An online Beatles fan club for and about Beatle fans
Showing posts with label Leeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leeds. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
The Beatles play Leeds
The Beatles traveled back to England for a performance in Leeds on October 22, 1964. After the riots in Glasgow the day before, they were ready for some peace and quiet. Well---they weren't going to get it in Leeds! No one is sure how many fans were in the streets that evening, but estimates say that it was 1,000 screaming girls.
Not a whole lot is known about what the Beatles did backstage, but we do know that John doodled on the back of a photograph some ideas for the cover of the 'Beatles for Sale' album. And apparently, the lads had some drinks and popcorn while posing for photographers.
The first concert was wild! When the Beatles came on stage, fans ran up to the front of the stage and all 2,500 there tried to cram into the area in front of the orchestra pit (well...maybe not EVERYBODY). Security interviewed afterwards said that they never had seen anyone as determined to get on stage as much as these fans. Six brave girls broke through the line of security and climbed over the organ and jumped up onto the stage. One of the six was just an inch away from Paul before one of the security men dragged her away. She was kicked out of the concert, but she ran around to the front of the theater and begged one of the police to let her back inside. Fans were hurling all sorts of items onto the stage, including a cigarette lighter than bonked Paul right on the head.
Four unhappy concert going adults were outraged by the fact that they could not hear or see the Beatles because people were jumping in front of them and screaming. They refused to leave the theater and the management allowed them to stay in a circle aisle seat for the second show.
Here are a few memories that I found. The first one is funny.
Not a whole lot is known about what the Beatles did backstage, but we do know that John doodled on the back of a photograph some ideas for the cover of the 'Beatles for Sale' album. And apparently, the lads had some drinks and popcorn while posing for photographers.
The first concert was wild! When the Beatles came on stage, fans ran up to the front of the stage and all 2,500 there tried to cram into the area in front of the orchestra pit (well...maybe not EVERYBODY). Security interviewed afterwards said that they never had seen anyone as determined to get on stage as much as these fans. Six brave girls broke through the line of security and climbed over the organ and jumped up onto the stage. One of the six was just an inch away from Paul before one of the security men dragged her away. She was kicked out of the concert, but she ran around to the front of the theater and begged one of the police to let her back inside. Fans were hurling all sorts of items onto the stage, including a cigarette lighter than bonked Paul right on the head.
Four unhappy concert going adults were outraged by the fact that they could not hear or see the Beatles because people were jumping in front of them and screaming. They refused to leave the theater and the management allowed them to stay in a circle aisle seat for the second show.
Here are a few memories that I found. The first one is funny.
I remember attending that concert. I was only 11 and my elder sister had to take me with her, in order that my mother paid for her ticket! I remember not being able to hear them at all for all the screaming. Also remember getting bored towards the end of the concert.--Leo
I was lucky enough to play for a rugby club who's members acted, as the crowd control in those day. I was only 16 when I attended the first concert. Wonderful memories of being pushed, screamed at and cursed by the young girls trying to get onto the stage.--John B.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Beatles for Sale and another fan
The fan connections to the album, "Beatles for Sale" just amaze me. We have already learned about how one fan named Margaret gave the album it's name (even if the Beatles didn't realize it) and now we will learn that a fan named Betty was the first fan to know about the name of the album well over a month before it was released!
On October 22, 1964 Betty Littlewood was one of many fans that attended a Beatles concert at the Odeon theater in Leeds, UK. As we have seen time and time again, it was pretty typical for fans to hand over autograph books, photographs, John's book, or any scrap of paper in hopes of having one or more of the Beatles sign it. These items would get collected and taken backstage and if the Beatles had time, they would sign the items and they would get returned to the fans after the concert. And more often than you might think, a fan received a genuine Beatle autograph this way. However, as you can imagine, if the Beatles did not have time, good ol' Neil or good ol' Mal would forge a Beatles signature on the item and it would get returned. The fan would think that he or she had a real Beatles autograph until many, many years later when that fan would have the autograph authenticated and find out that something they cherished and believed for so long to be the real deal, was in deed a fake.
However, Betty Littlewood would be one of the lucky ones and the signature she received was NOT a fake! She turned over a Beatles fan club photograph. This starpics photograph is something she most likely received through the Beatles fan club and she thought it would make for a great autographed item, as it was a pretty up to date (for the time) photo of the Fab 4. Being a smart young girl, Betty put her first and last name along with her address on the back of the photograph. This way the autograph could be returned to her without any issues.
Of course we don't know exactly what happened backstage with the Beatles before the Leeds performance, so this is just speculation. During October of 1964, the guys weren't just touring the U.K., but they were also working on the "Beatles For Sale" album. They had almost completed recording this album by the time of the Leeds show. They must have been discussing the album cover. We see that they definitely had the name picked out. If they recall Margret's competition winning title will never be known. The photo shoot for the album with photographer, Robert Freeman happened sometime on a "wintry day in late autumn of 1964 around 7:00 pm at Hyde Park near the Albert Memorial" (I love how details can be given, but no one knows the exact date or even month of this photo shoot).
Anyhow, the boys are backstage discussing what they want the new album cover to look like, and John Lennon grabs the only paper that is around him and starts to doodle a few ideas for album covers. He shows the other Beatles and they discuss them. They think the last one looks pretty good (notice Ringo sketched in there...and who is the Beatles with the sad face?) and John signs his name of the back and puts it back into the stack to be returned to the fans after the show.
The Beatles perform their concert and the fans scream. No one can hear the guys and the show was another Beatles success. The guys would not return to Leeds again for a concert again, unfortunately.
Betty Littlewood gets her photograph returned to her and there isn't anything written on the front. But on the back she finds John Lennon's autograph and to her shock some drawings! On October 22, 1964 she got a little sneak, peak into the next Beatles album before the rest of the world even heard of it!
On October 22, 1964 Betty Littlewood was one of many fans that attended a Beatles concert at the Odeon theater in Leeds, UK. As we have seen time and time again, it was pretty typical for fans to hand over autograph books, photographs, John's book, or any scrap of paper in hopes of having one or more of the Beatles sign it. These items would get collected and taken backstage and if the Beatles had time, they would sign the items and they would get returned to the fans after the concert. And more often than you might think, a fan received a genuine Beatle autograph this way. However, as you can imagine, if the Beatles did not have time, good ol' Neil or good ol' Mal would forge a Beatles signature on the item and it would get returned. The fan would think that he or she had a real Beatles autograph until many, many years later when that fan would have the autograph authenticated and find out that something they cherished and believed for so long to be the real deal, was in deed a fake.
However, Betty Littlewood would be one of the lucky ones and the signature she received was NOT a fake! She turned over a Beatles fan club photograph. This starpics photograph is something she most likely received through the Beatles fan club and she thought it would make for a great autographed item, as it was a pretty up to date (for the time) photo of the Fab 4. Being a smart young girl, Betty put her first and last name along with her address on the back of the photograph. This way the autograph could be returned to her without any issues.
Of course we don't know exactly what happened backstage with the Beatles before the Leeds performance, so this is just speculation. During October of 1964, the guys weren't just touring the U.K., but they were also working on the "Beatles For Sale" album. They had almost completed recording this album by the time of the Leeds show. They must have been discussing the album cover. We see that they definitely had the name picked out. If they recall Margret's competition winning title will never be known. The photo shoot for the album with photographer, Robert Freeman happened sometime on a "wintry day in late autumn of 1964 around 7:00 pm at Hyde Park near the Albert Memorial" (I love how details can be given, but no one knows the exact date or even month of this photo shoot).
Anyhow, the boys are backstage discussing what they want the new album cover to look like, and John Lennon grabs the only paper that is around him and starts to doodle a few ideas for album covers. He shows the other Beatles and they discuss them. They think the last one looks pretty good (notice Ringo sketched in there...and who is the Beatles with the sad face?) and John signs his name of the back and puts it back into the stack to be returned to the fans after the show.
The Beatles perform their concert and the fans scream. No one can hear the guys and the show was another Beatles success. The guys would not return to Leeds again for a concert again, unfortunately.
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| Paul and John performing at Leeds |
Betty Littlewood gets her photograph returned to her and there isn't anything written on the front. But on the back she finds John Lennon's autograph and to her shock some drawings! On October 22, 1964 she got a little sneak, peak into the next Beatles album before the rest of the world even heard of it!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Same venue?
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| Someone baked the Beatles a cake. One of these girls is named Sharon. Leeds 1963. |
I thought this might be the same venue backstage. It is definitely during the same time-period. But John is wearing a dark shirt in one photo and a light shirt in another. Paul is getting ready to pole-dance in the top photo and there isn't a pole in the second one.
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