SAN DIEGO — Being the co-promoters of the Beatles’ only San Diego concert would be a dream come true for any entrepreneurs. But for Richard Knoth and Dick Meads, who headed the San Diego advertising agency Knoth & Meads, it would be their first and last foray into the world of big-time concerts.

Both are now deceased, but in a 1984 San Diego Union interview, the two happily recounted their experiences as the co-promoters of the Beatles’ Aug. 28, 1965, concert at Balboa Stadium.

Knoth: “We co-promoted the concert with Lou Robbins, producer of the Circle Arts Theater at the time. We had to guarantee $50,000, which was a huge sum of money at that time. We hadn’t any real experience in concert promoting. … It was our first and last production. Our share (of the profits) was $750 each.”

Meads: “The thing I remember is the press conference. The Beatles were just charming young people, (although) the demands they had were quite extensive. They had a checklist of what they wanted for their dressing rooms: cream soda, a bucket of chicken for each Beatle, and each dressing room had to have a bed or a cot. They each wanted, and got, a stack of fruit.”

Knoth: “It was doubly bizarre for us because, at the Circle Arts Theater, we dealt with the biggest names in show biz, and no one had anywhere near the personal demands they had. Also, while we put up the $50,000 guarantee against the gate revenue, whichever was greater, at the last minute it was suddenly made clear the check had to be presented to them in advance, or they would not go on. That was not in our planning.”

Meads: “There seemed to be extreme precautions taken. … It was almost like a presidential visit, which we’ve dealt with a couple of times.”

Knoth: “The din of the fans and music is something we hadn’t experienced before. We were also surprised by the shortness of their performance. I was most impressed by the personalities of the four of them. I expected sophisticated musicians, and what we got were nice kids, a little flip, but in some ways, they seemed less mature than their contemporaries. They were giggly and facetious, but had a charming vulnerability. At the end of the concert, they were gone instantly. I don’t think they stopped to eat the chicken.”

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