Fab Four Blog

The Granville Studio, Fulham Broadway, London

TV rehearsals in London was an English producer but for an American show, the ABC network's Shindig, one of the primetime pop series on US TV in the mid-60's. The producer of Shindig was Jack Good, the englishman who had relocated in Hollywood, while the executive producer was Leon Mirell who would link again with The Beatles in August 1965 filming, "The 5th National Jazz and Blues Festival" for their Subafilms company.

Having just returned from an exhausting North American Tour, there was no way that the Beatles would consent to a return for the purposes of shooting their Shindig appearance, Jack Good came back to his homeland to make a special All-British edition of his series, with the Beatles topping a bill ahead of Sandie Shaw, P J Proby, The Karl Denver Trio, Tommy Quickly, Sounds Incorporated and Lyn Cornell. Since this was a US TV production, and BBC and ITV studios were off limits, an independent London venue was utilized, the Granville Studio, based in the west London premises of the Granville Theatre, formerly a Victorian music hall. This day was set aside for rehearsals - actual taping took place the next day.

The Beatles did nothing 50 years ago today that was in the news.

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

Working between 2:30 and 5:30 pm, the Beatles completed the recording of "Every Little Thing", taping five more takes to take it through to nine in all. Then, resuming at 6:30, they continued with "What You're Doing", recording takes 8 to 11. (Although the 11th takes was marked "best" this was only temporary for the Beatles recorded a re-make on October 26th.)

Before the 10:30 end of session, the ever-productive group also set about, and completed, the recording of "No Reply", done in a swift eight takes, returning to the song John had first aired in the studio in demo form on June 3rd.

Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Chronicle

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

With their remarkable North American jaunt now past, but a British concert tour just around the corner, the Beatles quickly returned their attention to recording, and the completion of their second album of 1964. They taped three songs this day at Abbey Road, Lennon-McCartney compositions all, recording four takes of "Every Little Thing" (George arrived late and didn't play on these takes of the song) and the first seven of "I Don't Want To Spoil The Party" between 2:30 and 6:30 pm. They then resumed at 7:00 to complete the latter song with 12 more takes and begin the recording of "What You're Doing" - by session's end, 10:45 pm, seven takes of this song's rhythm track had been taped.

Mark Lewisohn - The Complete Beatles Chronicle

It was a slow day for the Beatles, maybe rest?

Prince of Wales Theatre, London

Along with chairman David Jacobs, Cilla Black, Brian Epstein, Billy Hatton (of the Fourmost), Bett Hale (of Fabulous Magazine), Alan Freeman and Linda Lewis, Ringo was a member of a jury which judged the final of "The National beat group competition", sponsored by the charity Oxfam and held at the Prince of Wales Theatre in central London. As It's Beat Time, the second half of the evening, from 9:45 to 10:35, was screened live by BBC2.

Eleven regional heat-winners came together for this final but none of the groups - the Southerns, the Connoisseurs, the Starfires, the Apaches, Formula Five, the Down-Beats, the Vibros, the Countdowns, Roy Stuart and the Cyclones, Danny Clarke and the Jaguars, and the Crusaders - good mid 1960's group names all, achieved any fame beyond this singl TV transmission.

Mark Lewisohn - TheCompleteBeatlesChronicle

The Beatles are resting after the long USA tour (one last day)

The Beatles are resting after the long USA tour

The Beatles are resting after the long USA tour

The Beatles are resting after the long USA tour

The Beatles are resting after the long USA tour

The Beatles' first US tour had ended the night before, with a concert in New York City. On this day the group and their entourage flew back to London Airport (now Heathrow), arriving at 9.35pm.

Their flight number was BC 510, and they flew in a Boeing 707. By the time of their arrival thousands of fans were gathered on the roof of the Queen's Building, hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes.

Paramount Theatre, 7th Ave./Times Square

New York City, New York, USA

Titled "An evening with The Beatles", this special charity concert, in aid of the United Cerebral Palsy of New York City and Retarded Infants Services, rounded off The Beatles' exhausting North American tour. Paying up to $100 a ticket, 3682 people attended the show, the Beatles and the other artists on the bill giving their services free.

The group flew back to England on September 21st, arriving at London Airport at 9:35 pm.

MarkLewiston/ThecompleteBeatlesChronicle

Following their concert in Dallas, Texas on 18 September 1964, The Beatles were flown to a ranch in Missouri for a rest day.

The aeroplane belonged to Reed Pigman, who also owned a ranch in Alton, Missouri. The Beatles used the ranch as a hideaway prior to a trip to New York for the final concert of their first US tour.

En route to Alton, they stopped briefly at Walnut Ridge to change planes. The secluded airport was ideal for avoiding the attention of fans.

Their efforts weren't entirely undetected by the fans. Night-time arrivals at the airstrip were rare in 1964, and three teenage boys ran to the airport to see who the unexpected visitors were. News of The Beatles' arrival quickly spread throughout Walnut Ridge throughout the weekend.

The second aeroplane was a seven-seater. After boarding just after midnight on 19 September they were taken to the ranch in the Ozark Mountains, where they spent 36 hours relaxing, swimming, hiking, horse riding, go-karting, shooting and fishing.

No musical instruments were taken to the Pigman ranch, and The Beatles held no rehearsals or performances while there.

Dallas Memorial Auditorium, South Akard St. Dallas, Texas, USA

One show. On September 19th, the Beatles rested at a remote ranch in Missouri.

Municipal Stadium, 23rd and Brooklyn

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

The famous "extra" show, the Beatles adding the Little Richard medley "Kansas City"/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey" to their repertoire, to an especially uproarious reception. Once again, the group had to leave the stage mid-concert, returning only after the audience had calmed down in the face of a cancellation threat.

City Park Stadium, City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

This was The Beatles’ only concert in New Orleans, Louisiana. They played before a capacity crowd of 12,000 at the City Park Stadium, and were in the city for less than 24 hours.

The Beatles had arrived in the early hours of the morning. The Beatles and their small entourage were driven to the Congress Inn. They were initially accompanied by a police motorcade, but became separated during the journey. As their limousine neared the hotel, it was spotted by fans who quickly surrounded it.

The police arrived and forced the fans aside, but as the limousine reversed it hit a Kenner Police Department escort car, causing slight damage. The Beatles ran through the motel lobby, into the laundry room and finally into their three-room suite, room 100.

Upon their arrival, Brian Epstein was horrified to find that the hotel was a single-story building; at the time, The Beatles had trouble finding hotels willing to have them as guests, due to the crowds of teenage fans they attracted wherever they went.

The Beatles took to their rooms, remaining there until their late-afternoon press conference. For the first time on this tour, manager Epstein allowed a newsreel cameraman to film the conference.

During the afternoon Mayor Victor Schiro arrived at the hotel to give them a key to the city, and proclaimed 16 September 1964 ‘Beatles Day’ in New Orleans.

The group had one major request in the city: they wanted to meet Fats Domino. The musician agreed to meet The Beatles in their dressing room at the City Park Stadium immediately prior to their performance.

Public Auditorium, East 6th Street, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

During this one performance, fans manage to break through the police cordon and climb onto the stage. Police ordered the Beatles off the stage mid-song and the concert only resumed after a plea over the public-address system from Derek Taylor and a police threat that the rest of the show would be cancelled unless some semblance of order was restored.

In their dressing room backstage, John Lennon told Art Schreiber from local radio station KYW: “This has never happened to us before. We have never had a show stopped. These policemen are a bunch of amateurs.” An angry Brian Epstein nonetheless put up a diplomatic front, saying “The police were absolutely right. This has never happened before, but it was clear to me from the start that there was something very wrong. The enthusiasm of the crowd was building much too early.”

After a 10-minute delay Blackwell told the crowd the concert would continue if they remained in their seats. The morning hosts from KYW, Specs Howard and Harry Martin, were brought onstage to tell the audience to remain sitting, and shortly afterwards the show continued.

Civic Arena, Auditorium Place, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

In it's fifty years as Pittsburgh's Rock n' Roll capital, the Civic Arena was the scene of thousands of special attractions and mind-bending happenings. September 14, 1964, was one of the high points in it's history as a concert venue. This was the day that legendary promoter Pat DiCesare brought Beatlemania to Pittsburgh.

Tickets went on sale in the spring at a cost of $5.90, and were available by mail-order only. This was almost double the going rate at the time, but the concert still sold out in a day and a half. The total take was $75,000, of which the Beatles were guaranteed $25,000 and a share of the gate. This was the first time that an act demanded and received a percentage of the gate as well as a guarantee. In the end, the Beatles were paid $37,000 for the show.

One problem encountered by the promoters was finding a place for the band to stay. Because of the fear of Beatlemania, no Pittsburgh hotels would take the band for the night, so they were forced to commute to Pittsburgh out of Cleveland.

By the morning of September 14, local radio stations KQV and KDKA had Beatle fans primed and ready for the happening. They spent the entire day of the show playing Beatle songs, along with updates on the band's anticipated arrival.

The plane carrying John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr touched down at the Greater Pittsburgh Airport at 4:36pm. They were met by a crowd of some 4000 fans, many of whom had been waiting since morning. There were 120 police officers providing security at the airport, including fifteen on horseback.

This was the only time that the Beatles played in Pittsburgh. Forty-six years later, on August 18, 2010, Beatle Sir Paul McCartney returned to play the Opening Night at Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center.

Civic Center, West Baltimore St. Baltimore, Maryland, USA

This was The Beatles’ only visit to Baltimore. They performed two shows at the Civic Center, to a total of 28,000 fans. The support acts were The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, and Jackie DeShannon.

The Beatles stayed at the Holiday Inn after the second show. Police officers on horseback restrained the fans from storming the building.

John Lennon was interviewed by Larry Kane as part of an on-going series of interviews with the group. Kane was the only American reporter allowed to travel with the Beatles during their 1964 North American tour, and also accompanied them on their 1965 tour.

Boston Garden, Causeway St. Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The Beatles played just once concert on this night, before 13,909 fans. It was their only visit to the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

The venue opened in November 1928, and was originally named the Boston Madison Square Garden. It was located at North Station on Causeway Street, and hosted ice hockey and basketball games, as well as concerts, boxing, wrestling, circuses and other events. It closed in 1997, and was succeeded by the FleetCenter, later known as TD Garden.

The other acts on the bill on this night were, in order of appearance, The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, and Jackie DeShannon.

The Beatles returned to Boston on just one other occasion, playing at Suffolk Downs Racetrack during their final tour on 18 August 1966.

Gator Bowl, East Adams St. Jacksonville, Florida, USA

The Beatles refused to play this one show until they received an assurance from the local promoter that the audience would not be color segregated.

Because of extensive damage caused by "Hurricane Dora", 9,000 of the 32,000 ticket holders were unable to get to the Gator Bowl.

The Beatles were to have had a rest day in Jacksonville, Florida, but stayed in Key West until Hurricane Isabel passed.

Much of the day was spent drinking, but The Beatles also jammed at their hotel with New Orleans rhythm and blues singer Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, plus members of their tour support acts The Bill Black Combo and The Exciters.

The Key Wester Motel, where The Beatles stayed, was later demolished and replaced with the Hyatt Windward Pointe. An open-air structure named the Beatles Hut commemorates the place where the group stayed.

The Beatles’ stay in Key West was later obliquely referenced in Here Today, Paul McCartney‘s 1982 tribute to John Lennon.

The tour ends in Canada and the Beatles have a few days free on the tour.

Forum, St. Catherine Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Two shows at the Forum, seen by 21,000 fans.

The Beatles gave a matinee performance to 9,500 fans that afternoon, and then later would give a sold-out evening concert before a crowd of 11,500. The Beatles held a press conference at 6pm from the stage of the Forum, between the afternoon and evening shows. Following the questions and answers with the Montreal press, John Lennon was briefly interviewed individually by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Beatles' press conference and the John Lennon interview are both presented below.

Opening acts appearing before the Beatles took the stage at the Montreal Forum included the Righteous Brothers, Jackie de Shannon, the Bill Black Combo, and the Exciters.

From here the Beatles were next scheduled for a performance at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville Florida, but due to Hurricane Dora their flight needed to be detoured to Key West at the last moment.

Maple Leaf Gardens, Carlton St. Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Two Shows in one evening here in Canada, seen by a total of 35,522 spectators.

They flew to Toronto in their charter Electra aeroplane and, after signing autographs for immigration officials, were driven to the King Edward Hotel.

Between the car and the hotel Paul McCartney‘s shirt was torn by an overzealous fan. He and Ringo Starr were separated from John Lennon and George Harrison, but the police managed to restore order and they arrived in their suite safely. Once there, however, they found a 14-year-old girl hiding in a linen closet.

Toronto’s mayor, Philip Givens, and his wife, called at their suite at 1.30pm, but was turned away. A blonde woman is said to have answered the door, and told the couple that two of The Beatles were asleep and two others were with relatives. Canadian newspaper the Daily Star ran a story afterwards headlined “Beatles’ Blonde Snubs Mayor”.

To get to the Maple Leaf Gardens, The Beatles left by the hotel’s back entrance and boarded a police wagon. At the venue 4,000 police officers and Mounties were on duty, and a five-block surrounding area was sectioned off for 12 hours before the group’s arrival.

The first show was due to begin at 4pm, but The Beatles took to the stage after 5.30. They were introduced by Jungle Jay Nelson of radio station CHUM. The other acts on the bill were, in order of appearance, The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, and Jackie DeShannon.

In between the two shows the group posed for photographs with local DJs, fan club presidents and Miss Canada, and gave a press conference to reporters. Their second performance began at 10pm.

Olympia Stadium, Grand River Ave/McGraw Ave. Detroit, Michigan, USA

The Motor City was the place of origin for the music the Beatles had professed to love in almost every interview and press conference -- The Detroit Sound, and the recording artists of the Tamla-Motown label.

The Beatles would perform two shows at Olympia Stadium. A press conference was held backstage at the Olympia between the two performances.

From the Press Conference:

DEREK TAYLOR:(to the press) "If anyone would like to raise their hand."

Q: "How do you like Detroit so far?"

JOHN: "Great."

PAUL: "What we've seen of it."

(laughter)

JOHN: "We see very little. The show, we enjoyed."

Q: "Is it a disappointment not to see it?"

JOHN: "No. We come here to play, not to see, you know."

PAUL: "We saw a bit of it though."

Q: "Does that noise out there go away with a little bit of cotton packed way deep in your ear so that the noise..."

JOHN & PAUL: "No."

JOHN: "We're used to it."

GEORGE: "We're immune to it."

Q: "It doesn't upset your musical balance?"

PAUL: "It sounds nice."

Q: "Which artist or musical group do you think has most influenced your music?"

JOHN: (jokingly) "Nicki Cuff."

PAUL: "Nicki Cuff, I'd say. No, uhh... American colored groups, mainly. And early Elvis Presley."

GEORGE: "In fact, The Detroit Sound."

JOHN: "In fact, yes."

GEORGE: "In fact, yeah. Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites. The Miricles."

JOHN: "We like Marvin Gaye."

GEORGE: "The Impressions, Marvin Gaye."

PAUL & GEORGE: "Mary Wells."

GEORGE: "The Exciters."

JOHN: "To name but eighty."

RINGO: "Chuck Jackson."

Q: "How many records have the Beatles sold?"

RINGO: "No idea."

JOHN & GEORGE: "We don't know."

JOHN: "It's a lot, somebody said."

Q: "What part of the film (A Hard Day's Night) did you enjoy making the most?"

JOHN & RINGO: "The bit in the field."

GEORGE: "And the bit in the bathroom. We had a laugh, didn't we. A laugh. We had a laugh, anyway."

Q: "Do the jellybeans bother the Beatles onstage?"

BEATLES: YES!"

JOHN: "It's awful."

PAUL: "It's worse when it's not really jellybeans. When it's... Once there was about 'that long' silver pin that they use for sticking on kilts in Scotland."

(giggles)

PAUL: "And it came flying through about two-hundred-mile-an-hour. Just missed me."

RINGO: "Very dodgey."

Q: "Is that an affirmation? Are they throwing it for you or against you?"

PAUL: "I think so."

JOHN: "And when they don't have the sweets they throw whatever they've got on them, which hurts."

Q: "Do you ever throw anything back?"

RINGO & JOHN: "No."

JOHN: "I think we did once."

Q: "Have you written the new screenplay yet?"

JOHN: "No. I'm not writing it. I'm having hard enough time trying to get to sleep."

Q: "With the exception of being onstage, after the performances are over do you socialize with each other or do you go your own separate ways?"

GEORGE: "Well, we can't go our own..."

Q: "Or is it like in the movie?"

JOHN: "It's like in the movie."

RINGO: "Yeah."

GEORGE: "We all go the same way, don't we."

PAUL: "Especially on tour, you know."

(laughter)

PAUL: "It wasn't a joke."

International Amphitheatre, 42nd Street, South Halsted St. Chicago, Illinois, USA

The Beatles performed one concert at Chicago’s International Amphitheatre on this day. The other acts on the bill were, in order of appearance, The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, and Jackie DeShannon.

There were plans to hold a civic reception for The Beatles during the day, with 100,000 people expected, but special events director Colonel Jack Reilly cancelled them saying there were insufficient police officers “for a bunch of singers”.

They arrived at Midway Airport at 4.40pm, an hour later than scheduled. Five thousand fans were waiting to see them, kept at a safe distance behind a chain link fence. The Beatles were ushered into a black limousine and taken to the Sahara O’Hare hotel at O’Hare International airport.

Outside the amphitheatre that evening, the crowds outside were so large that the group were forced to enter through the kitchens.

Inside, 15,000 fans watched the performance. Thirty-five usherettes and 170 ushers had been carefully selected to work at the concert due to their lack of interest in The Beatles. There were also 320 Chicago police officers on duty. Fans were frisked and large signs, jelly beans and other potential projectiles were confiscated.

After the concert The Beatles were driven straight back to Midway Airport, from where they flew to Detroit. They returned to the International Amphitheatre on one other occasion, for the opening date of their final tour in 1966.

The International Amphitheatre stood at 42nd Street and South Halsted. The venue suffered a decline during the 1970s and 1980s, becoming unable to attract enough large events, and was demolished in August 1999.

Milwaukee Arena, West Kilbourn Ave/West State St. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

The Beatles performed a single show at this venue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA – their only such performance in the state.

The Beatles’ aeroplane landed at Milwaukee County Airport (now called Mitchell International Airport). They were taken to the National Guard headquarters on the east side of Mitchell Field, away from the crowd, leaving behind hundreds of disappointed fans. They were then driven by limousine to the Coach House Motor Inn.

At the hotel a press conference was held; John Lennon was suffering from a sore throat so didn’t take part.

Tickets cost between $3.50 and $5.50, and had gone on sale in April 1964. Within a week all 12,000 had sold out. Also on the bill were The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, and Jackie DeShannon.

Security was tight around the arena, as the Milwaukee authorities feared the effects of Beatlemania. The Beatles arrived in the city by aeroplane in the afternoon, and were met by around 700 fans. Fifty police officers and 30 county deputies had difficulty restraining the fans, despite makeshift fences being erected, and officers with fire hoses stood by. At one point around 100 fans broke through the cordon and rushed towards an approaching plane.

After the show fans the Coach House Motor Inn, on West Wisconsin Avenue and 19th Street. Some fans stood in front of the building all night, but were mostly well behaved. Inside the group ate dinner and were given antibiotic shots to alleviate their colds.

The next morning fans invaded their suite and took all available mementos of The Beatles’ stay.

TState Fair Colisieum, State Fairgrounds, East 38th St. Indianapolis, Indiana USA

The Beatles performed two shows on this day, which were watched by a total of 29,337 people. The other acts on the bill were, in order of appearance, The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, and Jackie DeShannon. Two shows, seen by a total of 29,337 people and netting $85,232 in the process.

The nights before and after they stayed at the Speedway Motel on West 16th Street. Prior to the first concert Ringo Starr went missing. He arrived just minutes before they were due to go on stage, explaining that he he had lost track of time while driving a police car around a nearby race track.

The first show began at 6.21pm, and was watched by 12,413 fans. Afterwards they held a press conference, before returning to the stage for the second show. This time 16,924 were at the venue. The Beatles later said the fans’ reception was “quite quiet” in comparison to the other dates on the tour.