A Grandmother's Notes on a Night with the Beatles (Toronto 1966)

 A Grandmother's Notes on a Night with the Beatles

By Maggie Grant

The Gazette 

September 17, 1966

The Canadian's Maggie Grant, a grandmother, spends an evening with the Beatles and reports on one of the true wonders of our times.

     Set out to observe Beatle phenomenon, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, August 17. Temperature 85 degrees. Hair combed à la Ringo. Arrived early with firm grip on press conference pass ticket. Found area a swarm with little people. Several more years apiece to grow. Explains puzzling term "teeny boppers." Array of rament, quenched hope, astonishing styles shown in magazines would be unmarketable. 

    One belle, "I love Paul", stenciled across seat of bell bottoms, was telling world at large, "I got all the way up to their floor in the hotel, all the way to the eighth floor, and then the stinking cops caught me!" 

    "The eighth floor should be declared a national shrine," said a lass in black mesh stockings, no shoes.     Two tots wearing granny dresses, unrealistically blonde hair, sprawled in alleyways, sobbing like disaster victims. Police had barred entry to Beadle's dressing room. 

    Stirring of anti-copism in own breast upon officers' brush off of press credentials was passed from entrance to entrance back again. Three circuits of building maintained iron control despite foot moans, sweat bath. Police regained esteem by averting trampling by flying wedges of maidens. Had fancied they spotted Beatles in far distance. Incident lent courage to Pengate Guardian to Turnstile asked, "Do I look like a teeny bopper?" Guardian conceded did not, was passed into sacred premises. 

    Conference heavily attended by Veterans of Fourth Estate, conducted with solemnity. Accord senior statesmen, Beatles resplendent in pastel suits, settled vexing world problems to satisfaction of all retired, began searching for press box. 

    Several false leads furnished by distraught ushers.  Located it hanging from roof beams. Temperature at that altitude: 95 degrees. View liked peering into Grand Canyon. Stage size of postage stamp. 16,000 ticket holders, bits of color, shifting kaleidoscope, overtaken by dizziness, set back closed eyes, jarred to chair edge by uproar greeting first preliminary act, group name of the Remains.  Guitarist lept about like orangutans, presumably also twanged instruments. Couldn't hear above audience. Thunderous work of drummer. Kleenex stuffed in ears. Prayed for survival.

     Other prelims equally clangorous, fortified self with hot dog. Hung on. Beatles' hour approach. Further, police march to battle stations. Then the magic moment: terrible sound decibels forth from 16,000 throats. Prelim reception like cathedral hush in comparison. Cannot describe marathon mating cry of Beatlemania. Cannot describe assault on eyeballs of 16,000 exploding flashbulbs; the combination could petrify brain tissue. Finished came senses reeled on stood more or less direct. Sought first aid station overflowing with stretcher cases, withering in religious ecstasy, all subteens.  Decided not to offer self-retreatment. Groped out of building and home. Will confine Beatle devotion to record in future.

Police and Fans Play Beatle Football (New York City 1966)

 

Police and Fans Play Beatle Football

By Kathy Parker

Hartford Courant

September 3, 1966

    The excitement of our trip to the Beatles concert at Shea did not begin with the appearance of the Beatles themselves. It started on the highways outside the city, where cars passed us displaying signs, "To the Beatles", "Beatles forever," "We love the Beatles."

     Inside the halls of the stadium, I could feel the tension. We took our field-level positions just four rows behind the police barriers. Busloads of police patrolled the field and parking lot. Behind us rose a towering wall of fans. Huge signs suspended from the railings flapped in the breeze. Many took note of John and Cyn's anniversary. 

    Every few minutes, a helicopter chopped overhead, and tremendous screams went up from the crowd. Last year, the Beatles arrived by helicopter.

     Just before showtime, the throng swayed toward one end of the stadium, where a red truck was backing into the lower level; the Beatles were inside. The 7:30 p.m. show began at 8:15 p.m. with the Remains. Other acts included the Cyrkle and the Ronettes. The crowd was impatient. People were standing on their chairs. 

    All the announcer said was, "And now...." and the crowd went wild. The announcer asked for a few bars of "We Love You, Beatles. Oh, yes, we do." The crowd sang in remarkable unison, 45,000 strong.

 One Beatle... two Beatles, three, four. Could I really be seeing them? Everyone climbed to the armrests on their seats. Faces were washed with tears. Girls clutched each other for balance. Some fell backward into the crowd. Lines of police moved in and stood like toy soldiers along the barriers. Field glasses were selling better than hot dogs. 

    About halfway through the concert, someone got through the ropes. Several policemen ran after the girl. Gradually, more and more people tried the same thing as groups of police rushed first to one place, then another, playing Beatle football, tackling fans.

     Suddenly, it was over. The Beatles waved a hurried good night, and ran off the stage into a station wagon. As the car sped across the field, hundreds in the lower level rushed outside. A huge trailer truck was concealing a hole in the fence where the Beatles' car would exit; the truck moved. The Beatles drove through. They changed into the Wells Fargo truck and roared out across the parking lot. Throngs ran down the stadium ramps and out into the night, chasing along the zigzagging trails of the Beatles. Later, the Fab Four switched to a limousine and drove to the airport, where they boarded a plane to the West Coast to enter the lives of 1000s of other American teenagers.

Written by Gail Andrews:

     I  too went to see the spectacular show at Shea. There was some excitement during the show when fans spotted two of the Lovin' Spoonful in the audience. The Beatles wore beige suits with light blue striped shirts and sang 11 songs. Paul introduced the first song and said the initial "hello," which brought screams from the stadium.

     I don't know what it meant, but Paul and John kept referring to the year 1948 as they introduced the songs. Paul seemed to be in an exceptionally happy mood, but John, George, and Ringo were quiet. The security measures were more than needed, as only eight fans tried to reach the Beatles. The performance ended abruptly, and the Beatles were whisked away in a gray station wagon with New York license plate number 97368.

Gals Dare Death to See The Beatles (1966)

 This is one of those stories that has stuck with me all of these years.  I think we can all agree that these two girls took Beatlemania too far.  Threatening to take your own life to meet the Beatles is just way too much and I am glad that they were not rewarded for this act.  I also hope they were able to get the help they must have needed and I wonder what the outcome of the "disorderly conduct" charges were.

Gals Dare Death to See The Beatles

By Joseph Cassidy

The Daily News

August 23, 1966

    Two teenage girls undergoing what a Roosevelt Hospital psychiatrist later described as an "acute situation reaction" attracted 1000s of startled sidewalk gawkers yesterday afternoon by perching on the edge of the 22nd-floor rooftop of the Americana Hotel. 

    "We must see the Beatles." The West Brighton S.I. teenagers told emergency service cops, who had been trying for 20 minutes to talk them in from the 18-inch-wide ledge where they sat with their legs dangling. 

    The girls, Carol Hopkins, 17, of 21 Beament Avenue, and Susan Richmond, 16, of 356 Carey Avenue, told their would-be rescuers that they had tried unsuccessfully to gain entrance to the Beatles' 28th-floor suite at the nearby Hotel Warwick, and wouldn't come in unless they could see them. 

    While the crowds on the corner of 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue watched the drama above, a lesser crowd of 200 teens and subteen-age girls tried to generate their own storm by pushing and screaming for their heroes behind police barricades near the Warwick. They were unaware of the activity a block away. 

    On the Americana's roof, emergency service patrolman Richard Powers was trying desperately to get the two skinny blonde girls back to safety. Powers, an 11-year veteran cop, was 39 and looked about 70 as he pleaded with the youngsters. "I have a daughter about your age," he told the girls, whose hysterical sobs were making their position on the ledge even more precarious, "and I'd cry. It would break my heart if my girl was out here like this." But his listeners only shook their heads. Powers got to his knees on the asphalt rooftop. "We'll take you to see them. Just come away from the ledge. I promise you that you'll get to talk to them," he pleaded, although he knew he lied. 

    The girls just sat on the narrow ledge and sobbed. For 20 minutes, the cops scolded, cajoled, and pleaded. Occasionally, Carol would wave a ragged envelope and cry, "I have a letter for Paul, Paul McCartney. I have to give it to him. You wouldn't understand."

     "Nobody understands what they mean to us," Susan blurted out through her tears. "We've just got to see them." 

    On the street, the crowd was getting restless. "Are they gonna jump, or are they gonna keep us here all day?" A white-line barber leaned against a light pole asked. "I'm losing tips staying out here."

     Powers was getting ready with his partner, patrolman Patrick O'Connor, to move in on the girls. Maybe by hopping the three-foot-high guardrail, they could grab the girls before they slipped off. Then a police siren screamed 22 floors below. "It's the Beatles, girls. They've got the Beatles, and they're bringing them up here to see you!" Powers cried out. 

    That did it. Susan and Carol slowly got up, 200 feet above Seventh Avenue. They began combing their hair and putting on fresh lipstick. The cops moved in swiftly, caught the two in their arms, and dragged them back to the precipice. 

    The girls were taken to the hospital where the diagnosis was made, and then to the West 54th Street station to await night court on disorderly conduct charges.

     Meanwhile, the youthful crowd near the Warwick was still screaming. One 13-year-old told a newsman that the "Beatles were really tough. I'd just die to see them up close. I'd just die!"

Flash! City Girls See the Beatles (1966 Cincinnati)

Beatles fans in Cincinnati near the stadium in 1966 

 

Flash! City Girls See The Beatles

By Larry Smith

The Herald-Times (Indiana)

August 23, 1966

"We saw the Beatles. I mean, we really saw them!" Debbie Zimmerman, a 15-year-old Bloomington High School sophomore, not only saw the Beatles, but she got into their Cincinnati hotel room and out with a piece of lettuce, with French dressing on it and some hair that "just had to be Ringo's."

     Debbie, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Zimmerman, 2212 La Jacque Lane, and two friends, Kathy Yates and Donna Glasgow, both 15 and BHS sophomores, bought tickets last May for last Saturday's Beatles show in Cincinnati. 

    The girls arrived in Cincinnati Saturday morning around 10 a.m. to await the 8 p.m. show that night. Mr. Zimmerman and the three girls set out to find the Beatles' headquarters. A Cincinnati newspaper story said the Beatles were supposed to be staying in the Vernon Manor Hotel on the sixth floor.

     Mr. Zimmerman called the hotel and asked for room accommodations for the night. It just so happened there was a suite available on the fifth floor. The hotel lobby was full of waiting teenagers since the night before, all waiting to catch a glimpse of their idols, but Debbie and her two companions, with their hotel room key in hand had proof that they belonged there, started the long walk up to the sixth floor to really see the Beatles. 

    The policemen sent them back down the stairs, but all was not lost. Debbie, Kathy, and Donna would not give up until the Beatles were on their way out of town. The outdoor performance was rained out Saturday night, and the Beatles' manager, Ken Douglas, announced that travel arrangements would be changed and that a performance was set for "right after church" Sunday. 

    Kathy said that about 4o'clock Sunday morning, a noise woke her, but she didn't find out until later that it was the Beatles themselves, still up and partying on the floor above. The girls were up by 6:30 Sunday morning, still planning on seeing the Beatles. Shortly before noon, the luggage for the Beatles' entourage was brought to the ground floor lobby, and Kathy said, "I touched it. I ran my hands over John's suitcase, and I touched George's clothes." A guard finally chased them away. 

    Then, from out of nowhere, Debbie's father appeared and told her to follow him to the sixth floor. There were only about 15 people there, mostly hotel employees. Debbie and a hotel maid were the only two females. Then it happened. The door opened, and out came John Lennon. Debbie said, "He's my favorite, and I screamed 'hi' three times, and he walked by and said 'hi' back." George and Ringo and Paul followed. 

    By this time, Debbie was in a state of shock. After the Beatles had left the hotel, Kathy and Debbie talked the maid into letting them see the hotel where the Beatles stayed. That's when they found the piece of lettuce, and Debbie found a tuft of hair that "just had to be Ringo's", and Kathy found some shed hair in a bedroom, and it "just had to be John's." There were some burnt matchsticks too. Debbie said, "The Beatles look so different in person. Their hair is so long."

Show by The Beatles is a Scream (1966 Memphis)

 

Show By The Beatles is a Scream

By Thomas BeVier

The Commercial Appeal

August 20, 1966

     Emily Strider, hands folded, face emotionless, and sweet 16, yawned as the Remains bounced their music, with the help of seven amplifiers, off the walls and ceilings of the Colosseum. And then it happened: the Beatles pranced on stage in their gray mod suits with red vertical stripes and abbreviated jackets. Emily, who drove to Memphis early yesterday afternoon from her home in Charleston, Mississippi, started to cry. Then she started to scream. Then she started shaking her head wildly and pounding her knees with her fists. It was a commentary on uninhibitedness. Just sort the sort of thing Jerry Leighton had been talking about earlier when he was trying to figure out the difference between a nickel and a quarter.

     Leighton is a disc jockey from England who is traveling with the Beatles on their tour of the United States. His is a "pirate station", one of several that operate on ships off the English coast because commercial stations aren't allowed in England. "The Beatles are a phenomenon", he said, in the studied accent of a true Englishman. "I asked them once how it felt to be a phenomenon. They said it didn't feel anything."

     With help from the Yankee Press, Leighton was able to figure out how to operate the cigarette machine, and just then Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager, walked by. "Give me two seconds," he was asked. "Two seconds. My life is spent giving people two seconds," he said. 

    His quick comment was that yes, the Memphis performance is very important to us, because of the John Lennon comment that the group is more popular than Christ. The Ku Klux Klan made its opinion known by picketing at the Southern Avenue entrance to the Colosseum grounds. The sheets and hoods lent an incongruous touch to the stream of bell-bottom trousers, paisley shirts, and high-heeled boots worn by the Beatles' faithful who filed by. There were 7,589, mostly girls and almost all teenagers, at the first performance, and another 12,539 at the second. 

    You couldn't hear the Beatles for the screaming. Before they came on stage, there were threats that anybody leaving his seat would be thrown out. It worked, and Early Maxwell, Memphis promoter of the show, was glad. "This was a real test," he said. "I've never had so much security (80 policemen) at an event; not even Bob Hope.

     Security started at 1:45 p.m., when the chartered American Airlines Electra with the Beatles and their entourage touched down on the military side of the airport. Only 10 Beatle Bugs managed to slip by guards. One, Charles Hardy, 19 Of 4931 Montgomery, even infiltrated the press corps and got a hurried, almost legible autograph from Paul McCartney for his persistence. 

    One of those meeting the plane was a harried man of about 45 from Washington.  He was Campbell Bowles, the group's advance man. "No, you can't ride in on the bus with them," he said. "No, we don't allow exclusive interviews. Yes, I am tired." Someone asked him his opinion of the Beatles and their music. "No comment," he said sharply.

Life is At Last Complete: They Saw The Beatles (Boston 1966)

 

Life is Now Complete: They Saw The Beatles 

By Priscilla Ilinitch

The Evening Gazette

August 24, 1966

     "They're just now beginning to come down off cloud 99," declared the mother of one of the four 12- and 13-year-olds who had a tremendous experience last Thursday. Life is now going to seem pretty quiet, according to Denise Landeau, Lynn Matthew, Carol Ann Matthew, and Liz White. They've seen the Beatles. What else is left? 

    The girls had been living in almost unbearable anticipation since getting their tickets to the Boston concert two months ago. Beatles fans from the beginning, they have every Beatles record there is, and seemingly every clipping and picture. The rooms are overflowing with pictures and scrapbooks, as their mothers will attest. 

    A definite participant in the abounding enthusiasm is Carol Ann's twin, Jo Ann, unable to attend the concert because of a recent operation.  Jo Ann is just waiting for next time.

     And what's so great about the Beatles? "Why, just everything!" the girls' chorus. Although they have different favorites, their looks, their singing, and the way they can invent songs. The girls remained loyal through all the reactions to the "more popular than Jesus" comment.  "They were misunderstood," and "The remark was taken out of context," They declare with certainty.

     Having actually seen the Beatles, the girl's enthusiasm remains undiminished. "They were wonderful," Denise said with a sigh. "I wanted to scream, and no sound would come out," she reported, "but the tears just kept rolling down my face."

     "I cried just hearing about it. I can't imagine what I would have done if I had been there," said Jo Ann. The girls are still marveling at the incomparable experience of one boy who managed to get onto the stage and touch John, Paul, and George, before the police took him away. "He actually touched them!" The girls sighed. Their voices are far away and dreamy.

     One of the mothers reminds the girls of other times and other idols, but this is different. They'll always love the Beatles, of course. And one week later, the memory of life's biggest experience lingers on.

Beatle Fans Back Idol's Remark (1966)

 Beatle Fans Back Idol's Remark

By Lisa Cronin

The Morning News

August 16, 1966

    Eight Wilmington area girls think Beatle John Lennon was not far wrong when he said the group is more popular than Jesus, and they're out to prove it tonight. The eight will be driven by Frances J Nicoletti of 312 Silverbrook Drive, Elsmere, father of one of them, to attend the 8p.m. Beatles concert at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. 

    With them will be a hand-painted sign proclaiming, "We luv you, Beatles," "Beatles or bust," and "Beatles 4-ever." The girls say they hope to show the Beatles that their fans are still loyal, despite the controversy caused by Lennon's remark.

     Several radio stations across the country banned Beatle Records to protest the comment. "I think that they were misinterpreted," said Marlene Konopka, 15, daughter of Mister and Missus Henry Konapka, of 323 Osborne Road, Elsmere, "but they still are basically right," she added.

     "Yeah, you just put a Beatles concert next to a church and see which gets more people," another chimed in. The girls said they were relieved that the controversy didn't cause the cancellation of the Philadelphia concert. Each wrangled $5.25 from her father to attend.

     Lennon later apologized for his remarks at a Chicago news conference on August 11. "I think that the whole thing was unfair, but I love him twice as much since he apologized," said Mary Ellen Medkiff, 14, daughter of Mister and Missus Samuel L. Medkiff, of 1322 Clifford Road, Oak Hill.

     Tonight the girls plan to arrive at least an hour early, and hope to attract the Beatles' attention with flashing lights. They say they're taking along other Beatles' equipment, such as Beetle dolls, sweatshirts, books, and posters. "I know I'll get to meet them," said Debbie Berry, 12, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert G. Barry, of 302 Taylor Road, Elsmere. "I'd like to kiss every one of them and then melt at their feet."

     The other girls are Gail Schmidt, 12, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Schmidt, of 205 Rosemount Drive, Elsmere, Marie Nicoletti, 12, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Francis J. Nicoletti, Georgine Mellon, 15, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert E. Mellon, of 1047 Wagner Drive, Woodland Heights, Linda Rattle, 15, daughter Mister and Missus James Rattle of 110 Valone Road, Valone Village, and Charlotte Godfrey 14, daughter of Mister and Misses John A Godfrey of 902, Highland Avenue, Marshalltown. 

    Debbie Berry added that she likes the Beatles more than she does her own boyfriend, but would she like to marry one? "No, I don't think so." Came the reluctant answer.

Welcoming Back the Beatles

 

North vs. South views on the controversy (1966)

 

I have always found it interesting to read real people's reactions to John's Jesus Statement during the controversy in the United States.  I chose two different areas of the United States to share what people were saying.  The first article is from Wisconsin (in the north) and the second is from North Carolina (more in the south).  

They're Still Loyal To Beatles

By Clifford C. Behnke

Wisconsin State Journal

August 8, 1966

    If some teenagers in the United States are about to burn their Beatles records, it doesn't look like their counterparts in Madison are going to pitch the first disc.

     The Beatles' banning and burning began two weeks ago in Birmingham, Alabama, where two disc jockeys retaliated against Beatle John Lennon's remarks in Datebook magazine by instigating a ban on Beatles records on their stations and urging listeners to send in Beatles records, wigs, and other souvenirs for a big bonfire.

     Lennon was quoted as saying the Liverpool quartet now was "more popular than Jesus Christ, and that Christianity will vanish and shrink."

     "I think it's stupid to ban their music for something he said," freckled Jenny Sheahan, 15, said in Lennon's defense as she finished a Coke at King's Restaurant on the square Saturday afternoon. "I don't think he was right, but he's entitled to what he thinks," said Jenny, who saw the Beatles in person in Chicago last summer. "I think the radio stations know that the teenagers don't want the stations to ban the Beatles," she added. 

    Madison's two rock and roll stations, WISM and WMAD, which play the Beatles records, will continue to play the group's recordings. The stations are allowing their listeners to voice their views on the controversy over the air. Both report that callers are not in favor of a ban on Beatles music. 

    Janet Robey, 17, a clerk at Victor's Music Store on Capitol Square, said, "It was ridiculous to say what he did," but she also thinks a ban on the Beatles would be equally ridiculous. Janet added that she thinks some parents and teenagers who never liked the quartet are behind the ban movement. 

    Tom Forsythe, 17, who leaves for the Air Force today, agreed and said, "I don't think the ban is right." He was one of the few teenagers interviewed who liked the new Beatles single, "The Yellow Submarine", which was released last week. "It's an unusual sound for the Beatles," he said. The majority of teens said they disliked the new record, but not because of the recent controversy. It was too unusual to be readily accepted, according to most.

     Freckled and pert, Janice Nash, 16, said, "I still like 'em. I think John was joking around when he said it."

     Sue Fass, 17, said she doesn't think religious beliefs should interfere with their music. "I think that's two different things. Christ stands for religion, and the Beatles stand for something else."

     Peter Robinson, 14, a drummer in the four-piece Intrigues, a Madison rock-and-roll group, was not a big fan of the Beatles and was also against the ban. But he was critical of the quartet's drummer Ringo. "He doesn't change his beat from record to record."

     "I don't think people should take it seriously," said Camilla Carraher, 14, another customer at Kings. "It's just that they're in the public eye so much they have to be careful what they say," she said. "But I don't think John should have said it in public."

     A giggling Linda Young, 14, said they didn't mean that when they said that. "It's not their fault. If people listen to the records, it means people aren't paying as much attention to religion these days." Linda said she was ready to picket herself if Madison radio stations banned the music. 

    Blonde, blue-eyed Candy Lofton, 14, of Minneapolis, said, "The Beatles are not more popular than Christ, and they never will be." She attributed the group's popularity to their hair. Candy was lucky enough to see the Beatles perform in Minneapolis, but she didn't hear one note they sang because everybody was screaming. 

And the Beatles still are a scream.  Most teens are still loyal fans, and even the less enthusiastic throw cold water on possible Beatles bonfires in Madison. 

Beatles Battle:  Take It Or Leave It

No Writer Listed

The Salisbury Post (N. Carolina)

August 6, 1966

    You can just about believe what you want to about the Beatles controversy with so many different versions out. If you've been looking for a good excuse to dislike the Beatles, you have one now if you want it.  Or if you still want to remain a Beatles fan, you can do that too by saying that John Lennon of the Beatles was quoted out of context or whatnot.

     What is certain is that the whole incident has caused many local youths to reassess their sentiments about the singing group, as the short interviews indicate. What is perhaps most ironic is that some youths who could never have been swayed into disliking the Beatles by anything their parents or other adults could say have done so now on the basis of what a Beatles himself is said to have said. 

    The following paragraphs are some of the things carried in several newspapers about the controversy: "The furor was set off after a magazine article quoted John Lennon of the Beatles as saying the mop-haired group is more popular than Jesus. More than a dozen radio stations in North and South Carolina have dropped recordings of the Beatles from their programs because of what they consider a sacrilegious remark attributed to a member of the long-haired group.

     "Beatles manager Brian Epstein said John Lennon had been misinterpreted. When a newsman asked Epstein if he actually believed the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, he snapped, 'Of course not!'

    "'I do not think for one minute that John Lennon intended to be flippant or irreverent,' said Miss Maureen Cleave, whose interview with Lennon set off the wave of Beatles bannings in the United States. She continued, 'He was simply observing that so weak was the state of Christianity that the Beatles were to many people better known.'

     George Chun -- Zimmerman's employee -- Route 4, Moxville:  "Personally, I don't think they're more popular than Jesus Christ. I don't think they will outlive Jesus Christ because religion has been here since His time. Man has to have something to believe in and strive toward. This group, I think, is just a passing fancy. The long hair attracts the young ladies. I do like them as a group, although my favorite kind of music is progressive jazz. If anything, I think John Lennon was saying those things in that interview to cause more talk about the group."

     John Bulcher --radio announcer, salesman -- Route One: "I never really thought they would come out with a statement similar to the one they are credited with. It seems to me that they are condemning themselves. Lennon has used a comparison which I think is out of bounds. Our station doesn't play Beatles music by the Beatles, but by other groups doing their songs. Our musical format doesn't allow Beatle music by the Beatles anyhow, so we don't have to make a decision about whether or not to play them after this. 

    Danny Fisher -- Assistant Kenny's Manager -- Morepark:  "As I understand it, there's been a mistake in what he said. It's unexcusable if he did say it. What I think must have happened is that John Lennon said, referring to a few teenagers, that even the Beatles are more popular right now with some teenagers than Jesus Christ is. With just a few young people, I think he is correct. I don't believe the majority feel that way, though. I don't really believe Lennon said it, meaning what he did."

     Mrs. Eddie Nester -- store decorator-- North Main Street:  "I just think it's disgusting. They've got a lot of influence with young people, and he should have known it would cause a big controversy. Somebody like that ought to watch what he says. I used to like to listen to the Beatles, but not anymore. Nowadays, Johnny Mathis is about my limit. I don't have to worry about buying their records because, you know, you don't buy records after you're married. "

    Herman Hyman --smoke shop owner--Rutherford Street:  "I think John Lennon's statement reflects a kid carried away by his own popularity. I believe the kid is not one who doesn't believe in religion. I think he does. I also think he's sorry now. I don't think it's so much about possible financial consequences as about the fact that he has disillusioned so many youngsters and knows he cannot undo what he has done."

 Paula Hyling -- high school senior-- Birmingham, Alabama: "I like their music, but I don't like the things they have been saying. I have bought their records. I just don't believe the things they said are true. They must think they are so big now that they can say anything they want to and get away with it. I used to be a real fan of theirs; they have just kind of made me mad."

     Earl Smith -- fiber industry employee -- Route Four-- Moxville:  "I'm a Beatle fan, although I'm not crazy about their style, their hair, or their clothes. I think they are kind of overjudging themselves. I just don't think they're that popular. Younger people than myself are really the ones who have kept them in business to date. It's a fad; it will die out."

     Charlene Carscaddan - West Rowan, Southmore- Route Six:  "Right now, I don't like them. I don't think there's anybody better than God. I was a fan of theirs. I just like their music. Now, I'm not going to buy any more of their records. Period."

My Experience Meeting the Beatles (1965)

 

When I went to get my notes about the "Bigger Than Jesus" article I wrote after digging through the Art Unger Files, I found a copy of a letter sent to Datebook for publication consideration.  The magazine did not publish the story of Lee Donoff meeting the Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965, probably because it wasn't true.  She was alone?  Didn't get their autographs?  Didn't take a picture?  I personally think this is fan fiction, but I also think how lovely it would be to be a 16-year-old Beatles fan in 1965 and have this beautiful daydream of meeting the Beatles.  But then again -- who knows?  Maybe it happened exactly like Lee said it did.  You can decide. 

Dear Datebook: This is the true story of my meeting the Beatles. I send it to you for you to print and share it with other Datebook readers. I found some of their experiences wonderful. The meeting was about five minutes long, and I kept my story as short as possible. Thank you for your time and your wonderful magazine, Lee Donoff. P.S. This is a picture of my cousin and I taken outside of Shea Stadium. I'm the one on the left. If you can print this article, you can cut the picture in half and use just me, or use both of us since she was at the concert.

 Meeting the Beatles 

by Lee Donoff

 West Islip, Long Island, New York

West Islip High School

age 16

    Meeting the Beatles is an experience a person never forgets. The Beatles may forget when they met me, but I'll never forget when I met them. My cousin Adrienne and I had been waiting for what seemed like ages until their New York concert. We waited for nine and a half hours to get in, and it was a luxury to sit down. I came all prepared with a camera, film, binoculars, gum, and tissues. Little did I know what was in store for me. 

    Just before the concert had started, my cousin and I tried to find better seats. Ducking cops and stadium officials, we found ourselves on the field next to two empty seats. It was dark, and the Beatles hadn't arrived yet. I asked Adrienne to come with me to get a Coke, but since neither of us had the correct ticket stubs, we thought it was safer for me if I went alone.

     I had already ordered my drink when I heard everyone screaming. I grabbed my Coke off the counter and ran to the railing. I watched the Beatles leave their truck, and I started to cry. I stood there, and after several seconds, I walked back to the counter. The police let me pass because they had seen me buy the drink. As for the girls behind me, they were stopped.

     I stood by the counter, and as soon as the man turned his head, I opened a door and ran down a flight of stairs. I was standing at the bottom when I heard an English accent; I just knew it, and I started to cry. I didn't want to, but I couldn't control the tears. They must have heard me because the next thing I knew, they were gathering around me. They were dressed casually. Ringo was shorter than I pictured him, and his blue eyes went on and on and on. George was slender, and his hair was clean and frizzy. John had a bit of a tan. Paul, well, he just looked great. 

    I was still crying, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop. For the next five minutes, they kept saying, "Please stop crying." Finally, Ringo asked me, and I stopped. Ringo shoved a tissue in my hand, and I still have it. I tried to take a picture, but someone yelled at me. Paul said, "You better not luv. I don't want you to get in trouble." I completely forgot to ask for autographs, although I did take a couple strands of their hair. 

    Paul turned around and looked at me. "Why does everybody cry when they see us?" I had no answer, and I mumbled something about never expecting to meet them. A voice told me to go because the Beatles had to change. I kissed John, Ringo, Paul, and George, and walked away in tears. 

    Some cop yelled at me, "Why are you crying? What are you crying about? The concert hasn't even started." Little did he know.

    It was all my cousin could do to shake me out of hysterics and find out what happened. Within a few minutes, we were running down the row of steps again. Only they weren't there. A few reporters were milling around, and one approached us and asked if we had seen the girl who had met the Beatles. My cousin said that was me.  Next thing I knew, I had a couple of microphones in my face and questions coming from all sides. Questions like "Who's my favorite Beatle?" and "How did I feel?" and so on. They asked us to stand in front of the stadium, and they took our pictures. 

    The concert was fantastic. I tried to make it to the stage, but a cop grabbed me. I got an encouraging wink from Paul. It was a wonderful experience, and for several minutes every day, I lay down and relived everything that had happened.

Hard Night's Wait (1971)

 Hard Night's Wait

Newsday

July 23, 1971

Hundreds of young people, like Linda Gavaeff, waited and waited through the night at Roosevelt Field for tickets to Madison Square Garden for the return concert on August 1 by former Beatles George Harrison and Ringo Starr. And when the night was over, and all the tickets had been sold, there were still hundreds waiting. Only 70 tickets were allocated for sale at the shopping center. Sharon Durkin and Richie Walka were lucky. They waited 12 hours and walked away early yesterday with four tickets.

People Flood Ticket Office

Wire Reports

July 23, 1971

Madison Square Garden had to open its windows 10 hours early to accommodate 5,000 persons waiting to get tickets to the George Harrison benefit concert; many of them had been waiting in line since last Thursday. The box office opened at midnight Thursday, and by 8:44 a.m. 17,000 tickets were sold. The management decided to add a matinee performance for the August 1st benefit for 6 million East Pakistani refugees. A commercial ticket agency zipped through its 10,000-seat allotment in 83 minutes, starting at noon.

Night Vigil Net Youth Rock Tickets

The Herald-News

July 23, 1971

    With the determination echoed in a George Harrison hit, a group of youths camped out at Willowbrook Wednesday night so they might get tickets to see  The Sweet Lord of the Rock World.

     Tickets for former Beatle George Harrison's one-day concert at Madison Square Garden were to go on sale at 10 a.m. at Bambergers and Sears, and the kids had heard they were in short supply. Equipped with sleeping bags, blankets, and lanterns, they started arriving at the mall about 1 a.m. 

    "They were all very nice and polite to us," reported Willowbrook's security chief Justin Calatarci. "We felt sorry for them and decided that as long as they were orderly, we'd let them stay." 

     Calatarci said a total of 60 youths were scattered around the center's lot by sunrise. Some huddled on the grass, others curled up in cars. "Their only concern," he said, "was getting their tickets and going home."

     By the time the stores opened, the number of Harrison fans had swelled, and long lines at both stores' Ticketron counters kept the operators constantly moving. Within two hours, tickets priced from $4.50 to $7.50 were sold out. Bambergers reported 116 sales, and Sears, which experienced computer problems, sold 29.

     Was it worth the all-night vigil? One weary but happy young ticket holder was asked. "Hallelujah!" was her only reply.

Riot Set Off by Beatle Fans in W. Germany (1966)

 

Riot Set Off By Beatle Fans in W. Germany

Reuters

June 27, 1966

    Thousands of rioting West German fans of the Beatles turned the heart of Hamburg into a battlefield Sunday night as they broke windows, threw tear gas bombs, and caused traffic chaos. Police reinforcements with dogs and loudspeakers barricaded streets around the hall where the British pop group was performing, while ticketless fans roamed the center of West German's largest city. 

    Appeals for the teenagers to clear the streets were met with a chorus of yells, and police began drenching them with fire hoses. Fans replied with tear gas bombs, and police eventually moved in with dogs and nightsticks to disperse the crowds during the riot.

     Teenagers smashed store windows in an elegant shopping center, broke streetcar windows, and tore down trolley wire contacts. An official said 40 youths were arrested by late evening. 

   By late evening, the city was quiet again as police vans patrolled the streets. The Beatles are at the end of a four-day tour of West Germany

Wings Covers America (San Diego 1976)

 

Wings Cover America

By Jim Guthrie

Daily-Times Advocate

June 27, 1976

    There he was all alone on the stage singing "Yesterday", and there I was in the last row with 14,000 people between us, trying to get the binoculars away from my wife. I'd had the binoculars when he started the song; they had basically been in my possession from the beginning of Paul McCartney's concert at the San Diego Sports Arena, which isn't exactly true. It wasn't just Paul McCartney's concert, it was one stop in the Wings Over America tour, and it was significant.

     The group was addressed in the billing, which indicated a certain symbolism and understanding by one of pop music's most eminent superstars of the idioms' integral relationship between the individual and those around him. McCartney's name alone would have been enough to guarantee the tour's success, but by itself it wouldn't have reflected what, in purely musical terms, the tour was all about. Where the man was now musically.

     There's a place in pop music for the solo performer, and time could be taken here to list a dozen or so names, any one of which, when placed upon a marquee, would be enough to sell out any auditorium in the country as fast as Wings sold out the Sports Arena. But after a while, every new Carole King or John Denver song sounds too much like the old ones, etc. etc.

     The reigning solo performer at present is Elton John, but he really isn't a soloist in a variety of senses. His music needs Bernie Taupin's lyrics, and that just isn't old Elton up there in those funny glasses, banging away at the piano. There are some very talented musicians backing him up.

     To be continually innovative and appealing, pop music requires an interplay of ideas. It has to be a cooperative effort to be truly great. Sure, Elvis was the single most important influence in pop music, but he was a style, an instrument through which the music of others flowed. He needed those others, just as they certainly needed him. And a guy named Dylan has been pretty important in pop music, too. But if he hadn't augmented himself with The Band, it's doubtful he could have gained superstar status as a performer. 

    The most important group in pop music has been the Beatles, but its members were human, and musically the Beatles broke up because John, Paul, George, and Ringo wanted to say their own musical things. They wanted to become Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr on their own terms, and they did for a couple of albums, a couple of years, but then what they were saying on their own wasn't all that important, or even all that entertaining. It became significant for its curiosity value, but tended to be disappointing musically. 

    McCartney, however, relearned the importance of interplay and cooperative effort, and so here it was six years after the breakup, and here was Paul, basically the lead singer in a new group, filling hall after hall, night after night, with both a single and an album number one on the charts. Of course, McCartney is more than a lead singer, and that is why I was trying to get the binoculars back. Through them, I had followed the trajectory of frisbees before the lights went out, and the four horn players mounted the stage in their glow-in-the-dark Wings T-shirts, followed by the five members of Wings themselves, illuminated by that shaft of shocking red spotlight. 

    I'd inspected the crowd carefully, noting a large part of it was made up of people as old as I was, and thus as old as McCartney. I searched in vain for braless teeny boppers boogying carefree in the aisles. While there was a younger element in attendance, I spied them looking curiously at my age group through the doorway of the crowded bar in the lobby, as we fortified ourselves with beer, scotch, and brandy before climbing to our seats. a burly guard informed us we were required to finish our drinks at the bar. We weren't allowed to take them out. Obviously, those kids staring in at us with those funny cigarettes in their hands needed to be protected from the likes of us.

     I had been afraid of having to deal with a bunch of pimply-faced weirdos trying to steal my seat. I had even prepared a speech about the fact that I had more of a right than they had to be there, because in part McCartney was, after all, of my generation, and why didn't they buzz off and come back when Pink Floyd was in town?

     But there wasn't any hassle. Everybody got along just fine, and the only tension between the generations occurred when a pre-teenage girl in the row in front of me looked at me funny while I tapped my feet during "Lady Madonna". We wound up smiling at each other, and later I noticed we were both clapping in time to "Band on the Run."

     But now he was singing "Yesterday", perhaps the watershed song in pop music. The song that made the kind of music that produced it respectable and listened to by all segments of the public. After "Yesterday", pop music became a sociological influence, not just a category. And although he had more to do with "Yesterday" than anyone else, the song isn't known as just a McCartney song; it's a Beatles song, and I'm sure he wouldn't have it any other way. 

    Still, one night stands out in my memory when a musician friend of mine was playing "Yesterday"on his flute. He stopped and said, "You know, McCartney is a musical genius," and then he went back to proving it, so I regretted that I had given the binoculars to my wife. I guess I wanted to be able to say what she did when he finished the song. "I've always wanted to see him sing that, and now I can say that I have." But at least I could hear him in the 18th row of section 20 C, and I was glad I was there. 

    However, "Yesterday" wasn't the high point of the concert.  Hearing it was nice enough, but somehow only in a nostalgic way. What made the concert memorable was the new McCartney sound. The sound of five musicians playing together as Wings.

     Wings is still developing as a group, and it may never reach the Beatles' status or preeminence. Probably no group ever will, but I can't wait for its next tour. By that time, I'm sure the Sports Arena won't be nearly big enough to hold all the people of all ages waiting. Wings will be closer to getting it all together then, and the people in the back row will need higher powered binoculars.

Paul McCartney Still Inspires Beatlemania (St. Paul 1976)

That is "Blond Brenda" in the lower right corner

 Paul McCartney Still Inspires Beatlemania

By Mike Newgren

Post Bulletin

June 7, 1976

    Having grown up during the apex of Beatlemania, listening to "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" for hours on end led me to consider Paul McCartney more than just another rock star. That would easily explain why I've spent the last month eagerly awaiting Friday night's Paul McCartney and Wings concert at the St. Paul Civic Center. My wait was well worth its duration after watching the former Beatle perform for two hours.

    

     Oh, the voice is fading, and there are a few wrinkles on his boyish-looking face, but that didn't matter. It was Paul McCartney, resplendent in a yellow t-shirt, black satin suit, and white-and-black shoes, and that in itself was enough. 

    I arrived at the Civic Center at 5:28pm, two and a half hours before the concert was scheduled to begin, thinking that would give me plenty of time to avoid the rush before the doors opened at six. I was wrong. There were 1000s of people milling around the building when I found my way to one of the doors marked 'entrance'. Some had sleeping bags tucked under their arms, and one man in his mid 20s said he had driven down from Montreal to see the concert. It was obvious that I wasn't the only person who remembered how the shaggy-haired, blue-eyed boy from Liverpool set hearts fluttering over a decade ago, when he, John, George, and Ringo were the idols of millions of teenagers. 

    The doors opened at 6:03, and there was a mad rush to get inside to grab a seat as close to the stage as possible. By 6:30, the place was half full. Approximately 17,000 people attended the concert. As the minutes slowly ticked away towards 8 o'clock, the rumors began to trickle through the civic center. 

    Someone said they saw John Lennon. "I hear Ringo Starr's going to sit in on drums for a couple of numbers," a teenage boy kept repeating. Lennon and Starr never showed, but it made little difference whatsoever to the audience. It came to see McCartney the leader of Wings, a band that includes his wife, Linda, didn't let his fans down.

     He pranced out on the stage at 8:04 and sang two songs, "Venus and Mars" and "Jet", before uttering a word, but when he did speak, the crowd went wild. "Thanks a lot, St. Paul", he said, almost being drowned out by a thunderous ovation. "You're great. How are you doing? All right", and then he flashed a big smile, gave the peace sign, and shouted, "Welcome to Minnesota!"

     "Listen", he added, after singing, "Maybe I'm Amazed," "It's really nice for us to be here this evening, so just enjoy yourself, because I know we will."

     And enjoy himself is exactly what McCartney did. It was evident that he was having a good time, as he joked with the audience, gave numerous thumbs up and number one signals to the crowd, and stomped his feet on the stage after most of the songs.

     In addition to his most recent hit records with Wings, McCartney also sang five numbers that were recorded by the Beatles. "Lady Madonna", "I've just seen a face," "Yesterday, "" Blackbird, and "The Long and Winding Road."

     "This is where we have a little sit down and play our acoustic guitars," McCartney said shortly before breaking into "Yesterday", which is perhaps the most popular song ever recorded by the Beatles. When he finished, he held two guitars high in the air to acknowledge the standing ovation from the audience.

     "I can see those big blue eyes all the way up here!" one woman sighed from the balcony.

     "Say, listen," McCartney explained at 9:58. "We're getting near the end of the show, and you've been a grand wee bunch. Thanks for coming."  With that, Wings played "Band on the Run", and the concert was over. 

    "I don't care if the Beatles ever get back together again", one girl told her friend as they left the Civic Center and headed for the parking lot. "Paul McCartney will always be a Beatle, as far as I'm concerned."

Ringo's still got it

 April 21, 2026

Look at the pure joy on that man's face.  Ringo still has what it takes to make an audience  happy.  

The gang's all here

 

Young Fans

 

Not quite the Beatles

 The one girl is holding up a copy of "Beatlemania in the USA" by the Liverpools.  This was one of those records that good meaning parents bought for their children, thinking it was the real deal only to learn that it was a sound-alike band.  However -- many fans have found memories of listening to this album in 1964.  Now the other girl appears to be holding a Dezo Hoffman Bealtes photograph.  

How Different From the Cavern Days (1964)

 

How Different From the Cavern Days

By Dorene Hannah

Beatle Book Monthly

March 1964

    I would like to tell you about the days before the Beatles were well-known. They had a small group of Liverpool fans who used to queue outside the Cavern from 8am until 12 noon for the lunch hour sessions. Most of them used to take days off school or college and tried to copy their mother's handwriting in a note for the teacher. On Sundays, queuing commenced from about 2pm until 7:30pm. As The Beatles became more popular, queuing went on all through Saturday night and all Sunday until 7:30pm. Ray McFall would bring a crate of milk down between four and five and sit in his car with the radio on for us to listen to the top ten. 

    We used to queue in the freezing cold and tell stories about the Beatles while wrapped in blankets and sipping hot coffee. Everyone knew everyone, and if girls came who had only just heard of The Beatles, well all us "scousers" made them welcome. While we were waiting for the Cavern to open, we would ask some girls to save our places, and we would go to the Kardoma Cafe (KD) and then for a stroll round town. And sometimes we would meet a Beatle and stop for a talk, then go back to the Cavern.

     It was gear in those days, but it was sheer agony when the lads went to Hamburg; everyone walked round with long faces. The Cavern looked lonely when we passed with no people queuing. Sometimes the lonely Beatle fans would meet at a lunchtime session to cheer themselves up by talking about the lads. It was nothing short of chaos when their welcome home performance was on at the Cavern; girls fainted, and there was hardly any screaming, and no one was hysterical. At least you could hear the Beatles singing and joking. Those were the days. Sometimes I wish we could relive them, but I suppose the Beatles wouldn't. Well, good luck in the future, lads.

Battle for a Beatle Kiss (London 1965)

 

Battle for a Beatle Kiss

No Writer listed

Western Daily Press

December 13, 1965

    Up went the curtains, and up rose 5,000 teenage girls from their seats in the Finbury Park Astoria, London. The Beatles were making a one-night stand there. More than 1000 girls in the stalls moved forward several rows, but were barred from the stage by a shoulder-to-shoulder cordon of uniformed policemen and police women. 

    Two girls got through and over the orchestra pit. One got her arms around Ringo's neck and stole a kiss before being jerked off. The frustrated remainder swooned in the aisles or stood on the backs of the seats, raining jelly babies, dolls, and even a top hat onto the stage.

     Twenty girls were carried out for medical treatment, and the police had difficulty in removing about 100 others who felt unable to leave their seats between the two performances. Forty more girls were wriggled out from various parts of the building, including some under a pile of policemen's top coats.

     Said a Beatles veteran, " Beatlemania is worse now than it was two years ago."