50 years ago The Beatles invaded Shea Stadium

It was August 15th, 1965 when The Beatles ran out onto the field at Shea Stadium, climbed their tiny, rickety stage and played a modest set of 30 minutes to a sea of screaming fans.

Unknowingly, they were about to make history. Playing to a record-breaking 55,600 attendees it was the largest concert crowd at the time, and a first of it's kind. It is often credited with kick-starting the era of stadium rock shows.

Ringo Starr described his experience in the Beatles Anthology: "What I remember most about the concert was that we were so far away from the audience. ...And screaming had become the thing to do. ...Everybody screamed. If you look at the footage, you can see how we reacted to the place. It was very big and very strange."

The screams were so loud the band had a very hard time hearing themselves and you can see the slight concern in their faces in the video as they kick off the show with 'Twist and Shout'.

In 1970, John Lennon recalled the show as a career highlight: "At Shea Stadium, I saw the top of the mountain." The next year the band would start to change their style. Forgoing a teenybopper pop sound to start experimenting with what rock could become.