This photographer's editors thought The Beatles were a 'fad'
On a frigid February night 50 years ago, a cavernous sports arena in Washington D.C. became sacred ground. Two days before, the Beatles had performed on the “Ed Sullivan Show,” inaugurating one of the most frenzied, hysterical fan phenomena of all time. Then the foursome hopped a train to Washington, D.C., for their first live concert in America.
Mike Mitchell, barely older than the crowd, was tasked with documenting the moment when John, Paul, George and Ringo took the stage of the Washington Coliseum. He was mesmerized by the experience, and then horrified when he saw how his photographs were used. It was a conflict that captured the growing divide – and in some cases hostility – that the 60s forged between younger and older generations of Americans. But 50 years later, Mitchell is getting the last laugh – and a whole lot more – from the iconic photos he rediscovered and restored. “I was driving down the road in my green ‘55 Chevrolet. I heard, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ on the radio, and I got it immediately,”
Source: America Tonight
Photo Credit: Mike Mitchell
