesterday”.
What I did not know that Paul would not tour again until 2002. The tour stopped in Boston and I did not feel I could afford the tickets ($250 each) at the time. The tour went so well they added venues and dates. When it was announced that Paul was coming to Hartford, I had to go. Paul had never played Connecticut before or since. He played much more Beatle music that night.
Back in 1976 he played some songs from The Beatles, but was pushing his new band, “Wings”. It did not matter. That night in 1976 was the most exciting night at a concert I ever have had. Mark certainly did me a solid that night.