@lloydc: Wrong. You really shouldn't believe and then mindlessly regurgitate everything you read.
When The Beatles were introduced the crowd went insane, rushing the stage and in the process knocking over all the folding chairs that filled the floor of the Cow Palace. I ended up right in front of Lennon, about 10 yards from the stage. On that edge of the stage (stage left) sat a PA speaker cabinet. I could hear them just fine, both though the PA and coming directly from their Vox amps and Ringo’s drums. I could clearly hear how Ringo had changed his part in "Ticket To Ride", his live part improving on the recorded one.
They sounded pretty good, but not great. By the time I saw them (summer of '65) I had already started going to shows of local bands, and had seen The Beach Boys the previous summer (with Brian playing bass and singing falsetto). I actually was more impressed by The Beatles opening act: Sounds, Inc., an instrumental UK band. But then I was long-time fan of The Ventures.
It's amazing that is was only two years later that I was going to The Fillmore to see and hear Cream, Hendrix, The Who, and all the rest. Things moved fast back then; bands now take more time between two subsequent albums than the time it took The Beatles to record their entire catalog!