Teen Out Yell Beatles (Chicago 1965)

 Teens Out Yell Beatles

By Will Lenoard

The Chicago Tribune

August 21, 1965

More than 50,000 teenagers, 90% of them girls, screamed “Beatles” into oblivion yesterday at two performances in White Sox Park; scarcely a note was heard. Everybody was ecstatic, jumping with joy. Some fainted, but there were no injuries. Even the Beatles liked it. “They paid good prices to get in. Who are we to say whether or not they should scream?” Said Beatle John Lennon, 24, when asked at a between-shows press conference whether it bothered him to be shouted down.

  More than 200 persons, some of them reporters, jammed into the White Sox Bard’s room for the press conference.  Almost everybody agreed that the mop-haired Liverpudlians were pretty cute in their replies.

C Haley, Deputy British Council General in Chicago, spoke up from the back of the room. “Do you think you're doing a good job for your country?”  “Yes. Do you?” shouted back Lennon.  Haley laughed and told the four subjects of the Queen (they recently won the Order of the British Empire to the amazement of many and the consternation of some) that he thought they were doing a good job.

 To some of the questions about their likes, dislikes, loves, and habits, the Beatles had a stock answer, “lots of rubbish”. A girl reporter asked what they thought of a comment that” you could be great songwriters if you wanted to?”  “Well,” said Beatle, Paul McCartney, 23 “We write what we feel like at the moment. Like Cole Porter did. People will like us a lot more when we're older. just you watch.”

 Apparently, rowdiness on Thursday night cut short the Beatles' performance in Houston, and they were asked about it. “They sent about 25 cops out to take care of 5000 kids,” McCartney replied. “In every town, they think ‘our kids are different. They have common sense. That just shows you the way some policemen think.” Behavior at Houston was among the worst they encountered. The Beatles agreed. Teenagers climbed on the wings of their airplane. “Chicago”, they said, “Was among the best behaved cities.”  

Between 20,000 to 25,000 screaming teenagers packed both decks at Sox Park for the afternoon performance between the baseline flag poles, leaving only the bleachers vacant. But last night's crowd was larger, so that the announced goal of 62,000 paid was not far off.

 What the Beatles apparently like best was the $150,000 to $160,000 gate, which, compared with only $30,000 they took out of Chicago last September 5, after their appearance at the International Amphitheater.

 A solid line of blue-shirted police sat shoulder to shoulder, their backs to the infield to prevent any teenagers from jumping into Beatle territory and taking second base, where the plywood bandstand had been erected. But nobody tried.

There were 10 microphones for four Beatles. But even at that, they were not heard above the screaming. With the help of two girls, wise and Beatle lore, the titles of some selections were discovered. “You Make me Dizzy. Miss Lizzie, “She's a Woman”. “I Feel Fine,” “Help,”(  Title of this year's Beatle movie) and “A Hard Day's Night”( Title of last year's Beatle movie.) The Screaming went up a few decibels when Beatle McCartney sang his own composition “I'm Down” making this one easily the artistic success of the evening.

 The Beatles arrived quietly at Midway Airport at 3:15am yesterday, with only about 350 teenagers who violated the curfew to do it on hand for the screaming.

 Their headquarters were in $105 a day suite at the O'Hare Sahara Motel on Manheim Road, Shiller Park. The entertainers were scheduled to leave today for Minneapolis.

 There were only a few adults in the crowd at Sox Park yesterday. One gray-haired woman was overheard, telling her seatmate, “They all wear wigs, you know.”