The Rolling Stones in San Jose, 1965

How the Rolling Stones changed my life

by Bobby Asea, San Jose, CA

Back in the early sixties, pre-British invasion, I was less than a decade old. I was fortunate enough to have an older sister who was in her teens and was also very much a fan of the most popular band around at the time: the Beach Boys. Having moved from the East Coast to the West Coast in Northern California, it wasn't long before both of us got bit by the surf-sound bug. The Beach Boys were our idols. Lucky for me, the band came to our town, San Jose, California, and my sister was nice enough to bring me along to see them in concert. Not only once, but twice. Pretty good for a ten year old in 1963.

Everything was just fine those days, so for me, the Beach Boys were kings. Then, all of a sudden, out of the blue came this new group from, Liverpool, England, that everyone was talking about. They were going to appear on the Ed Sullivan show the next Sunday night. Being open enough to check it out, but not mature enough to accept their greatness, I, along with the rest of the country, tuned in. We were truly blown away. The memories of that night are some that will stay vivid to me forever.

In spite of how great and interesting those four lads were, I was determined to stay true to my idols, the Beach Boys. In my head, I was thinking, How dare these foreigners come here to this country and take over with their popularity and number one hits. But inside I knew they were great and I dug them. I just didn't want to admit it.

Well, this behavior carried on for a while until I heard of the Rolling Stones. When I heard their music and saw their performances on shows like, Hollywood Palace, Shindig, Hullabaloo, and the Ed Sullivan show. I thought to myself, That did it, this British band is like no other. These guys are great! I tried to fight off my true feelings for the Beatles, but when it came to the Rolling Stones, I just couldn't do it. They were the best. I fell in love with their music and everything about them from that day on. My life was changed!

My sister, Dorothy, kinda liked the new British bands coming over here, but the Beach Boys were still her favorite band. So when the Rolling Stones came to my town, at least a couple of times, I didn't have a chaperone to escort me to the concert. That was in the spring of 1965. Lucky for me, the Rolling Stones came back to my town of San Jose later in the year of 1965 in the month of December. By then, I was a ripe age of 12 and also a veteran of the concert scene thanks to my sister taking me to see the Beach Boys a couple of times. Somehow my parents allowed me to go with my best friend Joe, who was also a Stones fanatic. This was like big time. I was going to see the Rolling Stones with my best friend. (When I think about it, every time since then that I've seen them is big time to me.)

The Stones played at the San Jose Civic Auditorium. The place holds around 3,000 people. They did two shows that night. We went to the early one. It's been 33 years since that night and although some of the details have faded, memories I do have are clear as a bell. I will never forget them. That concert is one of the most important concerts I ever attended. What I do remember is this...

Satisfaction was their latest hit and of course they played it live. Other songs I remember clearly are That's How Strong My Love Is (Brian played electric organ on that one) Get Off of my Cloud., Mercy Mercy (one of my favorites) Play With Fire and The Last Time.

With the stage curtains closed behind him, as the announcer was in the process of introducing the Stones, it seemed like Mick and Kieth were tugging at the curtains which in turn made the young audience react in a wall of screams.

At this time, Brian was very much involved with the shows and he seemed to be enjoying himself. I feel so privileged to been able to have seen Brian in concert. He is a Gem in Music History.

The stage line up was Bill on the far left, Brian next to him, Keith far right, Charlie on a platform, and of course Mick all over the place.

I distinctly remember Mick doing his James Brown imitation dance and going from one end of the stage to the other. At one point, he took off his jacket, stood on the edge of the stage and swung it out toward the audience as if he was going to fling it to a lucky fan in the seats. Of course he didn't and the jacket kept going until it landed on his shoulder. I think he fooled everyone.

The place was sold out and just like Beatlmania, us Rolling Stones fans screamed our lungs out. Even though there was a lot of screaming going on, I do remember being able to hear the music.

The show was all too short, about 12 songs. On our way out, we ran into some friends waiting in line for the next show. We were so excited to tell then all about the greatest show we had ever seen.

It's now 1999 and the Rolling Stones are coming back to my town of San Jose 34 years later. They will be playing at the San Jose Arena, just a few blocks away from the San Jose Civic Auditorium where I first seen them on that most memorable night. Of course I've seen them on every American Tour they've done since then, but this particular show will be a bit more special. It's like old friends coming home.

Thanks for the sounds .....Mates!