Bob Eubanks Brings Beatles Stories to Life
A full house gathered in Smothers Theatre on Friday to watch Bob Eubanks’ Backstage with the Beatles, a night of music performed by Beatles cover band Ticket to Ride, and behind the scenes stories told by TV/radio personality, game show host and concert producer Bob Eubanks.
Eubanks told stories about his involvement with the Beatles in the early years when he worked as a radio personality at the Oxnard-based KRLA.
Like many Beatles fans, Eubanks was entranced by their performance on the Ed Sullivan show, which prompted him to convince their manager to have them play at the Hollywood Bowl. In trying to bring the Beatles to play at the Hollywood Bowl, he mortgaged his own house to come up with the $25,000 needed for the event. The success of the concert led Eubanks to become the go-to guy for bringing the Beatles to Los Angeles in their touring years.
Eubanks switched from excited storytelling to well-placed puns to cue Beatles cover band Ticket to Ride to play a fitting Beatles song in a fun form of interactive storytelling.
One memorable story from the night came from Eubanks’ very last interaction with the Beatles. The Beatles were finishing their concert at Dodgers Stadium in 1966 when their getaway cars kept breaking down. They tried taking an armored car, an ambulance and the armored car again with no luck. It wasn’t until the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang came and led the Beatles out of the stadium that they were able to leave. Yes, the girls were that insane.
By: Kelly Rodriguez
Source: Pepperdine University Graphic
