Fab Four Blog

Convention Hall, 34th St. and Curie Ave. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

The Beatles performed before an audience of 12,037 at the Convention Hall, part of the Philadelphia Civic Center.

Also on the bill were, in order of appearance, The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry, and Jackie DeShannon. Henry joined the tour on this date, replacing The Righteous Brothers who had complained to Brian Epstein that their music was drowned out by the audience’s cheers for The Beatles.

A few days before the concert there were race riots in Philadelphia. To The Beatles’ disgust, the audience at the Convention Hall was all-white. The concert was broadcast live on local radio.

Another day of rest during the US tour

A day of rest on the US tour.

Convention Hall, Mississippi Ave and The Boardwalk, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

For this show, 18,000 teenagers packed the Convention Hall. The Democratic National Convention had taken place here a week earlier and newspapers reported The Beatles received a boisterous reception than the speech by Lyndon B. Johnson.

During their stay in Atlantic City, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the song Every Little Thing, which appeared on the Beatles For Sale album at the end of 1964.

Just to give you an idea of what ticket prices were back then......

Forest Hills, New York, USA

The second night at Forest hills Tennis Stadium. What memories!

Forest Hills, New York, USA

The first of two performances, in front of 16,000 fans at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York City.

The Beatles had landed at 3.02am that morning at Kennedy Airport, and were greeted by 3,000 waiting fans. They were driven to the Delmonico Hotel on Park Avenue and 59th Street where more fans were waiting, even though their stay was supposed to be a secret.

One fan, Angie McGowan, snatched Ringo Starr‘s St Christopher medallion as he made his way inside the hotel, although she returned it later that day at their pre-show press conference. The fans were dispersed by police at 4am. By the time The Beatles awoke later that morning thousands more fans were outside.

The Beatles were flown to the stadium by helicopter, which departed late as the pilot didn’t have permission to depart. They took to the stage at 9.50pm, later than expeced.

Tickets for each of the venue’s 15,983 seats wertra ones were added at the high price of $6.50. The audience were kept from the stage by an eight-foot high fence topped with barbed wire.

Cincinnati Gardens, Seymour Ave. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

The Beatles gave one performance in Cincinnati, before 14,000 fans, immediately after they flew to New York City, landing at 2:55 am to a reception from 2,000 fans.

Meanwhile, earlier on this day, prior to setting the tapes upon the shelf, Capitol producer Voyle Gilmore and balance engineer Hugh Davies made stereo mixes of the previous Sunday's Hollywood Bowl concert recording, mixed down to two-track, with added equlisation, reverb and limiting. The material, in order was "Introduction" (by announcer), "Twist And Shout", "You Can't Do That", "All My Loving", "She Loves You", "Things We Said Today", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Can't Buy Me Love", "If I Fell", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", "Boys", "A Hard Day's Night", and "Long Tall Sally".

All that could be heard of this material until 1977 was a 48 second extract of "Twist And Shout" on the US only album "The Beatles Story" released on November 23, 1964.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Lawrence St. Denver, Colorado, USA

Only 7,000 fans turned up to see the Beatle's one show in this natural amphitheatre, leaving 2,000 seats unoccupied. What???

The 2nd day in Bel Air (resting) between concerts. Tomorrow - Colorado!

The Beatles resting in Bel Air for the first of two days.

Hollywood Bowl, North Highland Ave. Los Angeles, California, USA

Capitol Records recorded the group at the Hollywood Bowl, a concert attended by 18,700 fans. Capitol planned an album for issue to the US record market only, since it was felt then that record buyers in Britain, although obsessed with anything by the Beatles, would not be interested in an LP of songs already in their collections, even if these were different recordings.

The concert was recorded, all 29 minutes of it, the tape was mixed, but it received a thumbs-down from Capitol and the Beatles because of poor quality and was put away until January 1977, when the three-track tapes were exhumed for the release of the historic live album, The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl.

From start to finish, the performance was also captured on film, by an amateur cameraman/woman and also by a newsreel company.

After the show, and for the next two days, the Beatles rested at a private house in Bel Air, only going outside for a private party, held in their honor (and in aid of a charity) during the afternoon.

Empire Stadium, Exhibition Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Attendance at this one show, the Beatle's first in Canada, was 20,261 and it was also broadcast live by local radio station CKNW. Immediately afterwards, the group flew back across the US border to Los Angeles, arriving at 3:55 am.

Colisieum, Harrison St. Seattle, Washington, USA

One 29 minute performance with an audience of 14,720 fans.

Convention Center, Paradise Rd. Las Vegas, Nevada USA

The Beatles flew to Las Vegas immediately after the Cow Palace performance, arriving at 1:00. They performed two shows at 4:00 and 9:00 pm, before a combined audience of 16,000. "Till There Was You", was temporarily added to the repertoire.

Cow Palace, Geneva Ave. San Francisco, CA USA

The first of 25 dates in the "The Beatle's First American Tour". It actually was their 2nd visit, but certainly the group's first major tour around the continent and even venturing into Canada for three concerts.

The Beatles performed just 12 songs and the tour's support acts were in order of appearance, the Bill Black Combo, the Exciters, the Righteous Brothers and Jackie DeShannon.

All 17,130 seats for this concert were SOLD, gate receipts totalling $91,670. The Beatles gross share of this was $47,600.

On August 18th, the Beatles returned to the States to kick off the 1964 North American Tour - 24 cities and 32 performances in just 34 days.

The Beatles flight from London arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, August 18th.

The first concert of the tour would be held the following night in San Francisco at the Cow Palace. When the Beatles arrived at San Francisco International Airport at 6:25 pm there was a crowd of over 9,000 screaming teenagers.

The Beatles are packing for the USA tour.

The Beatles at the Opera House, Blackpool

Shortly to change their name to The Who, one of the support acts on this bill were the High Numbers, billed as "a new R&B group".

DEAN MARTIN KNOCKS THE BEATLES
OUT OF #1 SPOT - AUGUST 15, 1964

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

This new LP came too soon after A Hard Day's Night for Lennon-McCartney, to have written a full album's worth of quality new material. They had a few songs, the final quota numbering eight, so for the other cuts the Beatles had to rely on former stage favorites.

Of the three songs during the evening session, only one, "I'm A Loser", was a Lennon-McCartney number, written mostly by John and showing a definite shift in direction away from the "hand-holding" songs to a more autobiographical and introspective slant, influenced by Bob Dylan. It was recorded in eight takes. These and four of Dr. Feelgood and the Intern's "Mr. Moonlight" were taped between 7:00 and 9:00 pm.

After that mono mixes wer made of both titles, presumably, since they were later improved upon, these were for John's personal use - right up to his death in 1980 he liked to take home rough mixes of his day's studio work, usually on a 7 1/2 ips reel.

Then the Beatles decided to do more recording, returning to their instruments for five takes of Johnny Preston's "Leave My Kitten Alone", the "Best" being the last, adorned with a number of overdubs.

Today, a day of rest.

Whaddon House, William Mews, London

During an "At Home" party thrown this evening by Brian Epstein in his home here (Flat 15), Ringo was interviewed by NME journalist Chris Hutchins for the BBC Light Programme series The Teen Scene, discussing in particular the Beatles' forthcoming North American concert tour. It was broadcast the next night, Thursday, August 13th.

Studio Two, EMI Studios, London

A Hard Day's Night had been out just two weeks when the Beatles began recording another LP, in keeping with the formula of two albums per year, the second aimed at the Christmas sales market. This one would remain untitled until the release date was in sight, eventually being named Beatles For Sale.

The group began and completed John's "Baby In Black" within this time, taping 14 takes and then making 13 separate attempts at perfecting the song's twangy opening guitar notes (none of which was chosen for the finished version).

Before recording, the Beatles were filmed in performance positions by BBC television cameras for an insert into Top Of The Pops. It mattered not what song they were singing for this was a "wild track" shoot, a collection of mute images onto which a disc recording, in this instance of "A Hard Day's Night", could be overdubbed for TOTP broadcast.

Although the shooting was completed, the film was never screened because the BBC then clashed with Brian Epstein over the size of the group's fee, and the footage was later junked.

Singles Time Line........

Do You Want To Know A Secret/Thank You Girl

Oldies 45 OL149 - August 10, 1964

Please Please Me/From Me To You

Oldies 45 OL150 - August 10, 1964

Love Me Do/P.S. I Love You

Oldies 45 OL151 - August 10, 1964

Twist And Shout/There's A Place

Oldies 45 OL152 - August 10, 1964

The Beatles appearing at the Futurist Theatre, Scarborough

The Beatles resting up!

The Beatles still had a couple of gigs coming up before the USA tour.

The Beatles enjoying a few days of doing nothing.

The Beatles having a rest before the big USA tour. (Next Week)

The Beatles preparing for their big trip to the USA.