Beatles Cheered and Thunder Claps (Philadelphia 1966)

 

Beatles Cheered and Thunder Claps Too

By Jerry Gaghan

Philadelphia Daily News

August 17, 1966

    You couldn't hear the thunder for the kids in Kennedy Stadium last night as the Beatles made their second visit to the city. The thunder and lightning, heralding the cloudburst that mercifully came after this beaded-up program, had electric competition from the youngsters' flashbulbs. The pitch-dark concrete glen on South Broad Street littered steadily, as though from an infestation of giant lightning bugs.

     The British aristocrats of rock worked precisely 30 minutes on the improved field stand, which meant that, with the guarantee paid by George Hammond Jr., they were chopping up $25,000 every 10 minutes. Official attendance figures given out were 20,844. No total gross was announced, but with ticket prices at $5 and $3, the Steel Pier impresario had apparently suffered a loss on the show. 

    The ill-timed remarks of John Lennon, the group's downbeat evangelist, undoubtedly cut into the advance sale, and the weather bureau's promise of showers sloughed the gate sales. Police precautions were impressive. There were rows of barriers and blue coats to form a no man's land of more than 50 yards between the English entertainers and the nearest rows of youngsters. However, our well-behaved children gave no indication of any righteous surges in the stadium.

    Gloom, where hawkers of field glasses and popcorn had to hold their wares high just to be seen. There were several false shrieking outbursts as the girls thought they saw their idols. They finally came from under the west stand, and after that, it was one long-standing ovation. Seats may be sold for Beatles concerts, but nobody uses them. Surprisingly, there was a large proportion of young males last night. The boys apparently had decided to live with the Beatles. That's where the girls are. 

    The Beatles come on stage at 9:17, in their conventional three-guitar-down-front and drummer-mounted-backstage arrangement. The squealing and waving, the flashbulbs never let up, but the sound is turned high, so high that you can best hear the words by holding your hands over your ears. 

    The Liverpool Four ran through a succession of their recent hits, starting with "Rock and Roll Music", and gained tumultuous welcomes for such numbers as "She's a Woman, "Nowhere Man", "Paperback Writer, "Day Tripper, "I Feel Fine," "Yesterday," with "Long Tall Sally" for the get off.

     Hamid acted as MC and sagaciously had the "Star-Spangled Banner" played for the finale, while the headliners escaped in a waiting truck to the International Airport, where their private jet took them to Toronto for the next show. Because of the imminent rain, the entire program ran without intermission. The warm-up acts included the Remains of Boston, a group of two guitars, Electric Piano, and Drums, who acted as the noisy accompaniment for other performers, the Ronettes (Be My Baby and Walking in the Rain) and Bobby Hebb, who drew the first ovation with his hit "Sunny." The Cyrcles, [sic] a quartet that started out at Lafayette College four years ago as the Rondells, are traveling with the Beatles. They seem a highly professional unit with bona fide haircuts, trim blazers, and two guitars, drums, and an electric organ for instrumentation. They tally strongly with their trademarks, "Red Rubber Ball" and "Turn Down Day," as well as their impersonations of other groups, the Beach Boys, Four Seasons, Gary and the Playboys, etc.