The Beatles in 1967, a year after the tablecloth was stolen
(Picture: PA Archive)On August 29, 1966, the Beatles performed their last official concert, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.
And now, a relic from that night, which was stolen from the Inner Richmond restaurant where the stars were dining prior to their farewell, has been rediscovered.
On the final stop of the band’s summer tour, Paul, John, George, and Ringo were joined by singer-songwriter Joan Baez.
There, they dined on a pre-show meal of beef, Yorkshire pudding, stuffed baked potato, and relish. Between bites, they made some crude sketches on the tablecloth.
“Sprinkled among the gravy stains and pudding droppings were doodles of almost psychedelic persuasion, drawn by Beatles in a moment of contemplation before their concert in the infield,” the Chronicle reported at the time.
Co-owner of the restaurant John Vilardi told the paper that Lennon had drawn an “interesting sort of Japanese sunset” on the cloth, while McCartney had inked “faces in the abstract”.
Before leaving for the concert, Simpson’s staff got them to autograph their work, proudly showing it off in a 12-foot display in the restaurant’s window the next day.
Within a week, the precious tablecloth was stolen in broad daylight, and nothing was left but a shattered window. Vilardi was devastated and thought that the treasure was lost forever.
However now, in 2022, the tablecloth has been rediscovered.
Vilardi’s grandson has reportedly been contacted by the sister of the man in possession of it for the past 50 years, and she said she did not know it had been stolen, and that it had been given to him in lieu of a debt in the early 1970s.
After learning the relic’s story, she wanted to return it to its rightful owners.
“Apparently, he just kept it in his closet and showed it to select family members,” Vilardi said. “Never hung it up or displayed it, so it never got soiled or faded or anything. It was in good condition.”
Since its return, the tablecloth’s fate is uncertain - and it will be listed for sale through the privately owned auction company Bonhams on October 7, which estimates its value to be $15,000 - $25,000.
A far cry from the $300 that Vilardi was offered for it.
In a press release, a Bonhams spokesperson said that they’d contacted Joan Baez’s agent about the tablecloth, and she responded that she “remembered it fondly”.
