The Beatles American Tours

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Welcome to this section titled The Beatles' American Tours. This section contains information concerning the Beatles tours of the U.S. and Canada from 1964-1966. Information will be given concerning song lists (what The Beatles were playing on each tour), other groups and singers touring with them, as well as background of each venue The Beatles played. I hope you enjoy this informative section.

THE INVASION BEGINS!! (February 7-21, 1964)

This 2-week "tour" was the very first trip for the Beatles to America. After securing a total of three appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, and having the number one single (I Want To Hold Your Hand) and number one album (Meet The Beatles!), America was primed and ready for the Fab Four's invasion of America.

Feb.9: Ed Sullivan Show, New York City, New York: The Beatles perform live in front of 728 audience members on the Ed Sullivan Show. An estimated 73 million people watched this show on TV making it one of the highest rated TV shows of all time. They appeared twice on the show, the first half of the show singing All My Loving, 'Till There Was You, and She Loves You; the second half saw the Beatles rip into I Saw Her Standing There and I Want To Hold Your Hand. During rehearsals, a third show was taped for broadcast on Feb. 23, two days after the Beatles have left for England.
Feb.11: Washington Coliseum Washington D.C.: The Beatles first live concert appearance took place at the Washington Coliseum in Washington, D.C. The Beatles traveled down by train from New York to Washington D.C and were driven to the Shoreham Hotel. The Beatles took the stage at the Coliseum at 8:31 p.m following two other acts, Tommy Roe and the Chiffons. The Beatles performed Roll Over Beethoven, From Me To You, I Saw Her Standing There, This Boy, All My Loving, I Wanna Be Your Man, Please Please Me, 'Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Twist and Shout, and Long Tall Sally. The concert was filmed by CBS for a special closed circuit presentation to be screened at movie theaters on March 14 and 15.
Feb. 12: Carnegie Hall New York City, New York: The Beatles arrived by train from Washington D.C back to New York to perform two shows at Carnegie Hall. Upon arrival, the Beatles showered and changed before going on to Carnegie Hall for the two 30 minute shows. One show took place at 7:45 p.m., with the other show taking place at 11:15 p.m. Attendance at this concert was 2,900 Beatles fans for each show, with 300 extra seats available for adults. Promoter Sid Bernstien and New York disc jockey Murray the K emceed the show (See Washington Coliseum for list of songs performed at Carnegie Hall).
Feb. 16: Ed Sullivan Show Deauville Hotel Miami Florida: Miami was the site of the second Ed Sullivan Show, to be broadcast from the Deauville Hotel. The Beatles left New York by plane this time on Feb. 13th and landed at Miami International Airport at 4:00 p.m. They checked into the Deauville Hotel, with John and wife Cynthia sharing one room , and Paul with Ringo in another (George was disgruntled because he had to share a room with disc jockey Murray the K). On Saturday, Feb.15, the Beatles rehearsed before a live audience, with the Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 16 in front of 3,200 people. They performed She Loves You, This Boy, All My Loving, I Saw Her Standing There, From Me To You, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. The Beatles remained in Miami for a week during which time they met up with Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), and also enjoyed home cooking from one of the policemen and his wife. The Beatles flew back to England at 5:18 p.m on February 21, 1964.

BEATLES FIRST AMERICAN TOUR (August 19 - September 20, 1964)

This was the first real Beatles concert tour of America. Consisting of 32 shows in 34 days, The Beatles wound up breaking attendance records as they appeared at major arenas throughout the U.S and Canada. On the bill with The Beatles was the Bill Black Combo, the Righteous Brothers (backed by The Exciters), and Jackie DeShannon. The Beatles song list for this 1964 tour:

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
Long Tall Sally

(**-For some shows, The Beatles would open with I Saw Her Standing There, delete She Loves You, and close with Twist And Shout).

August 19: Cow Palace San Francisco, California: The start of the Beatles North American tour begins on the West Coast at San Francisco's Cow Palace. The Beatles left London at noon on August 18th. After brief stops at Winnipeg, Canada and Los Angleles, The Beatles landed at San Francisco International Airport at 6:24 p.m. with 9,000 screaming teenagers in the reception room. The show began at 8:00 p.m with 17,130 people in attendance. Backstage, the Beatles held a press conference, and even had a picture of them taken with child star Shirley Temple. At 9:20 p.m The Beatles took the stage dressed in dark blue suits. Jelly beans were being pelted at them while they were performing. This would become a ritual at every concert due to George Harrison talking about Ringo stealing his "jelly babies" which were softer candies than jelly beans. The show was stopped twice because of the hail of jelly beans. On this night, they performed 10 numbers in thirty minutes before being transported by ambulance (their limousine was besieged by Beatles' fans) to the airport and their next concert in Las Vegas.
August 20: Convention Center Las Vegas, Nevada: The Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada was next on the Beatles tour. The Beatles arrived at McCarran International Airport at 1:00 a.m. on the morning of August 20th. At 3:00 p.m. the Beatles were driven to the convention center to perfom two shows, one at 4:00 p.m., and an evening show at 9:00 p.m. Both shows were advanced sell outs with a total audience of around 16,000.
August 21: Coliseum Seattle, Washington: The Beatles next concert was at the Coliseum in Seattle, Washington. 14,720 fans attended the show. Backstage at the Colisuem the Beatles held a press conference, and as they were walking back to their dressing rooms, a fan fell 25 feet from an air vent right in front of Ringo Starr. When he asked the fan if she was all right, the fan ran away towards the crowd. The Beatles went on stage at 9:30 p.m., and were done 30 minutes later. They had problems getting their Cadillac back because it was sent out as a "dummy" car to distract fans from the Beatles leaving, and such was swamped by fans who damaged the car. The Beatles were whisked away by ambulance again.
August 22: Empire Stadium, Vancouver, Canada: Vancouver Canada saw the Beatles play the first of three concerts in Canada on this tour (two other concerts would come later in the tour). The Beatles played Empire Stadium to a crowd of 20,261 fans in the arena, with thousands more outside who couldn't get tickets. The Beatles went on stage at 9:23 p.m. and after the show were driven away in three limousines with a motorcycle escort to the airport.
August 23: Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, California: On this date, The Beatles played the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California. All 18,700 seats were sold out with other fans trying to view the concert by climbing up trees in the nearby hills. The Beatles went onstage at 9:30 p.m. with John Lennon announcing "Welcome to you in the trees." This concert was taped for possible future record release. At 10:05 p.m., The Beatles left the stage, and were driven away in a limousine to a rented mansion where a private party had been arranged. There the Beatles would get a short two-day break before heading out on tour again.
August 26: Red Rocks Ampitheater Denver, Colorado: After their two day hiatus, The Beatles went back to touring, this time appearing in Denver at Red Rocks Ampitheater. This concert was not a sellout, with 5,000 of the 7,000 seats taken (due possibly to the lack of mass transportation around Red Rocks Ampitheater). The group stayed at the Brown Palace Hotel until being driven to the theater some twenty miles outside Denver. The Beatles went onstage at 9:30 p.m. and due to the thin air in Denver, kept running out of breath during the show, so oxygen cannisters were placed on stage for the group to use.
August 27: Cincinnati Gardens Cincinnati, Ohio: Unlike the British tours, America was providing them with problems of getting from one show to the next due to the longer distances between shows. This was the case when the band flew to Cincinnati from Denver for a concert at the Cincinnati Gardens. The appearance was almost cancelled because the Musicians Union demanded that local groups should share the bill with the Beatles. After hundreds of phone calls from angry fans, the Union withdrew their request. The Beatles arrived at the Gardens at 6:00 p.m. and talked to Elvis Presley on the phone backstage. Then, they held a press conference in a private room, and at 9:35 took the stage in front of 14,000 people.
August 28-29: Forest Hills Tennis Stadium Queens, New York City: Two sold out Beatles' shows were played here at Forest Hills on August 28 and August 29. 16,000 fans were in attendance on each occasion. The Beatles arrived at the stadium by helicopter, but their concert on the 28th was delayed because the helicopter and pilot left without permission. When the helicopter finally returned, The Beatles then went on stage at 9:50 p.m.
August 30: Convention Hall Atlantic City, New Jersey: Three days after the Democratic National Convention was held here, The Beatles played one concert here. Over 19,000 Beatles fans attended the concert which started at 8:30 p.m. After the show, the Beatles left the hall in a laundry truck, as leaving by limousine would have been impossible.
September 2: Convention Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: An hour's drive from Atlantic City, The Beatles next stop was Philadelphia's Convention Hall. 13,000 fans attended the concert, with the Beatles going onstage at 8:00 p.m.
September 3: Indiana State Fair Coliseum and Grandstand Indianapolis, Indiana: Home of the Indianapolis 500 motor speedway, The Beatles performed two shows at the Indiana State Fair. The first show took place at 5:00 p.m in the State Fair Coliseum, with the second show at 9:30 p.m. at the Grandstand. There were approximately 30,000 people at the two shows.
September 4: Milwaukee Arena Milwaukee, Wisconsin: The Beatles flew into Milwaukee's General Mitchell Field on September 4th for a concert here. Over 1,000 fans were on hand but the Beatles plane was instructed to land at the opposite end of the field. As the Beatles left the plane, they headed to the hotel without any fans seeing them. At the Coach House Motor Inn, the Beatles gave a press conference (minus John who had a sore throat). The press asked them why they had avoided their fans at the airport. The Beatles replied that it hadn't been their decision to do so. At 9:08 p.m. The Beatles took the stage at Milwaukee Arena (no attendance figures given). After the concert, they were driven back to the hotel, where they ate dinner and were given antibiotic shots as they now were suffering from colds.
September 5: International Ampitheater Chicago, Illinois: The Beatles played one concert here on September 5th. The Beatles arrived at Midway Airport at 3:00 a.m., and were driven to the Sahara O'Hare hotel at O'Hare International airport. Radio disc jockeys gave out information as to where the Beatles were staying, and the hotel was besieged by screaming fans, not giving the Beatles any peace and quiet. 15,000 fans attended the concert with 4,000 more waiting outside the ampitheater. The Beatles went onstage at 9:20 p.m. and after the concert were whisked away to the airport.
September 6: Olympia Stadium Detroit, Michigan: There were two Beatles' shows here at Olympia Stadium in Detroit. A number of fans were thrown out of the stadium for throwing jelly beans at the Beatles. At the press conference, Paul was asked about girls being thrown out of their concerts for throwing jelly beans. Paul replied "It has become a bit of a trademark with our shows, but we'd prefer they throw nothing at all."
September 7: Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto, Canada: The second of three Canadian appearances by The Beatles. Over 10,000 fans awaited their arrival at Toronto International Airport.The group were driven to the King Edward Hotel which was also under siege by fans. In fact, when the Beatles got to their suite, they found a 14 year old girl hiding in a linen closet. The Beatles did two shows here at Maple Leaf Gardens, setting attendance records previously held by a hockey game played here. The group drew a total of 35,522 people for both shows. The Beatles took the stage at 5:30 p.m. for the first show, with them taking the stage for the second show at around 10:00 p.m.
September 8: Forum Montreal Quebec, Canada: Upon The Beatles arrival at Dorval Airport for two shows at Montreal's Forum, it was reported that Ringo Starr recieved death threats from a fanatic who threatened to kill "the English Jew." Besides the 5,000 fans awaitng their arrival, there were also a heavy police prescence from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The death threats were taken seriously, and at 5:20 p.m., when the Beatles took the stage, a detective was crouched behind Ringo's drums, and even Ringo was scared enough to crouch down while he played. 21,000 fans total appeared at the two shows. The detective stayed by Ringo's side the remainder of the visit there, and once aboard the plane Ringo remarked "I am English, but I'm not Jewish".
September 11: Gator Bowl Jacksonville, Florida: With this concert, The Beatles had to deal with the elements. Hurricane Dora was heading towards Jacksonville, and ended up causing terrible damage to the city. With this in mind, The Beatles' plane was diverted to Key West Florida the morning of Sept. 11th, until Hurricane Dora left Jacksonville. The Beatles arrived in Jacksonville later on in the day, and were taken to the George Washington Hotel. A press reception was held here also. Originally, The Beatles didn't want to play here until they were assured the audience would be segregated, which was part of their promoter's contract. Because of Hurricane Dora, 9,000 ticketholders didn't make it to the concert. 23,000 fans did attend with the concert starting at 8:30 p.m. With winds still blowing at 40 mph. Ringo's drum set even had to be nailed down, and at one time an attendant had to hold Ringo down because he thought he'd be blown away.
September 12: Boston Gardens Boston, Massachusetts: Home of the NBA's Boston Celtics, The Beatles performed here on September 12th. 13,909 fans attended the show.
September 13: Baltimore Civic Center Baltimore Maryland: Two Beatles concerts were held here in Baltimore, with each drawing more than 13,000 fans.
September 14: Civic Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The Beatles performed in front of 12,603 fans at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena. There were 4,000 fans waiting at Greater Pittsburgh Airport, and their escort to the Civic Arena was lined along the streets with hundreds of Beatles fans.
September 15: Public Auditorium Cleveland, Ohio: For this concert venue, the local radio station WHK had been deluged with ticket requests. So much so, that the radio station decided to computerize the requests and pick out the lucky 12,000 ticketholders. During the show, fans began to rush the stage. The chief of police came onstage to stop the show, but the Beatles didn't understand what was going on, so they kept playing All My Loving until the police chief pushed George away from his microphone. After ten minutes, the show continued with the police chief threatening to cancel the show for good if one more person got out of their chairs.
September 16: City Park Stadium New Orleans, Louisiana: The Beatles played one show here in New Orleans to an audience of 12,000 fans on September 16th. On the way from the airport to their hotel,the streets were lined with hundereds of fans. Mayor Schiro had officially delcared Sept. 16th as "Beatles Day", and presented each of them a key to the city. For the first time on this tour, manager Brian Epstein allowed a newsreel cameraman to film the group's press conference. After the press conference, The Beatles ran into Fats Domino, and had a chat with him. At 9:25 p.m., The Beatles took the stage at City Park Stadium, and within fifteen minutes, fans started rushing the stage, only to be kept back by policemen wielding nightsticks, though no one was hurt.
September 17: Municipal Stadium Kansas City, Missouri: September 17 was scheduled to be the Beatles off-day from touring. However, this would change due to the insistance of Charles O. Finley, owner of the Kansas City Athletics baseball team. Noticing that Kansas City wasn't on the agenda for this tour, he went to San Francisco to meet with Brian Epstein at the Cow Palace. He offered $50,000 for the Beatles to appear, with Brian not responding, saying that other promoters were offering $100,000 for a Beatles concert. When Charles Finley offered a record $150,000 for a Beatles show, Brian accepted, knowing the publicity and prestige of such a price. Although the stadium could hold 41,000 people, only 20,208 attended, losing money in the meantime for Charles Finley. The Beatles came onstage and did the song Kansas City/Hey,Hey,Hey,Hey to start the show. The show had to be stopped when hundereds of fans rushed the stage. Beatles publicist Derek Taylor asked the crowd to settle down, or the police would have to cancel the show. Two businessmen took the sheets the Beatles used during their stay at the hotel, and cut them up into one-inch squares and sold them for $1.00 apiece.They did sell them all, netting them $159,000.
September 18: Memorial Coliseum Dallas, Texas: The Beatles arrived in Dallas and were driven to the Cabana Motor Hotel. The opening of the show was delayed because of a phoned in bomb threat. No bombs were found. However, fans were discovered hiding in washrooms and under the stage. This concert venue saw the last press conference of the tour. 10,000 fans saw the Beatles perform here,in which the tickets were sold out in a day. After the concert, The Beatles were flown by plane to a ranch in Missouri for a couple of days rest, while their entourage stayed behind at the hotel.
September 20: Paramount Theater, New York City, New York: The final venue on the Beatles 1964 American Tour. This concert would be a charity concert with proceeds benefitting Retarded Infants Service and Cerebal Palsy of New York. Entitled An Evening With The Beatles , the Beatles performed before an audience of 3,682 people consisting of Beatles fans as well as New York's bejewelled elite. The Beatles were due to go onstage at 10:45 p.m. but due to the fans screaming continuously for the band to appear, the other acts' performance times were cut back, so that The Beatles could go on 45 minutes earlier at 10:00 p.m. Meanwhile, outside the theater was 100,000 Beatles fans with 200 policemen trying to control them. After the concert, The Beatles flew back to London on a BOAC Boeing 707 jet at 9:35 p.m.

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