Wednesday, September 17, 2014

It's just a one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight nine!!!!!




I have always loved the whole story of the Beatles performing in Kansas City in 1964.  If I had been around in 1964, and was able to go to a Beatles concert, I most likely would have gone to the Kansas City show.    I thought about that when I traveled the three hours west to see Paul McCartney in Kansas City this past July.

I love how Charles O. Finley was determined to get the Beatles to play in his town.  He thought that the fans deserved it and he was willing to pay whatever it cost to make the Beatles show happen.   And he did it!!!

In hindsight, the Beatles might as well have made the money and played Kansas City because they would not have had the opportunity to sight-see in New Orleans as they had originally planned. 

There is much controversy over if the Beatles played the song "Kansas City/Hey hey Hey" when they were there.   That song would have have been released on any Beatles album, but it was a staple in the Hamburg sets and the Beatles had performed it in the Cavern and on the BBC.   It was a song that they knew well.    If they did perform Kansas City, then they would have cut out "Twist and Shout" from the setlist.    It is funny that after all of these years, people still cannot agree on this. 


There are two books about the Beatles in Kansas City.   The first one  was published quite awhile ago and it is called Beatles '64 Going' to Kansas city by Jospeh Tunzin.    It is mostly a CD that has the press conference on it, but there is also a booklet that has photos and information.    The other book is called Kansas City Meets the Beatles by Gard Murtha.   This book was published in 2013.    It has a lot of information taken from newspaper articles and first hand accounts including the story behind this piece of a curtain that one fan took after the show.



4 comments:

  1. Sara: The "Goin' To Kansas City" CD package was put out by publisher Joe Tunzi in 2005. I know because I wrote the text for the booklet that came with it.

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  2. I had no idea that there is controversy about whether or not they played Kansas City!

    They played "Long Tall Sally" at Washington, DC, before it had been released in the US, so there is precedent.

    I cannot believe for a second that they wouldn't play that song.....and on top of that.....I've always thought that the whole reason they recorded it was because they had just played it live! So it was fresh in their memory!

    Knowing the Beatles (which I don't really know them FOR REAL, heheh), but if I know those guys.....they played "Kansas City!" Are you kidding me? How could they not??? They hear Ruby's name, they immediately start calling her "Ruby Baby", after the Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters song!! Everything with those guys was a song reference!

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  3. Hi Sara,

    Ron Shaumburg's book "Growing up with the Beatles" was written by a fan who grew up in Kansas City. He didn't attend the concert but he sister did; he said that she said that the Beatles did play "Kansas City."

    Doug

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    1. That Ron Shaumburg book was the first Beatles book I was ever given! (though my folks had the Hunter Davies book, and "Love Me Do" by Michael Braun). At the time, I was a little confused and disappointed....I was hoping for a full-blown biography......(I was, like, 7!). Anyways, I duly read it over and over, regardless! Sara, I'm sure you have it already, but if you do not, it's RIGHT up your alley! In fact, it's probably the first (or one of the first) book of its kind, a book written from a fan's perspective!

      Haven't read it in years, should try to snag a copy! Even now, I remember lots of things about it!

      PS: And I realize from Doug's comment....that's why I'm so adamant that they played "Kansas City", because I distinctly remember him talking about it in that book!

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