The Beatles traveled to their historic Aug. 15, 1965, Shea Stadium concert by helicopter, limousine and Wells Fargo ammored van.

No question the cargo of the armored van was precious. Two thousand policemen were on hand to contain Beatles fans. Police were worried people on their way to the concert would also jam tunnels in and out of New York City, causing gridlock and hysteria.

Jumping out of the van, the Beatles jogged onto the stage positioned at Shea Stadium's second base. A deafening wall of screams roared from the crowd as the 55,600 fans spotted the "Fab Four."

Ed Sullivan walked onto the stage to intorduce the group. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, honored by their country, decorated by their queen, loved here in America - here are the Beatles," he yelled. No one could hear him.

The group stepped forward and performed their usual 12-song, 30-minute set beginning with Twist and Shout and ending with I'm Down.

Even with 100-watt amplifiers, the ear-piercing roar drowned out most of the music. Hysterical fans didn't seem to mind. They were there to see more than hear their idols.  

On stage, the Beatles couldn't hear what they were playing either. They kept looking at each other to see if they were in time.

When Paul McCartney started in with I'm Down, John Lennon reacted to the bedlam by wildly pounding on his portable organ and then playing it with his elbows. Lennon pounded so hard on the keyboard it didn't work right two days later for the next show in Toronto. As this was happening onstage George Harrison was laughing and Ringo Starr was shaking his head in disbelief.  

The Beatles were caught up in a cyclone and it would take time before any of them touched down. Beatlemania was sweeping across the world.

The group's music showed what happens when you combine friendship with a love of music. The Beatles were trailblazers who spoke directly to the hearts of young people. They spoke about things that mattered to youth like love, hope and social change.

"They were doing things nobody was doing," said musician Bob Dylan. "I knew they were pointing the direction where music had to go." It was rock but so much more.

The Beatles were front-page news in every national newspaper. But it wasn't so much their music as much as it was the chaos around their music that was being talked about in the press.

"The whole Beatle thing was just beyond comprehension," said band member John Lennon.

It would take awhile for the phenomenon to come full circle. In the end the Beatles' impact on a generation was both mind-boggling and life-altering.

On Nov. 24, Christie's, New York, featured the keyboard John Lennon played on stage during that famous 1965 Shea Stadium concert. The Vox Continental Portable organ sold in the Pop Culture Punk/Rock auction for $182,500. It was the same organ Lennon played two days earlier on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Here are results for other Beatle lots sold in the auction:

• Polish poster; for the Beatles' 1964 film A Hard Day's Night, 19 3/4 inches by 29 inches,  $125.
• Publicity photograph, John Lennon, black-and-white, inscribed "To Cathy, Love, John Lennon," 1974, with small self-portrait, 14 1/2 inches by 17 1/2 inches,  $3,750.
• Autographed flier, by John Lennon, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Beacon Theater, 1974, $4,375.
• Presentation gold disc award for I Want To Hold Your Hand, presented to the Beatles, 13 1/4 inches by 17 1/4 inches, $15,000.
• John Lennon photographs, unpublished collection, includes audio material, acquired at Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, Canada, 1969, $22,500.

Rosemary McKittrick has provided information and analysis on thousands of antiques and collectibles sold at auction since her LiveAuctionTalk column started 16 years ago. She received her training in the trenches, as a professional appraiser. Visit her Web site at www.liveauctiontalk.com.